John Jay girls soccer heating up with a pair of wins

Maye Viders makes her move down the line for the Wolves. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS

By JIM MACLEAN 

After starting the season with two tough games where they held the lead and let it slip away, the John Jay girls varsity soccer team was anxious to walk off the field with a win.

John Jay had suffered a one-goal loss to Byram Hills and settled for a tie against Briarcliff, so when the team hosted Hastings on Thursday, Sept. 17, the Wolves were determined to come out strong. The Wolves pounced on a pair of early opportunities and finished off a 2-0 shutout. The next day the Wolves were back in action on the road at Lakeland and came home with a 3-1 victory to start the season with a 2-1-1 overall record.

Against Hastings, John Jay wasted no time taking control of the game. Freshman Sophya Papa scored a goal just three minutes into the game, and sophomore Maye Viders added another two minutes later for a quick 2-0 lead.

“We needed it, the season started off a little slow, so the team is happy we got a win on our home field, it’s exciting,” Viders said.

 Evelyn Hermanto makes a save on her way to recording a shutout victory for John Jay. 

The two early goals would prove to be enough as the John Jay defense was up to the challenge.

Evelyn Hermanto is only an eighth grader and she was starting in her second varsity game in goal for the Wolves due to some injuries. Hermanto got the job done to record the shutout, and she gave credit to her defense in front of her for their job shutting down the Yellow Jackets.

“I have a great team and our defense was amazing,” Hermanto said. “Honestly, I didn’t have to make that many crucial saves, but it feels great. My first game I was nervous, but every time I play I get more confident bonding with the team.”

The defense, led by junior captain Mykel Papa, did its part limiting the scoring chances. The John Jay midfield controlled the tempo of the game as the Wolves were in control throughout, but coach Dave Nuttall gives Hermanto the credit for stepping up into the starting role in goal for the Wolves.

“She’s a solid goalkeeper and she’s doing fantastic,” Nuttall said of Hermanto. “We had some injuries and she stepped up as an eighth grader and has been playing great and the team is behind her. It’s not how old you are, it’s how good you are, and she’s doing the job that is required of her.”

John Jay kept the pressure on the Hastings end of the field and had several corner kick opportunities and big shots in front of the goal. Although the Wolves were not able to score again, the two early goals stood up and the Wolves were able to celebrate a victory on the home turf.

 Julia Kowalczyk controls a loose ball.

“The first two games were a little frustrating, we had the lead in both games and let it slip, so this was massive to get the goals and get the win,” coach Nuttall said after the win over Hastings. “We had a lot of chances and could have scored more, but credit to their goalie, she made some big saves. One step at a time, try to build some momentum from here.”

John Jay didn’t show any signs of being tired as the Wolves were back in action on the road the next day at Lakeland.

It was a scoreless tie throughout most of the first half, until Viders took the ball around midfield and made a run down the side and finished it off with a goal for a 1-0 lead with seven minutes left in the half.

Host Lakeland was able to tie it up early in the second half, but John Jay responded. Once again it was Viders, ripping a long shot from the top of the box to make it 2-1 with 13 minutes left to play. Sophya Papa was then tripped up in the box, and she converted on the ensuing penalty kick to make it 3-1 with 3:45 left to play.

John Jay was scheduled to host Yorktown on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and the Wolves then host Mahopac for homecoming weekend on Saturday night before traveling to Somers on Tuesday, Sept. 29.