Complete domination. 

Jesuit cruised to a huge victory on Tuesday night at their first home game of the season. Having lost to West Linn in the semifinals last year, this game proved to be payback for the Crusaders. 

Right from kickoff, it was clear that Jesuit were going to set the tone. Just seven minutes into the game, Nico Hidalgo won a penalty after West Linn’s keeper brought him down in the box. Hidalgo smashed the spot kick into the roof of the net, giving Jesuit a 1-0 lead. 

Just two minutes later, Hidalgo was on the scoresheet again as his deflected shot found its way past the keeper. 

The Lions had a chance to get back into the game after their striker found himself in a 1v1 situation, but Elliot Parelius came up big with a save. 

From then on, it was smooth sailing for the Crusaders. They found their third after Drew Pedersen rounded the keeper and tapped it into an empty net. With seventeen minutes left in the half, Pedersen scored again as he looped a header over West Linn’s backline. 

A fifth goal came soon after, and was perhaps the best of the game. Noah Hayes dribbled past multiple West Linn defenders before firing an unstoppable shot into the top left corner. The fans erupted into cheers as Jesuit went into the half with a comfortable lead. 

The Crusaders continued to control the game throughout the second half. The Lions held off Jesuit until Omar Barajas scored the sixth goal, with a calmly placed finish into the corner. 

Less than a minute later, the Crusaders extended their lead to seven goals after Dominic Hoar-Weiler played a lofted ball up to Pedersen, who scored his hat trick goal. 

The game ended as an emphatic 7-0 win for Jesuit. Pedersen has now scored four goals in three games, and looks to continue his run of form against Summit. Ranking 10 in OSAA, the Crusaders are top contenders to make a championship run this year.