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So close and yet so far away Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli South Medford senior forward Justin Baldoni, left, battles Jesuit's Elliott Rector during the first half of Tuesday's state playoff soccer match. The two teams played to a scoreless tie in regulation before the Crusaders scored twice in overtime to pull out the victory. South Medford uses an inspired effort to force overtime against Jesuit, only to fall short 2-0 By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune An upset for the ages was in the making Tuesday afternoon at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park. South Medford, playing confidently with speed, skill and force, had mighty Jesuit, the No. 7-ranked team in the USA Today's national poll, on the ropes in the second round of the OSAA-U.S. Bank Class 4A boys soccer state playoffs. The Panthers battled the two-time defending state champion to a scoreless tie through 80 minutes of regulation play and even had the better of scoring opportunities. But in overtime, the Crusaders flashed the form that has led the program to nine state titles in the last 15 years, scoring once in each 10-minute session to pull out a 2-0 victory. "This was very likely the finest performance I've ever had a team play," said South coach Dave Potter, whose fourth season guiding the Panther boys came to a close with the defeat. "Jesuit left here with a lot of respect for South Medford, and it is an honor to say that." Crusaders coach Dave Nicholas, who has constructed the state's dominant program since taking over at Jesuit in 1986, said he knew beating the Panthers would not be easy. "We knew coming in this would be a battle," said Nicholas, whose team advances to host South Salem on Saturday. "It must have been a great game for the non-biased. It's not much of a game for coaches because you're sort of living on the edge. "He's got a great program down here does Dave, and I respect what he's done." Coming off a gritty 1-0 victory at Oregon City in the first round on Saturday, South, which finishes 12-3-1 overall, was up to the task of staying with the Crusaders (16-0, including a 3-0 win over Barlow in the first round) from the opening kickoff. Senior fullbacks Cody George and Adam Walport and sophomore sweeper Spencer Hunter were the primary components of a Panther defense that continually frustrated highly regarded Jesuit senior forwards Pat Mooney and Alex Salazar. "Spencer Hunter played an all-state game today," Potter said. "Walport and George are as good of defenders as there are in the state." Offensively, South was able to generate two dangerous first-half chances through the aggression of senior forwards Justin Baldoni and Pat Lower. On the first, Baldoni's hustle resulted in a deflection of a Crusaders' clear attempt. The ball landed at Lower's feet inside the Jesuit penalty box, and the co-captain fired a low shot that Crusaders senior goalkeeper Jake Jackson dove to his left to save at close range. The second came off a Panthers free kick that Baldoni tracked down near the top of the box and blasted high over Jesuit's net. The Crusaders outshot South 5-3 in the first 40 minutes, but the Panthers stepped up to claim a 5-2 shots edge in the second half. The best of those opportunities were a head attempt by junior central midfielder Daniel Hathaway at the near post off a cross from senior right midfielder Jon McCollum and another dead-ball play in which junior central midfielder Daniel Potter chipped over Jesuit's wall to Baldoni, who drilled a shot wide of the post. "That's the game-winner right there," Potter said of the set play, a piece South had practiced all season. "We let it slip by." On to overtime the match went, marking the first occasion this season the Crusaders had been held scoreless through regulation. Halfway through the first half of OT, South senior goalkeeper Blake St. Onge had to dive to deflect a Jesuit rebound shot after a corner kick. The ball popped out of bounds for another Crusaders corner. This one didn't go to waste. Jesuit junior midfielder Will Flanagan lofted to the far post, where 6-foot-4 senior sweeper Josh Brown rose to head the ball back across the goal and into the opposite-post netting for the afternoon's first score. "Maybe his second goal all year," Nicholas said. "But he's had several other opportunities, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time to get under one of those." As the Crusaders celebrated, the Panthers tried to sneak in the equalizer by rushing the ball to the center line, taking their kick off and dribbling the ball into the Jesuit net via junior stopper Jason Matthews. But the center referee was having none of it, and the match remained 1-0. In the second half of OT, the Crusaders put their win away with a penalty kick by Salazar, the Metro League player of the year. After controlling a pass from Flanagan, Salazar drew the foul by going down in a heap inside the South penalty box as he was clipped from behind. The final shot tally was 11-10 in Jesuit's favor, and the Crusaders earned six corner kicks to the Panthers' one. South committed 22 fouls to Jesuit's 16 as the match stayed rugged and intense until the final whistle. Although the Panthers played the Crusaders perhaps as well as anybody has this season, the loss was nonetheless difficult to accept, especially for South's six seniors. "It's tough because we were in the game the entire time," Baldoni said. "It's one thing hearing all the fuss about Jesuit, it's another thing playing with them and knowing you can beat them." George, probably the Panthers' steadiest performer all fall, echoed his fellow senior. "I'm satisfied with how we played overall," he said. "We took it to 'em, and they're supposed to be No. 7 in the nation. We held up to them, and we had better opportunities." All the makings were there, but the mighty Crusaders were unwilling to fall. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.