By ROBERT L. LEE

NEW ORLEANS – The top-ranked Jesuit Blue Jays proved to be too tough for the Tigers to surmount Saturday in the Division 1 quarterfinal match. The Tigers snatched the first goal to close the opening half with a 1-0 lead, but the Blue Jays returned to the field stronger still to hammer in three goals for the 3-1 win. Jesuit will continue their playoff run to face the winner of St. Amant and Acadiana in the semifinals.

Hahnville entered the playoffs as the third seed from District 6-1, then stomped their way to the quarterfinals by defeating district champions Covington and Grace King, 3-0 and 2-0.

The Tigers and Blue Jays played earlier this season in a jamboree match, with the Blue Jays winning 1-0. Hahnville finished last season in a similar scenario, making their way to the quarterfinals, but lost to Brother Martin.

Hahnville coach Rafael DeVega said both teams were “fairly even” through the first half, with his Tigers holding a slight edge. The Tigers had about four shots at the goal in the first half, but did not score until Brandon Plaisance slipped in a shot from the corner just before halftime.

DeVega said he knew the Blue Jays would come back stronger in the second half because of their one-point deficit.

Hahnville managed to hold Jesuit off for a little more than 20 minutes, until Blue Jay Casey Steen tied the score at one each. The goal provided Jesuit with an added burst of momentum and a second goal only two minutes later.

“I knew we could play with just about any team in the state,” said DeVega. “Jesuit came up knowing they were behind. They came out really strong and put a lot of pressure on us. They started to wear us down a little bit and we got a little fatigued. That there was probably the difference.”

Another thorn in the Tigers’ heels was the absence of starting goalie, Willy Dunne. Dunne broke his hand during the opening minutes of the Tigers’ last game.

He played through the game and was not sure it was broken until after the game. With Dunne injured, Brad Cazenave moved from his midfield position to fill in as goalie.

“He did an excellent job,” commented DeVega. But he said the move weakened the Tigers’ midfield strength and limited their ability to make some substitutions.

“In the last minute, we tried to make something happen by putting more players up closer to their side,” said DeVega, “but that’s when they scored their third goal.”

Now that the Tigers’ season is finished, DeVega said some of his players will compete on various club teams, while others will not compete until practice resumes in November.

“We were all awfully disappointed, as can be expected, but there is nothing to be ashamed of,” DeVega continued.

“We went beyond what a lot of people expected us to do. But the good news is we will only lose two players from this season, the rest of the team is mostly juniors. We will build on what we did this season and we should be a strong team again next season.”