Preparing for the upcoming UIL season, Jesuit Soccer hosted the annual Meinster tournament. This was the 43rd year of the tournament held in honor of Jesuit coach Henk Meinster, who founded Jesuit’s soccer program and was instrumental in establishing other programs in North Texas. Meinster was instrumental to the development of the sport in the region, to honor these contributions the tournament was established in 1981.
“It was a great start to the year, and I can’t wait to see where this season takes us.” – Theodore Walker ’25
Jesuit performed extremely well this year, with a dominant performance against all opponents. This includes wins against Nolan Catholic 2-0, a 1-0 win against McKinney, and a win in the championship game against Plano in penalty kicks. The win against Plano this year secured the team a back-to-back championship following 2023’s victory against Skyline.
Jesuit vs Nolan Catholic (W 2-0)
Strong offensive and defensive performance including a goal scored by Octavio Monjaras ’25 and Noah McGough ’25 in the second minute to set a strong pace for the match. This was followed up by a goal in the 17th minute with a header from Caleb Fisher ’24. Impressively Jesuit’s defense performed so well that Nolan Catholic only had the opportunity to make one shot.
Jesuit vs McKinney (W 1-0)
The second game against McKinney was another major performance from the Rangers against the Lions. Clyde Araiza ’25 landed the first and only goal of the match with an assist from Jason Ogbolu ’24. Jesuit maintained a dominant presence across the field, allowing only 2 shots, neither of them shots on goal. On the flip side Jesuit took 13 shots, 6 of which were shots on goal, notably 3 from Noah McGough ’25.
Jesuit vs Plano (W 1-1, PKs 5-4)
The championship game saw Jesuit in a fierce match against the Plano Wildcats. Jesuit maintained their high-paced offensive energy with 8 shots during the match, however the Wildcats goalie managed five saves and allowed only one goal from Araiza, assisted by Noah McGough. Plano managed two accurate shots on goal, the first of which in the first minute saved by Reid McMillan, however the second resulted in a goal against Matteo Costanzo in the 65th minute. Regular time ended in a tie, leading to a shootout in which Jesuit made all five, with Plano making four. A climatic and tense end to a great tournament with the Jesuit Rangers emerging victorious for the second year in a row, and claiming the program’s 17th victory in the tournament.
“Winning the Championship for the second year was a rewarding accomplishment, the team played so well and we’re going to keep playing well going into our conference games.” – Mario Zamora ’25
“We got better every game, the effort was good.” – Coach DeLong
Continuing with prowess, Jesuit soccer is currently ranked third in the state following their astute performance in pre-season and early-season matchups despite their strong schedule. Notable encounters include well-ranked opponents such as Plano and McKinney.
Stay tuned to the Jesuit Roundup for more Jesuit Soccer and Sports News!
