16-2 Victory over Goshen Sends John Jay to the Final Four

Click image for Goshen Photos

Last week, John Jay defeated Rye and Schuylerville to earn a berth in the State Regional Finals. Two drama-filled victories, the Wolves played the game in front of them on Saturday June 3 and made no apologies for the easy go they had against Goshen High School.

After Molly Gallagher employed her catcher on Alexa Kriney’s opening shot on goal, doubt started to evaporate almost immediately. Shannon Nolan scored at 23:34 and a 1-0 lead gave way to a commanding 16-2 win.

Still, Goshen did win the second draw, but Wolves quickly gave the thumbs down on the Gladiators possession. The turnover forced, Shannon Nolan had a hand in it again. From her usual spot on the right, she waited and JoJo Degl danced into view. Bing-Bang, the pass was made and Degl had the first of her four goals.

At 22 minutes, Goshen still had John Jay’s number in the middle of the field. The same could not be said in terms of Gallagher. Her kick save sent Misha Patel’s penalty shot aloft, and Annabel Brennan brought Goshen down to Earth on the other side of the field. In the middle of the field, the senior put a move on at the 15, and her shot from the ten found the net.

A 3-0 game, Goshen got the 50-50 again at the 50 yard line. So the defense simply stuck to the program. “The only way it works is if we communicate,” said Jordan Kauftheil, and with Goshen pressed by the synergy, a loose ball was yielded.

Kauftheil pounced and gaining possession had her sticking to protocol too. “I look up to see who is open and carry until I can find someone,” said the sophomore.

In this case, the defender ran deep into Goshen territory, and found Amelia Inglis. The X-factor in play, Amelia Inglis hit Degl, and she scored on the penalty shot.

Then John Jay essentially banged the gong when their senior triumvirate struck. Brennan drew the defense by making a move toward the goal line, and the dish to Nolan once again had Puccio a lady in waiting. Raising her mallet, the middie took off, received the pass and easily swung away for a 5-0 game with 14:19 remaining in the half.

Finja Degl would eventually force the running clock by making it an 11-1 game, but as usual, the midfielder was cognizant of the seniors who have had her back as an eighth grader. “I always strive to impress them” she said.

The only thing left was to ring up a milestone. Inglis set up on the 8 meter penalty shot, and Molly Willingham came open on the designed play. “I was ready,” the junior beamed and expressed pride in getting her first goal in such a big game.

Friday at SUNY Cortland, bigger is more like it, and Nolan brought perspective to the obvious jitters of reaching the state final four. “Being scared is normal but a good amount of scared, you don’t want the fear to control you,” the senior clarified.

Teamwork and togetherness will shift the balance the right way, according to the attacker. “We do that by having each other’s back and pushing everyone to our limits this week,” asserted the senior.

Even so, no one on the team has gone this far. Nonetheless, Coach Jess McDonough has confidence her girls will meet the challenge like any other day of the week. “They never let the moment get to them. They just focus on the fact that it’s another game and another opponent,” she concluded.