Nonconference draws early in a season are unquestionably the easiest to tolerate.
Both sides see positives and both teams can continue to say they’re unbeaten, at least that was the case Saturday as Oswego’s visit to Batavia ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
“You never want to lose, but if you’re playing a really good opponent and it’s on the road, it’s better to get a draw,” Oswego’s Taylor Bailey said. “In a match like this, communication between the defense and keeper are the key.”
The senior defender should know after using her head or feet for a variety of defensive clears since the Panthers (1-0-1) didn’t manage a shot on goal for the second half.
Batavia (1-0-1) put five of 14 second-half attempts on frame in comparison to the first 40 minutes when both teams finished with seven overall tries and three shots on goal.
“Our offense started strong while the defense definitely won the second half for us,” Oswego coach Kelsey Champion said.
The Panthers had the more dangerous chances early despite adjusting to the absence of Kelsey Kraft, half of last year’s one-two scoring punch. The senior forward is out indefinitely following an injury in the season-opening 4-1 win over Bartlett.
Champion, now head coach after four years as top assistant, pointed to the fight Oswego showed in fending off Batavia’s second-half flurries.
“They’re a very good team and I can see them having a very good season, so I’m especially pleased with how hard we fought. They were intent on scoring and we survived,” Champion said.
Less than a minute after halftime, the Bulldogs had a Mackenzie Foster header go wide right and a half minute later Carly Simonian’s right-side charge required a save from Oswego goalie Megan Rasmussen. She shared the shutout with starter and fellow sophomore Madison Lockard.
Perhaps the most memorable near-goal came with 5:59 left. Batavia defender Rachel Reinecke’s textbook chip was taken out of the air by Karina Rosales and immediately popped over an out-rushing Rasmussen. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, it didn’t dip under the crossbar.
“Being inside the box, initially I was worried about being offside, plus I didn’t think I had much time to judge how much loft was needed,” Rosales said. “Because we dominated the second half, I believe we could’ve won. We just needed better finishes inside the box.”
Bulldog goalie Jenny Scara doubled her shutout minutes to 160 after protecting the net through Batavia’s 4-0 triumph at Plainfield Central.
“We dominated the second half and the key was winning the middle,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said “Alexis (Bryl), Olivia (Callipari) and Karina really controlled midfield and generated opportunities. We can always do a better job of framing our shots. The other big positive was our fitness level. I didn’t sub as much in the second, but we stayed on the offensive.”
Steve Nemeth is a freelance reporter.