Yes, this article is fantastically late. I will be recapping previous games and the playoff games this week. Anyway, let’s get into the final regular season games while the Rangers simultaneously prepared for their playoff game with Arlington Bowie.
Late February-Early March Recap
Since my last Jesuit soccer piece came out, the team has played many games. Lucky for you, I’m here to recap those games. First, after a 7-1 demolishing of Berkner, the team had a fairly lengthy break until February 22. There, they took on Irving HS at Postell Stadium here at Jesuit. The team subsequently came away with a comfortable 3-1 win. This was probably due to Irving never really looked fully in place against a sound Jesuit defense. The very next day, the team took on Lake Highlands HS. The team barely broke a sweat with dominant 6-1 victory at home. Next up on the schedule was MacArthur. While the Cardinals scored two goals, Jesuit scored four of their own. The final score was a 4-2 win for our Rangers.
March 1: at Richardson
This game for the Rangers was surely a challenge going in. The team went to Richardson HS looking to defend their glory. Subsequently, the Rangers made it look easy the whole game. Cullen Scott ’21 dominated a helpless Richardson defense for two goals. Santiago Day ’21 added another goal too for good measure. Add in the excellent effort by goalkeeper Cole Hines ’23, and the effort by Jesuit resulted in a 3-0 shutout win.
March 2: at Nimitz
The day after the dominant win over Richardson, the team went out and lost to Nimitz 3-0. To their credit, Nimitz played an excellent game on both sides of the field. Their offense was relentless against Jesuit’s defense, and their defense did a good job of limiting the Rangers’ offense. The loss ended an impressive 12-game winning streak for the Rangers, and there was little doubt that they left the field at Nimitz HS with a sour taste in their mouths. After the shutout loss, they looked to bounce back with an upcoming home showdown against Berkner.
March 5: vs Berkner
When I said bouncing back, they sure took it to heart. The team laid a 5-0 beating on Berkner. Cullen Scott ’21 buried a goal just minutes after the first whistle opened play for both teams. Benton Bacile ’21 picked up another goal off an assist by Santiago Day ’21. Kyle Visintainer ’21 picked up a goal for himself. After Scott scored the initial goal for the Rangers, he completed his hat trick for the day in the 61st minute by launching two more past the hands of the stunned Berkner goalkeeper. After those two final goals, Jesuit walked away with a dominant 5-0 win over the Rams.
March 8: at J.J. Pearce
This matchup was a tough one for the Rangers. Not only were they away from home, but the Rangers also struggled on offense or defense. The end result was a 3-1 loss. The Rangers’ typically explosive offense only managed to muster up one goal against a surprisingly strong Pearce defense. Just when it might have looked like Jesuit had gathered any momentum, the Pearce defense was quick to squelch it. The team left JJ Pearce hanging their heads just a little bit, as this defeat was disappointing when the playoffs were just around the corner.
March 11: at Irving
After the disappointing loss to JJ Pearce, Jesuit looked to bounce back as they went up against Irving HS. And this one was nothing short of a battle. Both teams were forced to grind out goals against each others strong defenses. The game started out with a goal by Irving’s Elian Valerino just four and a half minutes into the game. However, right before halftime, the Rangers responded with a goal from Cullen Scott to tie the game up. In the second half, the defenses turned it up to another level. Neither team broke the tie, ending in a 1-1 stalemate.
March 12: vs Richardson
The final game of the regular season for the Rangers was nothing short of a thriller. Jesuit had to fight back from two goals down, managing to secure an epic regular season-ending win over Richardson. After falling behind 2-0 at halftime, Kyle Visintainer ’21 kicked off the comeback with a nice shot in the 57th minute. Santiago Day ’21 launched the tying goal off of an assist from Andrew Reutinger ’22. Finally, Cullen Scott ’21 capped off the comeback with the game-winning goal with 3:18 left in regulation. Richardson was sent home with an L, giving Jesuit the 3-2 win and all the momentum heading into the playoffs.
Well, that’s it for this piece, but stay tuned to The Roundup for more Jesuit sports news!
