Last Thursday, Jesuit men’s soccer faced off against Sunset High School on unfamiliar turf. After coming off of a 3-3 tie against Mountainside earlier that week, a lot of pressure was riding on the crusaders to get a win.
The game, initially delayed due to lightning, started off with both teams battling it out in the pouring rain. Both teams struggled to keep it on the opposing end for long, and within five minutes, sunset was able to breakaway with a goal- creating a quick lead for the Apollos.
“The team is working on learning to play to our strengths. When we play fast and switch the ball, we are a dangerous team. We are also working on our constructive criticism, as we are looking to build our players up and respond in an effective manner when we make a mistake.” said Senior David Ensminger.
About halfway through the first half, Sunset was able to collect another point after scoring a goal off a penalty kick.
Things started to look down for the Crusaders until breakout star Jet Perry was able to score a goal before the end of the first half, followed by an impressive save from Senior Captain Fox Mason to prevent yet another goal for Sunset.
By the time the second half of the game rolled around, both teams came out firing on both ends.
“Obviously we had a tough game making a few mistakes, I think we [needed] to focus on our accountability throughout the team. However even after such a poor start we were able to take control of the game all of the second half,” said Jet Perry.
After that, Sunset struggled to score against Jesuit’s defense, which Perry added that they have been working on: “We have been focusing on holding our defensive shape and trying to figure out the best system for us to reduce chances for the other teams we play. We’ve also focused on how to capitalize on our opportunities when in front of goal.”
With only a few minutes left in the game with a score of 2-1, the crusaders made an aggressive play down the field in an attempt to put pressure on the Apollos. Senior Henry Vanderhoff led the charge and scored a much needed goal for the crusaders. However, Jesuit was swiftly called for offsides, leading to the goal to be disregarded.
The game ended 2-1. While both teams played hard, Sunset’s aggressiveness on the offensive end was difficult for the crusaders to stop.
“Going into our next games, we are looking to start games strong and not give up an early goal, so we don't have to come from behind like we have many times this season. We are also focusing on hustling to second balls out of the air and making the extra run, as it will go a long way, and the hustle shown by our teammates will motivate us to work harder.” Said Ensminger.
“The team is thinking that we really need to recenter ourselves and give full attention and effort to each game. We are one of the best teams in the state but we need to show it.” Concluded Jet Perry.
The next metro league game will be against the Westview Wildcats on October 13th.
