Jesuit senior Carter Dusang scored a goal and the Blue Jays had three other shots hit off the goalie frame before Holy Cross junior Aaron Jackson tied the score in a match that ended with a 1-1 draw Wednesday at John Ryan Stadium.
Jackson scored the equalizer from near the right post off a crossing pass from senior Jalen Montgomery with less than 15 minutes remaining on the game clock.
Jesuit (6-3-3) had several scoring chances and multiple near misses in the closing minutes as the teams played to a 1-1 draw for the second year in a row.
“I can’t really fault the team’s performance,” Jesuit coach Hubie Collins said. “I thought we played some really excellent soccer, created a ton of chances and their goalkeeper (Andrew Garvey) made a couple or three or four great saves.
“Looking back, I’m sure we’ll kind of scratch our heads and wonder how we ended up drawing the game when we clearly probably should have put three or four other chances away.”
The goal for Dusang came with about 14 minutes remaining in the first half. He had two other shots hit off the goal frame in the first half, one that he drilled off the crossbar in the first minute of the match and the other one off the right post just before halftime.
In the second half, Holy Cross (9-1-2) nearly tied the match with a penalty kick that Jesuit senior keeper Reese Devine stopped when he dove to his right and used his hands to deflect the ball away from the net.
Holy Cross coach Matt Millet said the team took a defense-first approach with an emphasis on trying to score on a counterattack, which was how Jackson eventually scored for the Tigers.
“The kids played really well, fought hard,” Millet said. “I thought the goal we gave up in the first half, we just dropped the ball there, let the ball bounce in the box and (Jesuit) just popped it in. But I thought our goal was a very good goal.”
Jesuit has gone seven matches against Holy Cross without a loss, a stretch that includes four wins and three draws. Holy Cross last defeated Jesuit in the 2015-16 season.
Jesuit has two losses and two draws in its past four matches. Those losses were to reigning Division II state champion St. Thomas More, and to St. Paul’s, a Division I semifinalist last season.
The lone loss for Holy Cross came Dec. 10 against reigning Division I champion Catholic-Baton Rouge.
Jesuit and Holy Cross usually play deep into the playoffs but are in separate enrollment divisions, making this the only meeting between the schools.
“It’s great to play them,” Millet said. “In the city there is a huge rivalry between Holy Cross and Jesuit. We love to get on the field with them every year. We’re not missing this game no matter what division we’re in. It’s something special.”
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