Jesuit avenges last month’s loss to Davis
By Linda Su,
Bluedevilhub.com Staff–
The DHS men’s varsity soccer team lost 2-1 in the intense rematch against the Jesuit Marauders at the Delta League game Saturday night on Oct.11 at Bonney Field in Sacramento.
A large crowd filed into the stadium ready to watch the the two rival teams. The Davis and Jesuit spectators sat in separate sections, stomping and clapping, each trying to trump the other in spirit.
After losing to Davis 3-1 last month, Jesuit came back energized and ready for revenge.
Davis started out the game with full on attack and had a few close shots, but it was not enough to score. The score stayed at 0-0 past the 12-minute mark.
The first goal was scored by Jesuit in the first half and was followed by an explosion of cheers from the Marauder crowd.
The Blue Devils were determined to catch up. Although they were unable to score any points, the Blue Devils dodged two Marauder goals that were pulled out of net and off-side.
As Davis desperately looked for a counter to even the score, goalie senior Pablo Guarnizo intercepted many Marauder attempts. The Blue Devil defense succeeded in pushing the Marauders back in many close efforts.
Within minutes of the start of the second half, senior Joe Rainer was fouled, and the Blue Devils received a penalty kick. Senior D.J. Villegas took the penalty kick and scored the first point for Davis. The Blue Devil crowd went wild and the score was evened at 1-1.
Jesuit fought back and scored a second point after three passes between players. The Blue Devils worked hard to bring their score up, but were unable to.
Toward the end of the second half, team member and junior Isaiah Alba was injured and escorted off the field by his coach and fellow team member Villegas.
With seconds remaining, the Blue Devils tried one last time to even the score, but the game ended with the Marauders winning 2-1.
Despite the loss, coach Alex Park was proud that the Blue Devils gave it their all throughout the game.
“They gave it 100 percent, never gave up, and fought until the very end, and some of the kids were out there hurt,” Park said.
Guarnizo also was “proud that our team never gave up and played with heart.” He said that the Blue Devils are going to “train everyday and work hard” in order to prepare for sections.
Senior and player Raunak Manandhar said that the team will have to continue to fight on and show the same amount of ambition if not more at sections.
“We showed heart. To win sections we are going to need a lot of it. A lot. We worked hard but didn’t get the results we wanted,” Manandhar said.
According to Park, team captain Villegas emphasized the team goal after its loss to Jesuit. Park is planning ahead for sections and the team will continue to focus on winning there and coming back stronger.
“The captain said it perfectly. It’s not about winning this game, it’s about winning sections. So we are going to be working hard at practices, getting fit and healthy and staying on track for sections,” Park said.
