John Jay field hockey rolls past Fox Lane in playoff opener

CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - With a great season in the books, the next chapter had the Wolves awaiting Rye and Lakeland in the Section 1 tournament. But on Oct. 24 at Contest Field, the first round had to be taken care of first.

“It feels great to get the first one out of the way,” said Fin Degl after the Wolves made easy work of Fox Lane in a 7-0 victory.

The girls didn’t wait to get started, either. The Wolves took possession early, Degl stickhandled the ball to Callan Keeley, and she pushed it forward to Catherine Natko.

“The goalie was almost able to stop it, but the ball ran through,” said the senior.

The goal came at 13:46, and John Jay didn’t leave the area for long. On a penalty corner, after the inbound bounced around, Keeley slid the ball toward the crease, and Degl knocked in goal No. 2 at 12:02.

Full steam ahead, Jay kept coming. With a minute remaining in the quarter, Briar Cindrich wouldn’t let time cheat her, evading the defense and putting the Foxes on the clock again. The ball eventually found Natko, and she deferred credit.

“The goal deflected off the defense,” she said of her on-target shot.

On to the second period, John Jay was about to put the game away in a span of 70 seconds. Degl swung away at the 20, and a kick save from the Fox Lane goalie was not enough. Anna Kringas was on the case and had the tap-in for a 4-0 lead.

With 8:29 left in the second, Cindrich stole the Foxes’ attempt to move forward, and before the visitors knew it, the Wolves were lining up for a penalty corner. The ball went in to Keeley, over to Cait Brennan, and her swipe thudded into the box at 7:19.

With two more goals to go, Rori Carvajal scored her first goal of the year, although the moment came with a touch of bittersweet reality.

“Playing together for many years, I’m so sad this is my senior year,” she said, taking the good with the bad.

Keeley put on the final touch, but Degl assured that her fellow Wolves never get ahead of themselves and always remain on an even keel.

“Our coaches are really good at keeping us composed,” said the senior.

So Tuesday means Rye, and Brennan said her teammates have the two pertinent emotions in the proper order.

“We’re not nervous, we’re excited,” she concluded.