John Jay field hockey back among the title contenders

Logan Bueti makes her move toward the goal. McKenzie Ryder makes a save in goal for the Wolves. John Jay celebrates after a goal by Finja Degl (5) against Rye. Greg Kaplowitz Photos

By JIM MACLEAN

In the end it was two agonizing overtime losses for the John Jay varsity field hockey team, but it was a big week to prove just what type of team the Wolves can be heading into the Section 1 Class B tournament.

After an embarrassing 6-0 loss the first week of the season against rival Horace Greeley, John Jay reeled off seven-straight shutout victories, outscoring its opponents 48-0 in those seven games.

However, those were games John Jay was expected to win. The Wolves knew they had their work cut out for them and they had to improve as a team. The big test came this past weekend starting Saturday, Oct. 4, with a home game against Rye, followed by an away game at Lakeland on Oct. 6. Both games ended up in overtime losses for John Jay, but the Wolves left no doubt that they can play with the big three of Lakeland, Rye and Greeley in a highly competitive Class B tournament.

At Lakeland on Monday, John Jay took on the defending champions and the Wolves made it clear they were ready. Lakeland has won 15-straight sectional titles, but John Jay goalie McKenzie Ryder would make the Hornets earn this victory as she kept the Wolves in the game. Ryder stopped a pair of penalty strokes and made one big save after another, and the two teams ended regulation in a 1-1 tie as Logan Bueti scored for John Jay off an assist from Finja Degl. In overtime, Lakeland star Gianna Santini scored her second goal of the game with less than a minute to play to give the Hornets the 2-1 victory.

“Once again, my players rose to the occasion and competed until the very end,” John Jay coach Debbi Walsh said of the Lakeland game. “This game was decided with 26 seconds left in overtime and a solid drive by Lakeland. Our defensive unit played tough and our goalie McKenzie played a beautiful game. Lakeland earned two penalty strokes and McKenzie shut them both down and stayed composed throughout the game. The last two games have given my athletes the confidence that they can compete with the best. We have things to improve on, but I’m very pleased with where we are sitting right now.”

Ryder finished with 19 saves overall in goal for the Wolves as Lakeland kept the pressure on.

It was the second game in a row that Ryder stood tall in goal for the Wolves with double-digit saves against quality opponents as John Jay battled Rye into overtime just two days before the Lakeland game.

On Saturday in front of the home crowd, John Jay came out on a mission to prove that it was capable of playing with the good teams at the top in its first big test since the loss to Greeley. The Wolves came out flying and took a 2-0 lead in the first quarter.

Callan Keeley got John Jay on the board with a goal off an assist from Degl, and then as time ran out in the first quarter, Degl scored off an assist from Caitlin Brennan to make it 2-0. Rye stormed back to tie it up and force overtime, and Olivia Prata was able to get the game-winning goal for the Garnets.

“Whenever we play Rye, we expect a dog fight and this game didn’t disappoint us,” said Walsh. “We ended the first quarter up 2-0, but knew Rye would come back strong. The game went into overtime and both teams wanted to win. I’m super proud of how our players showed up and competed. Playing hard is not enough in these big games. Competing means we have the mental toughness to never let down, which is what we’ve been working on since our last loss. We will keep growing and hopefully compete in the remaining games.”

Ryder made 14 saves in goal for the Wolves.

With the two losses, John Jay now stands at 8-3 overall on the season.