On Thursday, September 5th, the women’s soccer team took on rival Central Catholic in a highly anticipated match. Having come off of a 4-2 win on Tuesday night against Lincoln, the Crusaders are hoping to make a state run after last year’s loss in the state quarterfinals against West Linn.
Starting off the first half, it was a back and forth battle between the Crusaders and the Rams. The Rams maintained possession to start until sophomore Natalie Webber scored a huge goal for the Crusaders at the 20 yard line. Webber set the tone for the rest of the game and from there on, Jesuit dominated the match.
Goalie Lauren Butorac led the Jesuit defense to a shutout in the first half, dominating the back half of the field.
“We started two freshmen at center back as senior Sophia Stiles was unable to play. Even with a young back line we were able to do a very good job preventing centrals counter attack and come out with a clean sheet,” Butorac said.
Having freshmen start on the defensive end was new for the Crusaders as they usually have returners on the back end.
Senior leader Hanna Slama was a role model on the field the past two games for the Crusaders. She has high hopes for the team this year especially as a new team after their first game against Lincoln.
“We prepared for the Central Catholic game as a team by lifting up one another and discussing our personal goals and team goals for the game,” Slama said.
Aggressiveness for the crusaders was the key to their success.
At the end of the first half, sophomore Jo Frischknech came all the way from outside back and put in a goal that bounced right off the goalkeeper’s hands. The Crusaders relied on Natalie Webber during the second half as she put in two more goals to get herself a hat trick during the opening home game of the season.
Working the clock the rest of the half the crusaders maintained possession and kept the ball away from their side of the field. The Rams slowly began to crumble under the Crusaders tough pressure as the clock winded down.
The Crusaders ended the game with a 4-0 win to shut out the Rams on the first home game of the season. The Crusaders hope for a deep playoff run looks well in hand. The Crusaders face the Cleveland Warriors on Monday September 9th in hopes to maintain their undefeated streak.
