LHSAA Soccer State Finals
Jesuit (15th seed) vs. St. Paul’s (1st seed)  
ULL Ragin’ Cajun Soccer Field
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 — 4:30PM Kickoff

Senior co-captain Christian de Gracia clears this ball downfield. de Gracia played strong defense throughout the semifinal.

Seeded 15th in the playoffs, the Jesuit soccer team traveled to Shreveport for its LHSAA state semifinal matchup with the C.E. Byrd Yellow Jackets (No. 2 seed) on Saturday, Feb. 17. With keeper Shane Lanson and the Jesuit defense pitching another shutout and the offense having another multi-goal game, the Blue Jays won 2-0 to advance to the championship against St. Paul’s.

Junior Chris Tadros calls for a ball that would eventually lead to a free kick. Tadros hit the free kick that avoided all defenders for Jesuit’s first goal.

View the Photo Gallery from the 2018 State Semifinal Game

The semifinal began under a light rain with both teams and a large home crowd eager to get the proceedings underway. Midway through a fast-paced first half, the Jays were awarded a free kick 40 yards from the Byrd goal. Midfielder Chris Tadros served a drilled ball toward the Byrd goal. The pace of the ball and a run in front of the goal by Preston Bordes left the Yellow Jacket keeper flatfooted and the untouched ball in the bottom right corner of the net. Jesuit led 1-0 at half.

The second half opened with Byrd pushing hard for an equalizer. Jesuit (23-3-6) absorbed the early second half pressure and looked to break on the counter attack. The Jays’ second goal came from a cross to the far post by Jacques Gaudet. Gaudet’s ball found the crown of Preston Bordes, whose looping header met the back of the Yellow Jacket net.

C.E. Byrd changed their tactics for the last 15 minutes to try for a goal; however, Jesuit’s defense and goalie Shane Lanson held steadfast. After a few minutes of additional stoppage time for an injury, the referee blew the final whistle.

Scoring a goal in each half, the Jays’ 2-0 victory was the second multi-goal game in a row. The most promising streak, though, is the five straight shutouts that began with the district-clinching game at Brother Martin (0-0) and was extended in the Shreveport semifinal. Note that Jesuit’s only home contest of their last five matchups was in the first playoff round. View the 2018 LHSAA Boys’ Soccer Bracket.

“I am extremely proud of these young men as this was our third straight game on the road in the playoffs,” Jesuit’s head coach Hubie Collins said. “The players have gained some valuable experience during these last few weeks which should help us in the final.”

For the fifth time in the last eight championship games, Jesuit will face a familiar opponent in St. Paul’s. All students are invited to load the spirit bus to watch the well-anticipated final. The cost of riding the bus is five dollars per student, to be turned in with the attached permission form.

The state championship game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at the University of Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajun Soccer Field. Admission is $10.00 for adults, students, and children.

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