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Powerful Jesuit downs Ashland By KRIS HENRY ASHLAND -- After an undefeated season born of timely goals and occasional domination, the eighth-ranked Ashland boys soccer team finally met its match Tuesday. Second-ranked Jesuit put on an impressive display Tuesday in a Class 4A state playoff semifinal. The Crusaders were quicker to the ball, displayed more precision with their passes and never left the door open for the Grizzlies in gaining a 2-0 victory at Ashland Middle School. "Jesuit was just the better team," said Ashland senior stopper Will Dolan. "Clearly you could see that. We came back the second half but we just didn't have enough toward the end. "Their passing was excellent. Every person would show to the ball and they always seemed to have an open man. They used that effectively and we got caught chasing the ball." Jesuit junior Brendon Bain gave the Crusaders a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute with a low line drive from 15 yards out. Sophomore Pat Mooney cushioned Jesuit's lead in the 65th minute with a breakaway goal. By pinning the first loss on Ashland (13-1-4), the Crusaders (15-1-2) earned a spot in Saturday's Class 4A final against Mountain View, an 8-1 winner over South Medford on Tuesday. "It's hard to believe after losing 12 players from last year," Jesuit coach Dave Nicholas said of his team's trip to the finals. "I think we are so naive we don't realize how much we've achieved so far. It's all just another game to them." The Crusaders feature nine sophomores, two freshmen and only three seniors, but the youth movement at Jesuit hasn't handicapped its presence on the soccer field. The Crusaders entered Tuesday with a solid game plan and never deviated from it. "We stuck to our game plan, and I think we put them off their game plan," said Nicholas. "I think we kept them on their heels and kept them pinned back and that was to our advantage. "It was a game of their strength against our speed, and on the day we seemed to pin them back a bit and the surface didn't seem to bother us that much." Neither team appeared affected by the constant rain and bone-chilling conditions. The major impediment for Ashland simply was the strong team across the field. "Jesuit is a powerhouse," said Ashland coach Eisa Tiaa Tou Tou. "We didn't play the way they played. We gave them a lot of chances, and they controlled the ball well. They know exactly how to play the game. They were the better team than us today." Ashland's Trevor Streng set up two quality scoring chances early in the match, with his crossing shot hitting the side of the net and his corner kick headed over the goal by senior Zack Potocki. Bain answered the Grizzlies' pressure with a stellar individual effort for the game's first goal. After settling the ball outside the box, Bain danced around three Ashland defenders before curling a shot around junior goalkeeper Noah Shields. Neither team forged much of an offensive attack for the remainder of the half, giving Ashland hope to turn things around in the second half trailing by only one goal. The Grizzlies mustered the first offensive, with Streng's direct kick making its way to sophomore Jesse Hodges, who's shot sailed over the goal. After mounting a handful of unsuccessful attacks, Jesuit finally added a goal in an unlikely manner in the 65th minute. Streng's corner kick sailed wide of his Ashland teammates and was gathered by a Crusader player who sent a blistering roller toward Mooney at midfield. Mooney drew Ashland senior Michael McNamara closer by taking a jab step toward the ball. With McNamara striding to intercept, Mooney boxed out the fullback to let the ball keep rolling and then turned on the jets to create a one-on-one with Shields. Instead of trying to fake out Shields, Mooney simply caught the Grizzly goalie flat-footed and ripped a shot into the net. The Crusaders controlled the action to close out the match, with Shields coming up big in goal for Ashland to keep the score at 2-0. "We came out pretty pumped in the second half, but once again they just had too much skill on their team and we just got overmatched," Dolan said. "There's no shame in losing this one. "We're pretty proud of ourselves for getting this far. This wasn't really expected of us." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.