Back and Forth has John Jay Topping Wappingers

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On Tuesday March 31, John Jay hosted Wappingers and took a 10-6 lead at the half. But seven straight goals propelled the Wildcats to a three goal lead late in the third. So with 12 minutes left, the Wolves could either give in with their tales wagging or get up strong on their hind legs.

“We dug deep and got it done,” said Coco Inglis after a thrilling 16-14 victory.

Of course, John Jay jumped out first. Amelia Inglis maneuvered out front for a 1-0 lead at 10:19, and two minutes later, Fin Degl dumped inside to Coco Inglis to double the advantage.

Wappingers refused to let the Wolves get away, and Ava Feliciotto did the tracking. First she willed her way through the John Jay defense to cut the lead in half at 7:21, and then at 5:15, her pass down low gave MacKenzie Kroohs an underhand whiplash to tie the game.

Still, John Jay didn’t let Wappingers tip the balance, and it began with Sawyer Hall winning the scramble off Dillon Hall’s faceoff. Setting up, Viders forced a shooting space penalty, and her shot regained the lead.

In at 3:51, this time Hall came down with her own draw, and her teammates maintained control until hitting the trifecta. Degl to Hall, she danced until spotting Coco Inglis on the cut. One step was plenty, and she gave the Wolves a 4-2 lead at 1:07.

The time wasn’t short, though, and neither was Hall. Another draw to herself, she put the offense on a loop. The ball eventually coming to Viders, the eighth grader lofted the ball into Degl, but unable to secure, the rock had a mind of its own. It rolled to Amelia Inglis on the right, and she whipped past for a 5-2 first quarter lead.

Onto the second, Feliciotto went on the scent again. She took a pass behind the net from Morgan Jackson and wrapped around to cut the lead to 5-3 at 10:33.

Not done, Wappingers’ top gun was primed 40 seconds later. She took a pass into the middle, swung left and went over the shoulder to make it 5-4.

At 9:51, Wappingers won the draw and moved in to tie when Rylin Dorsman drew a penalty. Cued up, her rush made easy pickins, and the score was tied with 8:48 left in the half.

Nonetheless, John Jay wasn’t ready to give up the lead. After Cait Brennan got called for a charge, Feliciotto was on full gallop up the field but suddenly lost the ball. Coco Inglis got the scoop, and John Jay set up.

Eventually getting to Viders, the run into a double team was no problem. The Wolf threaded the ball over the top to Degl, and she scored in traffic.

Regaining the lead at 6:38, John Jay got a real boost on the faceoff. With the ball headed toward the sideline, Viders had a step on Cameron Brooke, and when their legs got tangled, the defender went flying.

The whistle gave John Jay the ball, and moments later, Degl found Erin Brennan on the goal line. The freshman received and went sidearm for the goal at 6:05.

Only thing, Feliciotto kept chirping about the previous call, and the ref had enough. The attacker got tossed, and John Jay took advantage. The Inglis sisters scored a goal a piece, and after Jackson scored with 17.6 left, Brennan ran down the faceoff. To Degl, she went full speed and went overhead to close the halftime scoring at 10-6.

Onto the third, the Wildcats moved on pretty well without their best player. From behind the net, Brooke hit Sophia Coffman streaking forward, and the Wappingers' run began at 11:18.

Three minutes later, Brooke did the same for Jackson and then she turned defense into offense. With the steal, Brooke raced up the field, and a pass off to Kroohs caused a collision in front of the John Jay net. The whistle teed up Kroohs, and she scored on the penalty at 5:06.

Wappingers added two more on penalty goals, but the stops were finally put on Kroohs. Lining up for another penalty shot, the middie was stopped by Ellie Inglis’ with 43 seconds left, and the kick save and cover proved the turning point.

Back the other way, Erin Brennan exploded up the sideline, and she hit Degl in stride. The junior came across and got John Jay within two to close the third period scoring.

Still, Coco Inglis reflected on the Wappingers' run. “We got a little ahead of ourselves when Feliciotto got taken out,” she lamented.

Of course, there was still work to do, and the John Jay goalie punched in again. Her save on Jackson sent the action the other way, and after Degl drew the penalty, the Wolf moved her team within one at 8:48.

Back to the middle, Degl’s subsequent snatch out of the air had her crediting Hall. “Dillon was great at adapting in the moment, and as long as I listened to her, she’s very wise and puts it out there for us,” said the middie.”

Then the play going around the back, Coco Inglis came successfully to the fore on Brennan’s assist. “It’s my teammates getting open for me,” Brennan beamed after the Wolves tallied their third straight goal.

Even so, Wappingers was primed to retake the lead when Jackson draw a penalty at 6:44, but the middie missed the net. Still, the Wappingers defense pressed hard and forced a loose ball across midfield.

So Brennan now persisted, won the scramble, and moments later, she drew the penalty. Deferring the shot, the freshman passed off to Degl for a 14-13 score that had Coco Inglis riding the current stop on the Brennan legacy. “Her confidence is building every day,” she said.

Not so fast, Wappingers wasn’t done. Jackson passed across to Brooke, and with Coco Inglis all over, the Wildcat tied the score.

At 4:33, Hall did her own dirty work in the middle, and after passing off to Coco Inglis, the whistle set John Jay to take the lead for good. Inglis converted at 3:56, and Hall did it again in the circle.

She controlled the toss up, and Amelia Inglis sealed the victory. The assist from Viders, the defender brought the comeback full circle. “We stayed motivated, worked as a team, and we came back,” she concluded.

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