Jesuit High School varsity soccer (2) swept their section playoff games, and they are now preparing to compete against Oak Ridge High School (1) this weekend at Consumes Oaks High School at 6:00 p.m. for the Division 1 finals.

The Marauders worked over the past couple games to reach their goal of winning sections to go to the state competition.

Last Tuesday, the Jesuit faced River City High School (15) in the first round of the playoffs.

The Marauders topped RCHS 3-0, with two goals from Mitchell Johnston ’16 and another from Gabe McEwen ‘16.

Last Thursday, the Marauders faced Franklin High School of Stockton (6) to earn a spot in the semi-finals of the SJS playoffs.

Jesuit struggled in the first half of the game, conceding two goals. Starting the second half down 2-0, the Marauders had to dig deep to change the momentum.

“Everyone on the team knows his role and is willing to contribute however they can,” said Head Coach Paul Rose. “This team has heart. Coming back from two goals down in the quarterfinals demonstrates their desire to win.”

Gabe McEwen ’16 and Manuel Montoya ’17 each scored a goal in the second half to tie the game and keep Jesuit’s hopes alive to win the game. By the end of the game, the Marauders were awarded a penalty kick through a foul from the other team inside the penalty box for a chance to win the game. Jesuit’ leading scorer, Mitchell Johnston ’16 stepped up to take the penalty kick, in which he scored and ended up winning the game for the Marauders.

“The game against Franklin was a hard-fought battle. We are happy about the fact that we found a way to win,” said midfielder and team captain Matthew Glass ’16. “We have [gained] a great amount of confidence.”

This Wednesday in their game against Atwater High School, Jesuit led 4-0 in the first half controlling the game with goals from Nick Sogard ’16, Gabe McEwen ‘16, Mitch Johnston ‘16, and Colm McCullaugh ‘16.

“Although we beat them 3-0 earlier in the season, we [did] not take them lightly as that game was a lot closer than the scoreline,” Matthew Glass said.

However, Atwater began to make a comeback in the second half, denting the 4-0 Marauder lead with back-to-back goals, making the score 4-2.

Despite the change in pace, the Marauders were not deterred as they finished off the game with a final goal from Eric Nemeth ‘16 to clinch a 5-2 win.

The Marauders hope to redeem themselves after their loss in penalty kicks last year to Oak Ridge in the semi-final sections at Jesuit.