In overtime against Brother Martin, Evan Kramer deftly dodges stepping on teammate Gabriel Navar.

It’s been a long time since Jesuit lost a soccer match in a shootout. So this one hurt big time.

For the second time in two weeks, Brother Martin dealt Jesuit’s varsity soccer team a loss, 1-1 (4-3), and in the process, captured the District 9-1 championship.

The two teams played their usual rough and tumble match on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Crusaders’ Farley Field in Gentilly with a large, boisterous crowd of Brother Martin fans hugging half the sideline and cheering on their team. For whatever reasons, Jesuit’s 12th Blue Jay — so important in a crucial game like this one — seemed MIA, missing in action.

After a scoreless first half, the Jays took a 1-0 lead in the 63rd minute when sophomore Chase Rushing squeezed off a great shot in heavy traffic that whizzed past the Crusader goalie and into the back of the net.

Holding on for a wild ride, the Blue Jays repelled several attacks. But in the 74th minute, the Jays’ defense made ever so slight miscues that the Crusaders were quick to pounce on, jamming the ball into the Jesuit goal to tie the match, 1-1. At the end of regulation play, the match headed to overtime. While each team came close to scoring in two 10-minute overtimes, there were no further goals.

Hence the shootout in chilly Gentilly with each team alternating five shots on goal. The first three Jesuit seniors — Gabriel Navar, Mitch Bourgeois, and Evan Kramer — buried their shots in the goal. The Crusaders missed their second shot and suddenly the Jays were up, 3-2 with two shooters remaining. The Jays’ fourth shooter, Chase Rushing, missed his shot and the next Crusader tied the score, 3-3. Each team was down to their last shooter with Blue Jay senior goalie Nick Tadros going up against his counterpart.

Tadros’s shot to the right corner of the goal was blocked. Tadros now had to stop the Crusaders’ final shot for the Jays to buy into a second five-player shootout.

As Tadros dove to his right, the Crusader’s kick sent the ball right up the gut. Tadros almost got a hand on it. Almost.

The Blue Jays close out their regular varsity season with three matches, the first against Grace King on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at John Ryan Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 1, Jesuit will play Newman at 1 p.m. on the Greenies’ home field. Finally, the Jays will welcome the Fightin’ Terriers of Vandebilt Catholic High School (Houma) to John Ryan Stadium for a 6 p.m. match on Monday, Feb. 3.

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