By Adam Bier
Special to MaxPreps.com
DAVIS, Calif. – Jesuit and Davis have fought each other over Sac-Joaquin Section supremacy for the past decade, and the two Northern California soccer powers continued their rivalry with a regular season match up on Friday night.
Led by senior Adam Jahn’s two goals and outstanding goalkeeping from junior Jacob Fenner, Jesuit defeated Davis 3-0.
The Marauders' (12-0) impressive showing against Davis (8-1) came after victories against New Mexico soccer powers Pius X of Albuquerque 5-1 and La Cueva 3-1.
Additionally, in early September, Jesuit defeated Jesuit of Portland 2-0 and defending Oregon state champion Central Catholic 4-0.
The Marauders' early roll earned them a No. 1 ranking in two national polls last week, as both the National Coaches Soccer Association of America (NCSAA) and ESPN Rise had them at the top of their polls. Davis meanwhile also entered the game nationally ranked No. 5 by ESPN Rise and No. 9 by the NSCAA.
Despite pleas to have the game played in the football stadium, Davis’ coach Ashley Yudin decided to keep the game on the Blue Devil’s lighted soccer pitch according to the Sacramento Bee. That decision resulted in an intimate atmosphere as roughly 3,000 fans from both teams crammed into every open space around the perimeter of the field to catch the match.
After the opening whistle, Davis immediately took advantage, inflicting pressure on the Jesuit defense. Unfortunately, the early momentum failed to lead to any goals. The first half ended in a 0-0 tie after neither team could find the back of the net despite good scoring opportunities, especially from free kicks.
Davis nearly struck first in the second half after a shot bounced off the crossbar. Moments later, Jesuit’s Adam Jahn capitalized off of a Davis foul, heading in a free kick, giving the Marauders a 1-0 lead as the Jesuit sideline erupted in celebration.
A few minutes later Jahn headed in his second goal after the Davis goalie mishandled a Jesuit free kick.
Jahn, a member of the United States Soccer Federation’s Under 18 Men’s National team, is a Davis resident who grew up playing on Davis club teams. Many of his former club teammates now play for the Blue Devils, who last season took home the section championship and finished ranked No. 3 in the nation by the NSCAA.
Last season, Jahn was named the Gatorade California Boy’s Soccer Player of the Year after scoring 26 goals and tallying 14 assists. He has committed to play collegiate soccer for Stanford next fall with aspirations of playing professionally in the United States or Europe.
Behind by two goals, Davis turned up the pressure on the Jesuit defense. The Marauder defense, led by junior goalkeeper Jacob Fenner, refused to allow Davis to get on the scoreboard. Fenner made several impressive saves including one off a Davis diving header to hold the Blue Devils scoreless for the first time this season.
Junior Gabe Padilla added a third Marauder goal when his shot from 20 yards out beat the Davis goalkeeper sending the Jesuit faithful into a frenzy.
The stout Marauder defense earned its ninth shutout in thirteen games after its 3-0 victory over Davis. Coach Paul Rose looks to continue to lead Jesuit to an undefeated season in 2008. The road to a perfect season will not be easy however as another match up with Davis could happen in the section playoffs this year.
The two teams have each won five Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championships over the past 11 years.