PLAINFIELD -- In the first half of the Plainfield North Class AA Regional championship game, it appeared that Waubonsie Valley's toughest challenge would be the referee.
The Warriors tried to get a breakaway at every opportunity but were called early and often for offsides. No matter, as Waubonsie scored goals in bunches in overwhelming Oswego 6-0 to capture the regional title.
Next up for the Warriors is their own sectional Tuesday against Geneva.
Waubonsie Valley (20-0-1), the state's top-ranked team and defending state champion, stretched its unbeaten streak to 52 games including a pair of ties. Goalkeeper Claire Hanold now has shutouts in 18 of her team's 21 games.
But for the first 14:31, the Panthers (11-9-1) kept their high-powered opponents off the scoreboard, thanks to a Meredith Garren save of a point-blank shot by Bri Rodriguez four minutes in.
And Waubonsie's timing was a bit off when they looked to send long passes behind the defense to streaking forwards. In fact, the Warriors were whistled 14 times for offsides in the first half alone.
Sophomore Vanessa DiBernardo got Waubonsie Valley on the board with a header off a perfect feed by freshman Megan Green. At that point, the floodgates opened and a hustling but overmatched Panther squad could not stop the onslaught.
Catherine McClellan was credited with a goal when her centering pass caromed off an Oswego defender for an own goal to make it 2-0 with 17:02 left in the first half.
Then the 'fast-break' soccer began to pay dividends. Rodriguez took a pass, dribbled about 30 yards while fighting off a defender and scored at the 11:37 mark. Three minutes later, Jessica Morgan scored in almost identical fashion to give the Warriors a 4-0 lead at the break.
"(The Panthers) played a high line, so we tried to take advantage of it," said Warriors coach Julie Bergstrom of her team's repeated efforts to get breakaways.
Rodriguez scored on another breakaway early in the second half. Reserve Allison Fox capped off the scoring with a 20-yard bender from a sharp angle that found the far side of the net.
Meanwhile, Hanold had to deal with six Panther shots on goal, but she was never seriously tested.
Forward Kaitlin Straits stood out with her play in her final game for Oswego.
"It's rewarding to get to this point where we got a chance to play (the Warriors)," said Oswego coach Margaret Fehrenbacher. "We had nothing to lose and played hard for the whole game. But there are two levels of soccer in Illinois - one for Waubonsie and one for everybody else." Girls Soccer: Class AA Plainfield North Regional
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