Metea Valley, Naperville North both advance

Updated: October 19, 2011 9:30PM

It didn’t matter who scored the goal for Metea Valley, only that it went in.

After playing from behind for much of the season or allowing a late game-winning goal, the Mustangs finally found themselves playing with a first half lead.

Freshman Dakota Rowsey was credited with a goal in the 30th minute-- the last to touch off a corner by Zachary Bavol-- and the No. 8 seed Mustangs edged out No. 9 Oswego East 1-0 in an IHSA Class 3A Metea Valley Regional semifinal game.

“Zach gave a great pass and I just finished the chance I had,” said Metea senior Marco Cattani, the first to flick the low pass towards net and originally credited with the goal. “But it was Dakota’s goal, he had the last touch. Doesn’t matter, we got the goal.”

It was a welcome reversal of fortune for Metea.

“Virtually every game this year we’ve given up an early goal and have been fighting back,” senior forward Ryan Solomon said. “We’re a resilient team, but it’s nice to get the first one and play with a lead. I think we handled it pretty well.”

Both teams struggled to connect in the midfield with a driving wind and rain working over the field from north to south.

“In the conditions like this it doesn’t do justice to either team of how well both have played,” Metea coach Josh Robinson said. “It’s just going to be a struggle every time in playoff games.”

The Wolves were nearly the first on the scoreboard, but Jorge Alvarez’s shot from the right two minutes before Metea’s goal slid past Mustangs’ keeper Derek Carothers and caromed off the left post.

“I thought in the first half we played really well, especially with the wind in our face,” Oswego East coach Steve Szymanski said. “In the second half, they just did a great job defensively. They were on Jorge all the time and did a good job defending him.”

Metea (9-6-5) will face No. 1 Naperville North (19-0-1) on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. for the regional title. Both teams attempted to play a game three weeks back at Metea before 50 mile per hour winds canceled the game 10 minutes in.

For the Mustangs, this is their state championship game.

“They’re a good team obviously, but we think we’re a good team, too,” Solomon said. “Hopefully, we can go out there and play a good game.

Naperville North 6, Oswego 1

Siberian huskies are conditioned for cold and simultaneous strenuous exercise.

The Naperville North Huskies’ boys soccer team is likewise prepared and wasted little time Wednesday afternoon dispatching Oswego from the playoffs.

Senior forward Evan Trychta scored two of North’s four first-half goals as the No. 1 seed Huskies rolled to a 6-1 victory in an IHSA Class 3A Metea Valley Regional semifinal game amid cold, wet and windy conditions.

“I give the boys credit, they toughed through it,” North coach Jim Konrad said. “The cold was more a factor than the wind. Guys were just frozen and maybe felt tentative to tackle hard because of it.”

North (19-0-1) fired off 20 shots and put 14 on frame, completely dominating possession. The Huskies advance to Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. regional final.

“With the wind at our backs in the first half, not knowing what was going to happen in a game like this, we were lucky to get a couple early and take the pressure off,” Konrad said. “The boys did a nice job of continuing to play.”

North’s first goal four minutes in came off a ball Kyle Lindberg tried to cross, but it hit off the back of a Panthers’ defender for an own goal.

Lindberg scored on a penalty kick in between Trychta’s two goals, the latter a pretty flick from Lindberg to catch the Huskies’ top threat alone on the left.

“Us working hard right off the bat, putting away a few early definitely set the tone,” Lindberg said.

The Huskies’ Max Auden and Joe Sullivan each scored in the first 11 minutes of the second half.

No. 15 Oswego (8-14-2) did not get off a shot in the contest until the 59th minute when Panthers’ junior midfielder Mitch Lewis skipped a 25-yard shot past North keeper Kevin Anderson.

“They’re just a good, solid all-around team,” Oswego assistant coach Pat McGann said. “All 11 players are really good. That’s what it is.”

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