Remember this from the Preseason Top 20?  

“On the other side of their Final 8 bracket is Newsome and this could well be the year when the gap gets closed . . . A LOT.  But there is a potential upset there too.  Newsome is still hamstrung by the inept rules governing public high schools in the Tampa area and their schedule is frankly not what you need to prepare for a championship run, if their county administrators actually care about that.  On the other hand you can look at Tampa Jesuit, who went 11-7 last season but took Newsome to a one-goal game in the second round of the FHSAA.  Tampa’s schedule this season is RIGOROUS . . . at Boca, at Belen, Barron Collier, Oak Hall, Maclay . . . and that means Tampa Jesuit will be ready to play a tough game . . . and one goal is not a high bar to climb over.”

  Well, sometimes we get one right! Friday night the 4-5 Jesuit Tigers hosted the 6-1 Newsome Wolves. The Tigers won 8-4 avenging a first round regional loss from the last time these two teams faced each other. The Tigers started off fast with 3 consecutive goals by Jake Lemon, John Becievenga and Joe McGonnigal in the first 3 minutes of play. Newsome settled down and scored late in the first quarter by Matt Amoroso to cut the lead to 2. The second quarter was a defensive battle going back and forth. Newsome got on the board quickly taking advantage of a extra man opportunity with a goal from Andrew Simonsen to cut the lead to 1 but a late goal by the Tigers Joe McGonnigal (his second of the game) extended the lead back to 2 with the half ending 4-2 Jesuit. The Newsome Wolves came back in the 3rd quarter scoring 2 consecutive goals by Cody Lane and Hunter Turner to tie the game 4-4. It looked like the tides were turning in Newsome’s favor, but a late goal with .01 second remaining on the clock by Senior Nick Thanasides on a great feed from X by Ryan Cox snatched the momentum back to the Tigers with the quarter ending Jesuit 5-4 over Newsome.                 The effects of the last second goal seemed to linger on the Newsome team who were shut out in the 4th quarter by Jesuit. Jesuit added 3 more goals in the 4th quarter by John Bencievenga, Ryan Cox and Brock Mondor to put the game out of reach and ending the game 8-4 getting the Tigers back to 500. The Tigers (5-5) will face a very tough Maclay (6-2) on Saturday while Newsome (6-2) will face Tampa Catholic (3-2) on Tuesday. Scoring Summary Jesuit 8 Goals Bencievenga 2, McGonnigal 2, Lemon 1, Thanasides 1, Cox 1, Mondor 1 Assists Cox 1, Lemon 1, Mastro 1, Mondor1 Newsome 4 Goals Amoroso 1, Simonsen 1, Lane 1, Turner 1 Assists Liekefet 2 Penalties 9 ( Newsome 5 Jesuit 4)