By the Grace of the Irish, Jays Advance to a Quarterfinals Parade with the Crusaders

Posted February 13, 2015 / Last updated February 17, 2015

Chase Rushing Strikes in 77th Minute and the Jays Scrape by Grace King, 1-0

Chase Rushing (7) scores in the 77th minute of Jesuit’s regional playoff match against Grace King Thursday evening at John Ryan Stadium. The 1-0 win by the Jays sets up a quarterfinals showdown against district rival Brother Martin at John Ryan Stadium. The match takes place on Mardi Gras, that is Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m.

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A couple of weeks ago, Jesuit and Grace King met on Alumni Field at John Ryan Stadium for a non-district soccer match. The Jays scored three goals and shut out the Irish.

So why would Thursday night’s regional playoff game between the 14th-seeded Irish and the 3rd-seeded Blue Jays — the same two teams on the same field — yield a different result?

In a word the Jays don’t want to hear for the rest of the playoffs: complacency.

A Grace King player makes it difficult for Jesuit goalkeeper Otto Candies to leap high in an effort to punch the ball away from the danger zone. A piece of the ball can be seen to the right of the “i” in “FIELD.”

“I think we were a little complacent, to be honest,” said Jesuit’s Chase Rushing, who knocked in the lone goal for the Jays with three minutes left in the match. “We just thought we’d go out there and beat them. But they’re a great team. If we play Brother Martin like we played tonight, we have no shot of winning. We have to get a lot better with our focus and practice hard. We can’t take anything for granted.”

Having played the Jays two weeks ago, the Irish “knew what it would take to stop our attack,” said Jesuit head coach Hubie Collins. “We took them a little too lightly so we have to learn from that. Previous games don’t matter.”

Jesuit (19-4-4) struggled all night to find their rhythm against an aggressive Grace King team and missed several opportunities, including a ball that grazed the Irish’s crossbar and skipped over. Also in the first half, Rushing was open on a corner kick but his shot from six yards out was off-target and landed inches outside the far post. Jesuit goalie Otto Candies made a handful of saves and did his part in thwarting the Irish offense.

The game remained scoreless in the first half and for 37 minutes in the second half. With thoughts turning toward overtime, the Jays’ Jack LaForge took a free kick at midfield in the 77th minute and placed it just outside the penalty box. Chris Pitre got a piece of the ball which skidded over to an open Rushing who didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. Rushing’s kickball shot had some zip on it. The Irish goalie just missed deflecting it and watched the ball careen into the center of the net.

“Grace King was very intent on their challenges,” said Coach Collins. “We need to work on moving off the ball and get open because we were a little static in that regard. The Irish were basically playing five across the back with four in front of them and trying to counterattack us, so they made it difficult. They had a good game plan. They learned from the last time we played them. But we’re delighted with a 1-0 win and we move on to the next round.”

That next round is the quarterfinals match against the 6th-seeded Brother Martin Crusaders, who beat 11th-seeded Lafayette, 2-1, in overtime. The game will be played at John Ryan Stadium on Tuesday (Mardi Gras).

Nola.com: Chase Rushing scores late goal to send Jesuit to regional round victory over Grace King

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Soccer 2014-15: Regional Playoffs; JHS (1) vs Grace King (0); John Ryan Stadium, February 12

Moments later, Chase Rushing has another shot at goal, but the ball goes wide left.
The Jays' 1-0 win sets up a quarterfinals showdown against district rival Brother Martin at John Ryan Stadium. The match will be played on Mardi Gras - that is, Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m.
Hunt Navar (19) rushes to celebrate Chase Rushing's goal.
... The ball bounces crazily and winds up right in front of Chase Rushing, who immediately pulls the trigger. The Grace King goalie made numerous saves in the match. But he can't put his gloves on this speeding comet. The ball - visible near the goalkeeper's feet - hits the back of the net, and the Jays are on the scoreboard in the 77th minute.
... As if in a pinball game, two or three players use their "flippers" to knock the ball around. José Aleman (9) appears to be offsides, but the sideline and field referee rule (correctly) that Aleman neither touched the ball nor was an intended target...
... (from left) Chase Rushing, Hunt Navar (19), Dillon Fuchs (24), and Patrick Rye (25) form a wall of Blue Jays. As the ball from Jack LaForge's kick comes down, Fuchs and Rye, along with the Irish defenders, get a piece on their headers...
On this free kick, Jack LaForge places it perfectly in front of the Irish goal where...
Near the sideline, Hunt Navar lofts a pass to teammates in front of the Irish goal.
Chris Hebert (15) blocks this Irish defender from getting to the ball, as Dillon Fuchs waits for the pass.
Chris Pitre gets ready to lob a short pass to waiting teammates in front of the Grace King goal.
Reid Detilllier leaps over the outstretched foot of this Irish defender in an effort to save the ball from going out of bounds.
The Blue Jays break from their pre-game huddle moments before the shrill whistle signals the start of the regional playoff match against Grace King at John Ryan Stadium.
A header by Chase Rushing (7) hits the crossbar and ricochets over it.
A Grace King player makes it difficult for Jesuit goalkeeper Otto Candies to leap high in a successful effort to punch the ball away from the danger zone. A piece of the ball can be seen to the right of the "i" in "FIELD."
On a Grace King corner kick, Jesuit goalkeeper Otto Candies makes a great stop by snagging the ball on the fly.
The Jays had at least four scoring opportunities in the first half, but the Irish put up a good fight, to which Chris Pitre (39) and Dillon Fuchs can attest.
Chase Rushing soars for a header in front of the Grace King goal.
Dillon Fuchs goes one-on-one with this Irish defender.
Braden Brignac makes a fast break.
Defensive back Ethan Camet ignores this sliding Irish.
Chase Rushing is on the move.