The varsity water polo squad finished their busiest week of the year so far, going 3 and 2 in 5 games played between Wednesday and Saturday.

Wednesday saw the Marauders face off against Sac-Joaquin Section rival St. Mary’s of Stockton in a contest between two of the section’s top teams.The game did not disappoint, remaining close throughout with neither team holding more than a two goal lead at any time and numerous lead changes during the game. Jesuit was led by Junior Ivan Soshnikov’s hot outside shooting, connecting eight times on shots from all over the pool, and strong center play from senior Joe Cavazos, who scored five times for Jesuit. Seniors Kyle Webster and Jacob Boe each scored twice, and junior goalie Charlie Hurley kept the Marauders in the game with 12 saves in the cage. Deadlocked at 20 after two overtime periods, the game went to sudden death with St. Mary’s scoring first for the 21-20 victory.

Following the disappointing loss, Jesuit traveled south to Clovis on Friday and Saturday for a set of games against some tough competition from Northern and Central California. The team started on a positive note, defeating Leland High of San Jose 12 to 7. Following up on his strong performance against St. Mary’s, Ivan Soshnikov again led Jesuit with five goals and three assists, with junior Cody Ferguson adding 2 goals for Jesuit in the win. Friday’s second game pitted the Marauders against Monte Vista High from Danville. In a game reminiscent of Wednesday’s match, the Marauder’s fell 11 to 12 in suddent death overtime. Despite being plagued by foul trouble most of the game, Joe Cavazos led Jesuit with three goals, with Soshnikov and senior Reed Caron each scoring twice for Jesuit. After the tough loss, Jesuit finished the weekend strong with convincing wins against Edison High from Fresno (17 to 4) and host Clovis West High (13-3). Joe Cavazos continued to set the pace for Jesuit, scoring 12 goals between the two games and adding four steals in the Clovis West game. Other top scorers from Saturday’s games were senior Josh Smet (2 goals against Edison), Jacob Boe (2 goals against Edison), junior Joey Holloway (2 goals against Edison), and Cody Ferguson (2 goals in each game).

After going 3 and 2 during the week, Jesuit’s overall record now stands at 7 wins and 2 losses. The coming week will see Jesuit host neighborhood rival Rio Americano High, in what promises to be an entertaining game, Thursday evening at 7:30.