John Jay Wins Sudden Death Thriller

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On Thursday October 15, John Jay traveled to Yorktown and Coach Debbi Walsh didn’t have any illusions about what to expect. “Any time we play Yorktown, it’s a dogfight. That’s how it always has been, always will be,” she said, and 67 minutes of play proved her estimation correct.

The teams fought to a 0-0 regulation tie, but it was John Jay who went home happy when Callan Keeley scored with 3:04 left in overtime.

A long time before, Yorktown planted their flag. “They came out strong from the get go,” said Walsh.

Four penalty corners in the first seven minutes said as much. So did McKenzie Ryder's ability to match up to the early onslaught.

The defense didn’t relent either - especially since they lost Kaitlyn Condon at the last minute.. Everyone moving around, said Walsh, “I’m proud of the way the defense played.”

The saves and clears all made, the John Jay offense had just as hard a time getting past Yorktown’s defense. Midfield to sideline to the crease, Yorktown always seemed to converge and come up with the stops.

Still, Walsh felt her girls were a bit off their game. “We didn’t have our best passing game, and the communication wasn’t there,” she lamented.

That didn’t stop Cait Brennan from continuing to lead the defense. She stopped up the works on numerous occasions, and from the other side of the field, it didn’t go unnoticed. “She’s really good at keeping her feet strong, getting her stick down, and at the right moment where the defender isn’t expecting it,” said Callan, “she’s able to block tackle and take the ball away.”

The offense did get one good chance halfway through the second period, though. Off a penalty corner, Sophia Shaw took the inbound and her pass to an open Finja Degl was just a little too far.

Onto the third, Yorktown continued to get better chances. At 13 minutes, Ava Ryan burst through the Jay defense and put a blast on Ryder. Of course, the goalie put on her party hat and turned another Husker chance away.

John Jay responded by letting the Yorktown goalie get in on some fun. Shaw hit Callan on the right, and her swipe sent Samantha Conboy scrambling for the save at 10:40.

She was spared moments later when Callan sent a pass ahead at 6:00. Anna Kringas giving chase, the Wolf could just not catch up, and the ball rolled harmlessly out of bounds.

But by the fourth John Jay cracked the code, according to Callan. “We started breaking through and realized they were only defending one area,” she revealed.

Sophia Shaw was able to exploit. A pass into the crease had her primed to untie the game. Instead, Yorktown was able to converge and shutdown the chance with 6:30 left in the game.

Overtime looming, Ryder made sure the extra session stayed in play. She got two big saves in the final seconds, and sudden death was on the way.

First the usual suspects did their thing, though. Ryder registered another save at 9:30, and Brennan and company thwarted multiple advances.

So fittingly the defense kicked off the beginning of Yorktown’s end. As the Huskers tried to advance up field, Laney Daly stuck to the basics. “Be low and stay low,” said the senior, “that lets me stop the ball and keep going up.”

The defender did just that, and Callan was appreciative again. “Laney did a nice block tackle,” said the junior.

The ball getting to Callan, she took a swipe on goal and the rebound eventually made its way back. “I was able to get my back to the ball, do a fake spin and shoot it,” said Callan.

Up in arms, Walsh foretold the end following regulation. “I told my girls it comes down to who has the heart,” she said, and John Jay was glad to leave with theirs beating the hardest.

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