Junior Hunt Navar tracks down a loose ball.

Jesuit’s soccer team hadn’t lost to an opponent other than futbol arch-nemesis Brother Martin at John Ryan Stadium, at least until now.

Holy Cross scored on a corner kick less than three minutes into Monday night’s non-district game and withstood a furious Blue Jay assault in the second half to hand Jesuit its first loss of the season, 1-0.

The Jays seemed shocked by the speed with which Holy Cross landed the first blow. The Tigers, meanwhile, energized by the quick strike, went on to control the flow for much of the first half. They came inches away from a second goal at the 25:47 mark of the half when they banged an attempt off the left post.

The second half was a different story, as far as controlling the tempo. The Jays attacked relentlessly. Three chances, in particular, stood out. Senior Chase Rushing rocketed a shot off the left post at the 18:01 mark. Then at the 9:11 mark, senior Jose Aleman sailed a free kick from just outside the box over the over the goal. Finally, a frenetic scramble inside the box at the 4:40 mark ended with a near goal by junior Christopher Pitre.

“I have to hand it to Holy Cross,” said Jesuit head coach Hubie Collins. “We just didn’t match their intensity level, and we paid the price for that.”

Senior Chase Rushing goes down hard after a tackle midway through the second half. Rushing would stay in the game, but limped noticeably the rest of the way.

“Sometimes, as hard as it is to swallow, some good comes out of a loss like this. Maybe this will drive home the importance of preparation and focus. If so, we may be able to look back on this game as a defining moment for our season.”

With the loss, Jesuit’s record drops to 2-1.

After a busy stretch of three games in five days, the Jays will have to wait an entire week for an opportunity to get the taste of this loss out of their mouths. That opportunity comes on Monday, Nov. 30 when Chalmette visits John Ryan Stadium for a 6:30 contest.