On Nov. 12th, the  Jesuit High School Marauders kicked off against the Oak Ridge High School Trojans in the semi-final of the soccer section playoffs. The Marauders had a hard start and did not seem as in the game as the tenacious Trojans were. Poor passes and rough play made the game an uphill battle for the Marauders, but they did not give up. The Marauders held their ground until the end of the first half. The score was 0-0 when the men walked off the field; a hard light was in their eyes.

A passionate pep talk at halftime from Head Coach Paul Rose, got the Marauders on their A-game. With a variety of attacks against the solid Trojan defense, the Marauders were able to break the Trojan wall when senior Diego Buenrostro scored in the 56th minute off a ricochet from a shot by senior Matt Carnefix. The Marauders took the lead with a firm hand and pressed their attack, but they lost their bearing as a misplay was taken advantage of by the Trojans as they chip the goalie for a goal with only six minutes left in the game. This tied the game at 1-1. Both teams fought hard for the edge in the competition, but the last 6 minutes were not enough for either team as the game whistle sounded, signaling the end of the second half.

Energy crackled in the air as the first overtime started. Fans on both sides stood up from their seats as the first overtime period began. The teams moved back and forth with shots that missed the goal by mere inches. The referee signaled and both overtimes had finished. It was time to take it to the Penalty Kick (PK) spot.

Fans filled in on the edge of the field with the supporting Marauders linked arms to pray for the shooters and keeper. Senior Nicholas Kolokotronis started the shoot out, followed by Senior Diego Buenrostro, Senior Max Kearney, Senior Nate Miller, Senior Luc Barbe, and Junior Gabe McEwen. Diego, Max, Nate, and Luc scored and kept the PK shootout tied. Senior Luc Barbe was able to save the first goal in the shootout as keeper and kept the Marauders in the game. Unfortunately, in the sixth set of PKs the Marauders shot was saved, and the Trojans took advantage of the miss, taking the lead and winning the game.

Tears filled the eyes of the Marauders as their beloved season had ended. The loss against the Trojans took the Marauders out of the running for the title of section champions. It was a hard blow for some of the Marauders who won’t be coming back next year as they move on to new careers in College.

It was an unfortunate loss as the Trojans “played a shell against us. They only had one shot on goal. They counted on us to make a mistake, and unfortunately we made a mistake defensively.” said Head Coach Paul Rose. He also added, “We were prepared. We had a lot of shots on goal. We had some real good chances and we didn’t put them away. They had their one chance, and they somehow got it in.” The Marauders took the loss heavily, but Coach Rose has a plan for next year. He plans to win. “That’s always my plan. It’s pretty simple,” said Coach Rose.

Overall the Marauders had a great year. They wrapped up their season with a painful loss, but they learned a lot over the months they were together. They showed powerful progression with a final record of 24-1-2.