John Jay Falls 3-0 to Lakeland

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After defeating Somers on Thursday October 17, Somers hoped to start a winning streak at Lakeland on Monday. So with an extra kick in their step, the Wolves went back and forth with the Hornets. But a penalty late in the first half put the brakes on John Jay’s hopes, and they never recovered.

From five yards away, Vinny Karaqi kicked right to a left moving Marc Fein, and in for one, another Lakeland goal was added before the half, which led to a 3-0 defeat.

Either way, the excitement got off to a quick start. Fein came sliding out in the opening seconds and cut off the advance on the Lakeland wing.

Two minutes later, the Wolves were up. Devon Kislin chased the ball down the sideline, played to the center, and the ball kicked to Ryan Ramirez. All alone, he fired, and the projectile went just over the crossbar.

Back the other way, the dividing line was narrow again. Deferring the shot into the crease on the corner kick, Karaqi played give and go instead, and his chip shot went high with 36 minutes left in the half.

John Jay’s turn, defense created offense. On the Lakeland advance, Will Harris came flying in high with his flapping legs, and play switching directions to the bench sideline, Kislin moved the ball to the interior. Unloading to Ramirez on the other sideline, his center to the crease was just a little too high for the head of Jack Green.

Ramirez tried to tip his cap moments later too. Off Finn Fothergill’s footwork in the corner, Lakeland’s attempted clear came to Ramirez, and his loft to the crease had Anthony DeRusso barely getting their first with 31 minutes left in the half.

Fein would be next up at the finish line. Staying low, he again came sliding out on the wing, and the whistle went against Lakeland at 28:40

No traction for the John Jay attack, and the ball coming back around, Lakeland did the next dance. Lucas Paljusevic kept the Wolves from getting out of their own end, and his pass to Brendan Friedel in the corner started the choreography.

Scooting around two defenders, the wing’s centering pass briefly saw glimmer, but Charlie Buri was able to clear wide. The corner not paying any dividends, Kislin almost cashed in the other way. With some space on the sideline, he also had a little too much altitude on the shot at 23:45.

John Jay stayed grounded nonetheless. Fothergill received the ball on the sideline, and penetrated to the middle. Some daylight, he dished with the back of his foot to Logan Denyer, and the converging traffic led to another chance going wide by Green at 18:40

A minute later, John Jay almost did themselves in. With Lakeland down on the goal line, the attempted clear back to Fein rolled past, but the John Jay goalie was able to recover before any Hornet got there.

A sigh of relief at 17:30, Lakeland again tried the drop back on the corner 90 seconds later. Lucas Boyko this time, the margin of error was mere inches, and Lakeland continued the pressure. From the middle of the field Friedel made a perfect lead pass to the corner, but Fein was able to eat up the centering pass.

Staying put, Lakeland launched a corner kick at 14:39, and chaos ensued. The ball went off the top of the crossbar, passed all the way through, and the shot back sailed high off the foot of Nick Ahmataj.

So the John Jay defense regrouped, Alex Bond’s kick straight down the field provided another photo finish. Deja Vu, DeRusso got their first, but now John Jay maintained the disorder. A Lakeland fouled called on the sideline, the pass went back and Kislin had DeRusso leaping with a two handed save with ten minutes to go.

Fein up now, he raced to the lead pass to the corner and went hand to toe with the Lakeland wing. Down to the ground the attacker succumbed, and a goal kick was rewarded. So the offense made the most of their goalie’s grit.

Green cut the ball off just before the sideline, got the ball ahead to Denyer, and he evaded for a center to Fothergill. More razzle/dazzle with the feet, his pass returned to Green, and his shot had DeRusso successfully reaching high for the right corner of the goal at 6:08.

The long corner pass would finally kill John Jay, though. Buri was whistled for the wipe out at 4:01, and Karaqi made John Jay pay. A minute later Friedel took a pass from the other corner, and the half ended at 2-0. The third goal came 18 minutes into the second, and no winning streak was to be.