The Jesuit Crusaders, last year’s Oregon Girls Lacrosse Association (OGLA) state champions, are still on top after beating the Grant Generals 16–15 in a thrilling overtime at Cronin Field. The game was a rematch of last year’s championship, which ended 13-8, and this year definitely lived up to expectations.
Jesuit came into the game ranked number one at 5–0, while Grant was right behind them at number two with a 7–0 record. Both teams had big wins earlier in the week, with Jesuit beating Lincoln 19–8 and Grant beating Tualatin 15–3. There was a lot of talent on the field, including Grant’s Cornell commit Isla Hoffelt and Jesuit college commits Kate Gabrielson (Cal), Hazel Mackey (UC Davis), and Claire Comstock (Vermont). Tensions were high pregame, both teams aware of how big this night was.
“I feel calm and confident because I know we have put in so much work to prepare for tough games like these”, said Senior Kate Gabrielson before the game.
Jesuit started off strong. Hazel Mackey scored the first goal of the game. The Crusaders quickly built a 5–1 lead by the end of the first quarter, feeling comfortable going into the second. Their offense was clicking early, and their defense made it tough for Grant to get going. Grant started to find their rhythm in the second quarter. They took advantage of some Jesuit penalties and slowly cut into the lead. By halftime, Jesuit was only up 7–6.
At halftime, Kate shared her thoughts once again “I know that I can rely on my teammates and that our success will come from the encouragement we build each other up with on and off the field”.
That encouragement seemed to work, as coming out of halftime, Jesuit scored two quick goals to create some space again. They controlled most of the third quarter and pushed the lead to four at one point. But near the end of the third, Grant responded with two back to back goals, making it 12–10 going into the fourth.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jesuit went up by four once again. Although it might’ve seemed over, Grant didn’t shy away. The Generals scored four straight goals to tie the game with about 3:30 left. Jesuit answered quickly with another goal, but Grant got one final chance late. After a blocked shot by goalie Lanie Knight, Grant recovered the ball and drew a foul. Isla Hoffelt was able to punch it in and tie the game, sending it to an overtime cinema.
Jesuit won the draw to start overtime and immediately went on attack. Only about a minute in, a shot from Kate Gabrielson was blocked, but Vivian Vogt intercepted the clear attempt and passed it to Meg Flanagan, who scored the game-winner. The crowd erupted, and Jesuit rushed the field in celebration.
Some key contributors for Jesuit included Mackey, Flanagan, and Izzy Tamerlano, who all scored multiple times. Hoffelt led the way for Grant, scoring seven goals, and played a big role in their comeback.
Jesuit followed up the win with a 14–3 victory over Westview the next day and will play at Southridge on Tuesday. They’re still undefeated and looking strong as the season continues.
