Jesuit’s varsity soccer team set out to defend their soccer state championship last Wednesday, March 29, 2011. Our own Stadium played host to a 5A soccer playoff game between defending state champs Jesuit Rangers and Naaman Forest Rangers.
The Jesuit soccer players entered the first round of playoffs with a strong swagger, confident that they could repeat as state champs. When I approached JV soccer player Ryan Su ’13 before the game, he told me, “We will win. I don’t think Naaman is a very good team. I believe that our skill will overpower them.”
“[The game] is gonna come down to how well we play team defense,” added varsity soccer coach Charlie Delong. The stadium was abuzz in rowdy excitement as the soccer players took the field for warm-ups. Coach Delong’s prediction proved true, as wet and chilly conditions made for a defensive battle. Jesuit ultimately came out on top, winning a close one, 1-0, on Will Diebold’s score from close in. The game ended with a twist as a small fight broke out between several Naaman Forest players and some Jesuit players. When I spoke to sophomore Chris Mathis, who played in the game, he summed it up perfectly: “Tough game, tough conditions, but we pulled through.”
Photography by Brian Ogden ’12
