John Jay soccer gets in the win column against Hastings

CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - Two games into the season, John Jay girls soccer was still without a win. At 0-1-1, the Wolves aimed to change that Thursday, Sept. 17, at Contest Field. Visiting Hastings hoped to avoid becoming the first victim, but it didn’t take long for those aspirations to be dashed.

John Jay scored at 36:40 and 34:50 to take a 2-0 lead that held all the way to the final whistle.

The game began with a little foreshadowing. In the opening sequence, Maye Viders used her footwork to break down the sideline. While the resulting shot by Alex Milich was an easy chance for the Hastings goalie, the alarm had been sounded.

Unfortunately for Hastings, the warning went unheeded. Moments later, Viders reappeared on the same side and successfully marked her territory this time.

“I had the girl down on the wing,” said the sophomore, “and a bunch of space.”

Sophya Papa was acutely attuned to the opportunity.

“I knew when Maye cut in, she was looking for a cross pass,” said the freshman.

With her anticipation proving correct, Viders gave all the credit to her teammate.

“Sophya beat her defender and placed it well,” said the attacker.

The shot found the net, giving Papa her first varsity goal. The freshman, however, played down the milestone.

“It was just great being able to celebrate with my team,” she said.

She left the bragging rights at home, though. With no goals for her older sister, Mykel, the younger Papa was asked how jealous she thought her sister might be of her night.

“Very,” she said.

Joking aside, the goal-producing duo switched places less than two minutes later. After a corner kick came from the other side and rebounded away from the goal, Papa gave chase and returned the favor.

“Maye was open behind me,” said Papa.

There was no doubt Viders would make good on the prime real estate. Her shot eluded the goalie and, after hitting the inside of the post, kicked in the right direction for a 2-0 lead.

From there, Hastings rarely saw the other side of the field. The dominance had Viders reflecting on what had been missing during the first two games.

“In our last game the defense did well, and in game one our offense performed. So we went to our film and conjoined the two,” Viders said. “Tonight, we did well on both sides of the field.”