A goal by senior Pryor Miller in the 21st minute provided the gap needed for Jesuit Dallas Rangers to win the 2016 Jesuit-Meintser Soccer Invitational, 1-0, over Flower Mound Marcus on Saturday evening at Postell Stadium.

Winning their first invitational crown since the 2013 season, the Rangers (3-0-0) fought off a determined attack by the Marauders (2-1-0), who recorded 13 shots and had five corner attempts.  Junior goalkeeper Luke Ostrander posted his third win of the season with another shutout, recording three saves to increase his season total to 10 while pushing his season-opening shutout streak to 210 minutes.

Marcus controlled the pace early, earning a pair of corner kicks in the first five minutes of play.   Ostrander made his first save of the game in the 20th minute, beginning a possession for the Rangers that would result in a momentum-shifting free kick after a Marcus foul. 

Junior Ethan Moore sent a ball towards the top of the box, where the Marauders attempted to make the clear.  However, Alex Garcia sent the ball back towards the top of the box, where Miller managed to get a clear look on a loose ball and sent a well-struck shot past the Marcus goalkeeper and into the upper right corner for the first and only goal of the contest.

Marcus regained the momentum near the end of the first, taking four shots over the final 10 minutes of the half.  A header at the buzzer by the Marauders was sent just wide of the post, ending a late push by the visitors and keeping the Rangers in the lead at halftime.

The Jesuit Dallas backline made their presence known in the second half, blocking three second half shots.  Marcus had one final push towards the equalizer, but a shot with under a minute remaining went high over the crossbar.  The contest ended with the Marauders earning corner kick opportunity with fewer than 10 seconds left, but were unable to get the ball inbounds before the final buzzer sounded.

Saturday's victory marks the 15th crown for the Blue and Gold, improving the squad's record for most team titles at the Jesuit-Meintser Invitational.  Jesuit Dallas defeated Bishop Lynch, 2-0, on Thursday before earning back-to-back, 1-0 wins over Sachse and Flower Mound Marcus for the championship.  In comparison, the Rangers won the 2013 championship with back-to-back, 1-0 wins over Bishop Lynch and North Mesquite before upending Skyline, 3-2, in the title game.

Jesuit Dallas will next compete in the Duncanville Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 14, opening the three-game slate against Nimitz in a game that will not count towards the district standings.  The Rangers will return to Postell Stadium on Tuesday, Jan. 19 against Coppell.