John Jay Remains Undefeated with Late Game Scoring Onslaught

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On Tuesday October 7, John Jay hosted Mahopac and preserving their undefeated season was on the docket. A 1-0 Mahopac lead on Fiona Kelleher’s header with 15 minutes left in the game didn’t bode well, but the ground was not unfamiliar. “We score very fast after getting down,” said Coach Dave Nuttall, and on this particular afternoon, the coach’s boast proved true… And then some.

“We got in our groove and scored four goals in seven minutes,” he said after a thrilling 4-1 victory.

The game going back and forth for the first few minutes, John Jay was the first to almost break through. Myla Schneider took a pass just across midfield, caught Ava Cervantes cutting in at the 25 and she used the back of her foot to lead Julia Kowalczyk. One on one with the goalie, the attacker was unable to get the ball past a diving Roslyn Jacobs at 34:10.

Undeterred, the offense kept coming. Schneider did a little misdirection with her feet at midfield, and in the open space, the middie found Maye Viders bolting down the middle. Another two step, Viders charged forward and shot just wide at 27:14.

The girls pressed on nonetheless, and it was Lila Baker who forced the issue next. On an attempted Mahopac clear on the sideline, the defender came charging down and forced a corner kick. Kayla Cambareri did the honors and sent a cross through the crease that was begging for a body part.

None forthcoming, the Wolf defense held it down from there. Schneider, Audrey Oestreicher and Papa all played big on incursions and drew praise from Nuttall. “They know each other’s game. They’re strong, They win in the air and are great with their feet,” said the coach.

The fastest still belonging to Cambareri, her nose for the ball produced a possession that provided the half’s last great chance. She raced past the defender, used the back of her foot to put the ball into open space, and once again, she rolled another through the crease.

She came out fighting in the second too. Hard work produced another corner kick and her loft produced more chaos.

Denied, the defensive status quo persisted on both sides until Schneider came up with another almost. A pass coming in from the corner, the middie quickly controlled and kicked before the defense could react with 28 minutes to go

Still, the Mahopac goalie was there, and their offense rode the momentum. The Wolf-Pac forced a penalty kick on a long pass into the corner and Fiona Kelleher’s loft connected with a Mahopac head.

The ball went over the crossbar at 24:01, but Mahopac did not relent. Sophie McLoughlin took a pass from the corner and her fly ball traveled to the left of Epstein. There a waiting Mahopac foot didn’t wait for a bounce. Ping, the shot was on net, but Epstein made a one handed diving save with 15:52 remaining.

Mahopac wasn’t ready to leave, though. On the same possession, after a pass rolled through the John Jay crease, the offense set up with a corner kick. McLoughlin teed up a perfect ball, and Kelleher made the connection.

Up in celebration at 15:06, Mahopac had no idea what they were in for. It began when Abby Mattielo was taken down on the sideline at 11:52 and Nuttall employed the right read. “Mykel was fired up. I could see it in her eyes. She wanted the game,” he clarified.

So from 20 yards away, Papa was ready with a launch strategy. “I knew she wasn’t good with her hands in the air. So I figured I might as well shoot,” she explained.

Up and away, the ball sailed and dropped in over the hands of the goalie. Of course, John Jay wasn’t done, and getting possession seconds later, Schneider found herself alone at the 30.

Kicking and shorting the ball, the Mahopac goalie misplayed the humpback line drive. “It went much lower than I expected but luckily it went in,” said Schneider.

Only 26 seconds elapsing, the shock for Mahopac wasn’t over. They committed another penalty at 7:45 and Papa still had hungry eyes. This time from the 25 and in the middle of the field, Papa almost hit the exact same spot.

Viders added the final nail at 4:29 and Nuttall only needed two words to describe his team's mettled. “We’re resilient,” he concluded.

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