Panthers rally with two scores but can't hold off Hornets

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By Curt Herron

A lot of coaches would be real disappointed if their team allowed a match-tying score during the final five minutes of play.

That's precisely what happened to Oswego on Tuesday when it met Hinsdale South in a Waubonsie Valley Invite match in Darien.

But considering how much the Panthers have struggled to score goals this year, coach Travis Carlisle viewed things differently.

While not thrilled to see the Hornets claim a 2-2 draw with his squad, the Oswego coach still liked what he saw from his team.

Oswego fell behind 1-0 in the opening minute of the second half but battled back to score a pair of goals to grab a 2-1 lead.

It marked only the fifth time in 15 matches this season that the Panthers had scored multiple goals during a contest.

And the fact that the two scores came within a span of less than 15 minutes was also an encouraging sign for Carlisle.

That's why he had no problems seeing the match end the way it had, especially considering how the two teams performed.

It was a big afternoon for South (6-9-3), which honored 16 seniors and played on its new turf surface for the first time.

Adam Udy scored the first goal for the Panthers (6-7-2), following an assist from Curtis Grysiewicz, with 27:45 left.

Then with 13:14 remaining, Grysiewicz found the net, thanks to an assist from Luis Abrego, to give Oswego the lead.

South's Edwin Cisneros evened things up with 4:57 to play when he put in a short rebound past keeper Luis Gallardo.

That's how things ended in a match featuring no overtimes that kicked off a week of play in the six-team tournament.

While neither squad was at full strength, the Panthers were in a better spot since they were missing fewer starters.

Defender Josue Fernandez sat the match out for Oswego while Nick Henry and Tyler Langosch couldn't go for the hosts.

Click to hear coach Travis Carlisle interview

Following the halftime ceremonies, the Hornets came out strong and managed to find the net during the opening minute.

Just 37 seconds after the break, Joey Gangi sent a cross in front of the net and T.J. Kubiesa was there to head the ball in.

The Hornets followed up on that score by threatening Gallardo with several good chances during the next few minutes.

Oswego responded a short time after that with a long free kick from Collin Stransky and a short shot by Nathan Kyes.

South keeper Paras Patel was able to stop those two attempts but he couldn't halt the Panthers' next try right after that.

The Panthers tied things with 27:45 left to play when Grysiewicz sent a pass to Udy, who put in the short shot attempt.

South tried to get the equalizer but keeper Gallardo stopped a short try from Gangi and another free kick from Dan Pocica.

Oswego took the lead for the first time with 13:14 remaining when Abrego found Grysiewicz, who lined a shot over Patel.

Click to hear Curtis Grysiewicz interview

Kubiesa later had a corner kick headed away by Kyes and sent in a free kick that Gangi flicked before the threat fizzled.

Finally, with just under five minutes left in the match, Cisneros got free in front and put in a loose ball to even things.

Oswego had a pair of good chances during the initial 10 minutes of play, but South keeper Patel stopped both attempts.

Fernando Chavez began things with a grounder and Stransky sent a free kick to Kyle Kearby, who was denied on a short try.

South had chances to grab the early lead in the opening half, but as has often been the case, it was unable to connect.

The best chances were provided on long free kicks from Pocica and Kubiesa during the initial 30 minutes of action.

In the final 10 minutes of the first half, South's Matt Warta had a pair of chances while Matt Schuster and Kubiesa also threatened.

The Panthers host Lemont on Thursday before playing at Waubonsie on Saturday. The Warriors tied Batavia 1-1 on Tuesday.

In other tournament matches, the Hornets play Batavia at Waubonsie on Thursday and travel to Lemont two days later.

Metea Valley kicked off competition in the six-team Warrior Invite last Saturday when it claimed a 3-1 victory at Lemont.