A top notch performance by Drew Pedersen carried Jesuit to a 4-1 victory over 5A Wilsonville. 

With their second game at home, the Crusaders looked to improve their record of 3-0-2. Coming off a strong 6-1 win against Ida B. Wells, it seemed as if Jesuit would steamroll their opponents on Monday night. 

Surprisingly, it was the Wildcats who got off to a strong start. Wilsonville nearly took the lead after Alex Aguiar chested the ball down and had a shot on goal, but a fantastic save by Elliot Parelius kept the score 0-0. 

Parelius was called into action again as he denied Wilsonville with a 1v1 save. It was clear that Jesuit would need to pick up the pace in order to take control. 

As the first half progressed, the Crusaders gradually settled into the game. With ten minutes to go, they found the breakthrough after Dominic Hoar-Weiler crossed the ball into Pedersen who shot it calmly into the net. 

Just a few minutes later, Pedersen scored his second when a deflected shot fell to his feet, which he lashed past the keeper. 

Even with two to his name, Pedersen did not let up. A long ball from Hoar-Weiler found Pedersen, who delightfully chipped it over Wilsonville’s keeper. The first half ended 3-0. 

The second half began with the Wildcats looking to find a way back in the game. The Crusaders stayed strong in the back, and increased their lead with another sublime goal from Pedersen. Pedersen picked up the ball from his own 40-yard line, and dribbled past multiple Wilsonville defenders before shooting the ball past the keeper. 

Aarya Saxena almost sealed off the game with a free kick on the top of the box. He hit it perfectly over the wall but was denied by the crossbar. 

Wilsonville still pressed on, and pulled one back through Sergio Day. Day picked up the ball in the midfield and dribbled the ball past Kogen Albertini, before placing the ball calmly into the bottom right corner. 

Jesuit maintained their composure for the rest of the match, and grabbed the 4-1 win. This will be an important boost for the Crusaders’ upcoming game against Grant. 

Saxena talked about how Jesuit were able to turn the game around after a slow start.

“We didn’t play great in the beginning, but we were able to fix our mentality and go into the second half with a lot more,” Saxena said. 

Saxena also mentioned how this game will carry Jesuit into their next match. 

“It was a test of our mentality and how we’re going to play as a team,” Saxena said. “This game was a good lesson for us.”