As a new season begins this spring for the Jesuit soccer program, Coach David Williams and his JV team have high expectations for the season. With a mix of returning juniors and new faces, the team hopes to excel.
The junior varsity soccer team started their run for perfection last week. On January 26, the JV team loaded into a school bus and headed north on Highway 75 to face RL Turner in the first round of the Allen JV Soccer Tournament.
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 4-2 loss for the Rangers, who were looking for revenge but could not find it. After a hard fought rematch, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. “Our defense really stayed solid throughout the game and kept the opposition at bay,” said Joe Wengierski ’14. “But we were frustrated in attack.”
With confidence brewing after this good game, the Rangers headed north the next day to play one of the best JV teams in the area, the Coppell Cowboys. The Cowboys expected to win the matchup, but Jesuit’s defense stepped up, forcing another 0-0 draw. “Our coach gave us a new formation and it let us play a more defensive style of soccer,” said Matt Mills ’13, “while also having enough in attack to be dangerous.”
The fate of the Rangers then rested in their next two games, against Flower Mound Marcus and Allen; an Allen victory would send the Rangers home early. But after FM Marcus defeated Allen by a score of 3-0, the Rangers finished fourth, earning the last playoff spot. After a drawing for the semi-finals, the Rangers were pinned against Marcus.
Waking up for an early game is always tough but the hype surrounding the Marcus matchup made it tougher. Last season, Jesuit’s current sophomores lost to Marcus three times, all by a score of 3-0. The Rangers woke up and made the trek north to exact vengeance on the Marcus Marauders.
Throughout the exciting back and forth game, three Marcus players were shown yellow cards while the Rangers JV team received no penalties. For the third time in three days, the Rangers’ game ended in a 0-0 draw. The teams went directly to a shootout to determine the winner. Goalkeeper Jeffrey Fulcher ’13 saved all of the Marauder’s dribble-ups, while Grant VanKirk ’13 made the final shot to win the shootout and knock out the favored Marcus team.
The team’s fourth game in three days came on Saturday, as the Rangers advanced to the championship to play RL Turner, who defeated Coppell by shootout in the semifinals. The Rangers made one final drive to Allen Eagle Stadium to try and win their first piece of hardware for the 2012 season. When the clock struck zero, only one goal had been scored, but unfortunately, it didn’t come from the Jesuit side. RL Turner won the game with a score of 1-0. As Adam Anderson ’14 put it, “The tempo of the game was great but we just couldn’t pull it off.”
All in all, the JV team and the Rangers soccer program were impressed with their performance during the tournament. “I’m very pleased,” said Coach Williams. “There’s a lot to be said about giving up only one goal in four games against some of the best competition and teams in the region. Our defensive effort was great and after a little formation change our offense started to get into the groove as well. It prepared us for our district season very well, and I think we are all excited about the 2012 season.”
