JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS
Molly Gallagher stretches to make a save for John Jay., Samantha Reder tries to make a pass as Jojo Degl defends for John Jay. Fox Lane goalie Kayla Santos makes a save in overtime.
Field hockey match ends in a 1-1 tie for Fox Lane and John Jay
By JIM MACLEAN
Saturday was a special day for the Fox Lane field hockey team, opening day of the season and a ceremony to open the new turf field at Fox Lane, facing rival John Jay. A big crowd was on hand, and both teams put on a show fitting for the occasion, battling back and forth into overtime before settling for a 1-1 tie.
“These are the kind of games you want to play, it was a lot of fun,” said Fox Lane coach Melissa Ponzio. “We respect that program (John Jay) so much and both teams showed a lot of heart and hustle. Very exciting day, ribbon-cutting ceremony for our new field, a lot of alumni here. We had Joanne St. George, who was the first ever field hockey coach at Fox Lane, the Class of 1977, our youth program girls that John Jay coach Deb Walsh runs — a really special day for all of us.”
One player on the field who understands what it means to be part of the Fox Lane field hockey program was senior Samantha Reder. She has been in the middle of the action for a long time as the starting center midfielder on varsity since eighth grade. Reder is excited for her senior year with a veteran team.
“This is like a family to me being on this team the past five years playing with the girls I grew up with and coaches I’ve played for since I was 12 years old. I love being on this team. This team is very connected with nine seniors and we’re all very close on and off the field. Playing field hockey at Fox Lane is very special to me and I think we can do a lot this season.”
Fox Lane came out fired up and the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie by halftime. John Jay got a goal from Logan Bueti, and Fox Lane tied it up with a goal from Maggie Grasso off an assist from Reder.
John Jay came out stronger in the second half and applied the pressure. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, and with the new rule this season for field hockey it then went into a 7 versus 7, 10-minute overtime period. The Wolves kept the pressure on with several corners and scoring opportunities, but Fox Lane senior goalie Kayla Santos and her defense held on to end the game in a tie.
It was a good opener for Fox Lane against a John Jay team that has had the Foxes number for several years. Ponzio feels it is a sign of good things to come this season with Reder and fellow senior veteran Zoe Stonecipher leading the way.
“Those nine seniors, both Sam and Zoe have been on varsity since eighth grade. They all want to go out with a bang and end their careers here on a good note. I taught a lot of them in elementary school and had them in field hockey and it’s been an honor to see them grow. We have great leadership, positive energy, we’re in a good place.”
John Jay also has a veteran team with several senior stars. Jojo Degl and Jane Brennan have both been starters since ninth grade, and fellow senior captain Kaycie Keeley has been a varsity starter since 10th grade. Those three veterans will lead the way with several other returning starters on the field, and coach Walsh felt it was a lesson for the Wolves as they settled for the tie.
“Fox Lane came at us, a good test in our first game, but our girls were frantic and we didn’t play our game. We have multiple girls who have been on the team three or four years and we have to get the jitters out sooner, a good thing to learn in the first game. The opportunities were there and they couldn’t convert. We had a lot of corners and didn’t seem to execute when it mattered.”
John Jay had 14 corners to Fox Lane’s four, and the Wolves had a lot of corner opportunities in the fourth quarter and overtime periods, but couldn’t come up with the game-winning goal. Molly Gallagher also came up with some big saves in goal for the Wolves as both goalies helped their respective teams preserve the tie.
Despite the tie, Walsh admitted it was an exciting atmosphere and she was glad to be a part of the Fox Lane ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“This field is amazing. My youth program feeds both John Jay and Fox Lane, so I love watching these girls play, probably three quarters of them I’ve known since third grade. Kim and Melissa have done an incredible job at Fox Lane and I think they’re going to have an amazing season.”