The sixth ranked Jesuit Crusaders were not just looking for a win on Tuesday night, they were looking to make a statement. Hosting the eleventh ranked South Eugene Axes, who walked onto the field with an undefeated record, the Crusaders were ready for a tough battle. Instead, they put on a show, handling the Axes in a dominant 16 to 4 victory.
The game started slow, with South Eugene trying to play at their pace early, burning clock with a highly patient, slowed down offense. But the moment Jesuit’s defense forced a turnover, the tempo completely flipped. The Crusaders pushed the ball down the field, resulting in sophomore Walker Lake punching in the first goal of the night. From there, it was all Crusader ball, though South Eugene managed a few scattered goals. A major storyline of the night was the return of senior AJ Bayne, who looked sharp playing in his first full game back from injury. Also, goalie Jack Tisher was an absolute wall, leading a defensive unit that shut down the Axes all night.
Senior captain and defender Owen Vance praised the defensive effort, noting that the game was solid from a defensive perspective.
“Our goalie, Jack Tisher, had some tremendous saves and we cleared the ball well as a team. There were a couple of lapses in the second half with our off-ball defense, but overall, the defense showed a good effort versus South Eugene.”
Jesuit’s offense was firing on all cylinders, sharing the wealth and cutting through the Axes’ defense with quick ball movement. The stat sheet showed a completely balanced attack. Elliot Hire led the playmaking with four assists, while George Malkiel controlled the scoring with three goals. Davis Dolp added two goals and two assists, Walker Lake finished with two goals and an assist, and Ryan Devine contributed one goal. Devine credited the offensive flow after the game, stating they “Played really good team ball and spun the ball around quickly. Looking forward to getting back out there on Saturday against West Linn”. With the game practically over by the second half, the coaching staff utilized the younger bench, getting valuable playoff experience for those guys to ensure the roster is ready for the road ahead.
While Tuesday was a statement win, the Crusaders know the road only gets harder from here. Walker Lake echoed the team’s hyper focused mindset, saying “The game switches every week, yet the standard never changes. One step at a time”. That next step is a big one. The Crusaders are moving on to the state quarterfinals to face off against third ranked West Linn. The high stakes matchup will take place this Saturday at 7:00 PM at Gladstone High School. It’s going to be a battle you won’t want to miss.
