John Jay Defense Pitches 13-0 Shutout versus Briarcliff

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On Tuesday May 12, the John Jay offense scored 13 goals and could definitely hang their hats on a pretty good day. But the defense didn’t have a blemish and finished the day perfectly.

“Everyone has to work together in order to get it to the other side,” said 8th grader Sawyer Hall after a 13-0 shutout.

The defense didn’t have to do much following Briarclilf’s opening draw win, though. An overthrow from out front gave the Wolves the ball, and Finja Degl’s rush upfield put the Wolves on attack. Around the horn, Erin Brennan’s slice from the goal line hit Amelia Inglis on the cut out front, and John Jay was on the board at 10:20.

Still, Briarcliff wasn’t deterred in the circle, and the second straight draw went to the Bears. Setting up, the visitors found honey was in short supply in the face of the Wolves swarming defense. “We’re always looking out for each other,” said Hall, and soon enough, the hard work on defense cued up the offense.

Not behind the eight ball, Coco Inglis persisted. With Bears clawing all over, she refused to give in and scored with with an overhead on the left.

At 8:28, Kaitlyn Condon took the draw, but Briarcliff soon had the ball. Coco Inglis shot wide, and the ball went the other way. Not for long, the Bears turned cubs when the defense snuffed out a pass inside.

Unable to get the ball upfield, the John Jay defense proved fallible. The Bears forced a penalty shot at 5:18, and Riley McCaffrey was on the docket. “She’s always got our backs,” said Hall, and the stopgap got the deflection.

The ball to John Jay, more sisterhood was on deck. Dillon Hall threaded a pass inside to Amelia Inglis, and the penalty whistle only prolonged the inevitable. The senior lined up and fired away for a 3-0 lead at 3:49.

But Briarcliff still wouldn’t yield in the circle. The defense, on the other hand, was another matter. Dillon Hall forced another turnover, and Degl got on her giddy-up. Clubbed when making her move on the goal, the junior scored on the penalty whistle, and John Jay led 4-0.

Two minutes left in the quarter, Briarcliff controlled again and came out of the middle with a penalty shot. Not good enough, McCaffrey snared the shot with her catcher at 1:05, but there was more work to do after John Jay set up on offense..

Lily Rowe picked off a pass in front and raced the length of the field. In position, she fired, and at the buzzer, McCaffrey reached up with her catcher for the save

Onto the second, Condon stepped up, and Degl ran under. “We have a great connection,” said Condon. “Finja just really gets me. I call out, she gets there and does her job,” said the junior.

Off and running, Degl hit Coco Inglis, and a two step followed. Inglis crossed in front of the goal and a little stick juke opened plenty of space for the attacker to score.

Back to the circle, Condon applied some forward motion muscle and intricate technique to land the ball on Degl. “It all just comes together in a perfect storm,” Condon said.

The foul weather for Briarcliff wasn’t over either. After securing the draw, Degl led Maye Viders, and she masterfully hit Amelia Inglis in stride. A really fast one, said Amelia Inglis, “Maye can run up the field and is really good at seeing those cross field passes.”

6-0 with only 24 seconds gone in the period, Condon and Degl weren’t done. Degl running under for the third straight time, she now paired with Erin Brennan. Degl received from the X spot and increased the lead to seven with 11:13 remaining in the half.

The streak ending on the next draw, Briarcliff gave it right back with a missed pass, and Degl was there just the same. Upfield, she drew a penalty and scored at 8:29.

Up 8-0, the urgency was long gone. Degl scored at 2:40 anyway, and two minutes later, Amelia Inglis got the clock going full gear with a ten goal margin. The twelve final minutes went fast, but still gave Sawyer Hall the chance to take stock in all the experience around her. “I learning to be a good member of a team,” she concluded.

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