CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - With the postseason just days away, Sophia Shaw could sense her team's determination.
“We have a hunger to win,” she said.
But on Monday, Oct. 19, John Jay had some unfinished business to take care of at Contest Field.
The Wolves scored early and never let up, rolling to a 5-0 victory over Bronxville.
The Broncos made the first bit of noise, though. At 13:45 of the opening quarter, the ball rolled perilously through the John Jay crease, but no Bronco was there to knock it home.
Unfazed, John Jay quickly shifted the pressure to the other end. Callen Keeley made her way to the goal line and forced the first penalty corner of the game. A scrum formed in front of the net, and Kaitlyn Condon did the honors, giving the Wolves a 1-0 lead at 9:07.
Two minutes later, John Jay was back on the attack. Keeley got around the defense on the right, but her long shot was turned away by Bronxville goalie Isabelle Harrison.
Harrison wasn't left alone for long. Keeley reached the goal line again, and when the ball eventually kicked back to Briar Cindrich, her shot was deflected wide by Harrison at 4:50.
Nonetheless, the Wolves kept the ball in the Bronxville zone until Maggie Young poked it away at midfield and sent Corinne Augustyn racing down the sideline at 2:56. The Broncos earned a free hit, but Catherine Natko came up with a steal and sent the Wolves on the break.
Keeley raced down the right sideline and found Natko in the middle. The senior settled the ball and passed left to Shaw for a one-on-one opportunity against Harrison. With little room to work, Shaw couldn't beat the goalie, and John Jay settled for a 1-0 lead after one quarter.
Bronxville gained some traction early in the second, with Augustyn once again blazing a trail down the sideline. However, Ellie Fahy couldn't get much on her teammate's centering pass, and the Wolves were back in business.
The Broncos responded by earning three consecutive penalty corners. An interception by Young set up the opportunities as she raced down the sideline and passed inside to Olivia Murphy, leading to the first corner at 12:37.
John Jay's defense didn't give an inch, turning away the Broncos' opportunities.
The Wolves soon earned a corner of their own. Fin Degl connected with Keeley upfield, setting up another scoring opportunity.
Degl inserted the ball, Keeley received it, and Shaw was waiting on the right. A quick push sent the ball into the cage at 8:07, giving John Jay a 2-0 advantage.
The Wolves weren't finished. With six minutes remaining, Degl took advantage of a momentary hesitation following a whistle and rushed toward the net, forcing Harrison to make another save.
Undeterred, Degl stole the ball at midfield on the next sequence and found Cindrich along the sideline.
“Really, I'm just passing to anyone who is available,” the junior said.
This time, Shaw was the beneficiary.
“Briar sent it in,” Shaw said. “Everyone shifted, and I saw the gap to post.”
Anticipating Cindrich's pass, Shaw positioned herself perfectly as the ball rolled through. She tapped it home at 4:06, extending John Jay's lead to 3-0.
With the Wolves firmly in control, Keeley added the finishing touches with two second-half goals.
Degl started the first scoring sequence in the middle of the field, finding Keeley on the right with little room to shoot.
“I've been practicing getting those hard flicks across the goal,” Keeley said.
That practice paid off. Keeley fired a shot across the cage and into the left corner at 7:57 of the third quarter, making it 4-0.
Keeley struck again later in the period after Shaw drove along the baseline.
“I heard Callen call,” Shaw said. “I trusted her to put it in.”
Keeley took the pass and finished with 3:47 remaining, completing the scoring and sealing the 5-0 victory.
With the postseason approaching, the Wolves were already looking beyond their convincing win.
“Our team, the states,” Cindrich said. “We're going all the way.”
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