After failing to generate any offense on several previous set plays, Bloomington Jefferson turned to mild trickery against crosstown rival and Metro West Conference foe Bloomington Kennedy on Thursday night at Bloomington Jefferson High School. 

“I think they were all expecting the long throw from our player (Hoffman) Boyea,” senior midfielder Ethan Hight said after the game. 

“So I just ran into the corner really quick because I knew no one would cover me,” Hight continued. 

Hight turned his subtle misdirection into the game-winning goal for the Jaguars, taking the throw-in from the strong-armed Boyea and lofting a cross to Matt Richard, who converted a header past Kennedy’s Gideon Gyasi.

Kennedy junior forward Eric Fuentes scored the game’s first goal, while Jefferson junior Hunter Jacobs netted the first tally for the Jaguars. 
 
Richard described the winning goal, his second in his varsity career, as a natural byproduct of the Jaguars’ play. 

“Ethan cut in, (the defenders) all went to him, he just crossed it to me, and I was right there,” Richard said as he broke down the play. 

The Jefferson defense subsequently shut down the fleet-footed Eagles (8-3-4, 4-1-2), relying on tactical acumen and a significant height advantage to finish off the 2-1 victory. 

“Making sure our back line is in a line so (opponents) can’t separate the ball through it,” Richard explained, describing the defensive design that held the Jaguars’ four previous opponents before Thursday’s game to a grand total of zero goals. 

After finishing last season with a 4-8-4 record, Jefferson has found its footing in 2016. The win over Kennedy pushed the Jaguars’ record to 11-2-2, including a sparkling 7-0-0 conference mark. 

“There’s a lot of seniors this year, so that makes a difference,” Jefferson coach Danny Storlien explained, adding that his team is probably looking at the third seed for the Class 2A, Section 2 playoffs if it can get past Prior Lake on Saturday. 

Prior Lake is ranked No. 11 in the latest state coaches’ poll, while the Jaguars are rated No. 12. 

Minnetonka has ended the Jefferson run in each of the past three years, with the last two defeats coming in the section finals.  

“The defending has been good, the goalkeeping has been good, now we just got to find a way to score a few more goals,” Storlien said.  

Senior defender Matt Richard scored in the 61st minute to lift Bloomington Jefferson to a 2-1 victory over crosstown rival Bloomington Kennedy in Metro West Conference action on Thursday night at Jefferson High. 

Bloomington Kennedy (8-3-4, 4-1-2) got on the board first, with junior forward Eric Fuentes scoring just 8:12 into the first half. 

Junior forward Hunter Jacobs answered for the Jaguars (11-2-2, 7-0-0), tying the game at 1-1 until Richard directed a header past Kennedy’s Gideon Gyasi for the eventual game-winner.