Christian Lopez bounced on his feet between penalty kicks, two fists raised in the air, like a boxer anxious to get back in the ring.

He owned the real estate between the posts.

Oswego’s sophomore goalkeeper turned away all four Plainfield North attempts in overtime – five shots, actually, when he was forced to redo one.

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Class 3A Naperville Central Regional semifinal soccer match: Oswego vs. Plainfield North Oswego's Ryan Maveus (20) reacts after his penalty kick gets through during Class 3A Naperville Central Regional semifinal soccer match between Plainfield North at Oswego, Tuesday Oct 21, 2025. (Gary E Duncan Sr)

Lopez’s’s clutch play in goal sent Oswego past Plainfield North 2-1 in penalty kicks in Tuesday’s Class 3A Naperville Central Regional semifinal.

Ryan Maveus and Victor Rios made their tries for Oswego, 2-0 in penalty kicks, to advance to Saturday’s regional final against Naperville Central.

To Lopez, the sting of losing last year’s playoff opener to Oswego East still lingered in his mind during PKs Tuesday. He was determined to make his own personal amends.

“I really just thought about my teammates and thought about last year, how I wished that I could play with those seniors again,” Lopez said. “That really motivated me to do this for my seniors. I decided we should win this one.”

Lopez made a diving stop of a shot at the left post on the first penalty kick. Then he mirrored it by laying out for a try at the right post. Third and fourth attempts, he stuffed shots right at him.

After every denial, Lopez let out a ferocious scream as he clung to the ball.

“I was feeling amazing,” Lopez said. “I didn’t want to get too cocky but at the same time I decided that I had to let my emotions out.”

Lopez’s superb play in goal is nothing new to Oswego coach Gaspar Arias. The Panthers (15-7) have allowed just 23 goals this season, and posted shutouts in 11 of their last 15 games.

“He’s amazing,” Arias said. “Last year he struggled. This year he came back stronger. I mean, he’s good. He’s developing, we could tell his skills have improved. He just looks more confident. He has been working on stopping PKs and it shows.”

Oswego wasted no time striking first, as Alexander Nieves rebounded a teammate’s miss 23 seconds in. Plainfield North’s Sebastian Gonzalez tied it 1-1 in the eighth minute.

And then, nothing, for over 42 minutes. There were few chances as the teams battled each other, a gusting wind and periodic mist.

“It is what it is with the weather,” Plainfield North coach Lukasz Majewski said. “You can’t control that. We’ve been fortunate to have a pretty nice summer. First real day of playoffs we get this, but both teams played in this. Both teams split the exact amount of time defending each zone. Kudos to them.”

Plainfield North (9-12-1) had beaten Oswego 2-1 almost three weeks prior.

“We knew this would be a tight game,” Majewski said. “I think we matched up pretty well. We would have liked to adjust a few things but with the conditions sometimes it’s not suitable to get those things done.”

More opportunities presented themselves late on both sides. Oswego missed a wide-open header in front of the Plainfield North goal in the second overtime period.

In the first overtime, Lopez made a spectacular diving stop of a well-placed crossing strike from Plainfield North’s Joel Martinez.

“I saw him shooting, No. 11, I knew he had a good shot,” Lopez said. “I had to risk myself a little more.”

On Oswego’s last penalty kick attempt, Rios tried a different approach, making a light touch that curled over the Plainfield North keeper.

“At times like that I try to stay calm and collected,” Rios said. “That is usually my thing, I always do that. In times of stress I try to keep the team calm. That’s how I show it.”

Lopez made the next stop, setting up a third meeting with Naperville Central Saturday. The two teams split two regular-season meetings.

“He’s amazing. It wasn’t just this game,” Rios said. “Other games, conference, Bolingbrook, Joliet Central, he’s had plenty of saves in penalties. Compared to last year, he made a great change. I think he has a bright future.”