Somers soccer edges John Jay in crosstown clash

CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - On Tuesday, Oct. 14, John Jay traveled to Somers with the crosstown rivalry on everyone’s mind. The Wolves jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and held it through halftime, looking poised to claim bragging rights. But the Tuskers came out in the second half determined to turn the tide.

Somers scored twice in the second half, handing John Jay a 2-1 defeat. The Wolves battled hard throughout, refusing to back down.

John Jay opened the scoring when Jack Green raced to the sideline at the 37th minute and advanced the ball to Porter Bysshe, setting up a corner kick. Dennis Galvan collected the ball in a crowded area and passed to Will Green, creating John Jay’s first real chance on goal. Goalkeeper Jeremy Walerys quickly showed Somers the challenge they faced. Later, Ryan Ramirez delivered a precise lead pass at the 34th minute, only to be caught offside.

John Jay kept pressing. Walerys made a key defensive stop and sent the ball to Jack Green, who launched it forward. Bysshe battled through two defenders on a high bounce and earned a penalty shot. Finn Fothergill capitalized, lofting the ball over three defenders and past a diving Ben Baran to give the Wolves the lead.

Walerys continued to make his presence felt on both ends. At 28:31, he nearly scored on a knuckleball from midfield, forcing Baran into a diving save. Minutes later, John Jay launched another attack, with Green sending the ball to Yesbin Cruz on the corner. Cruz’s cross found Bysshe, but a deflection kept the lead at 1-0.

Somers responded aggressively. A corner kick at the 19th minute forced Marc Fein to scramble, but the John Jay defense cleared. A minute later, Eduardo Ruiz’s header found Milan Sath, who tried a give-and-go with Trevor Keimig, only to be stopped by an offside call.

Walerys continued to disrupt Somers’ attacks, clearing balls both with headers and precise kicks. Somers kept up the pressure, and Ethan Steuber earned a penalty kick opportunity, but Fein made a key save on Ruiz’s shot at 5:41. John Jay tested Baran late in the half, with Fothergill’s efforts hitting both the crossbar and post, but the Wolves held the lead heading into halftime.

The second half saw John Jay starting strong, with Walerys distributing to midfield and Bysshe connecting with Ramirez streaking down the wing. Fothergill tested Baran again at 38:45, but the Somers goalie made the save.

Somers finally broke through. James Brinn intercepted a pass from Walerys at midfield, used his size and speed to push forward, and beat Fein one-on-one to tie the game with 34 minutes remaining. Seventeen minutes later, Randy Contreras powered down the sideline, connecting with Sath via a give-and-go that Fein could not stop, putting the Tuskers ahead 2-1.

After that, both defenses held firm, and the score remained 2-1 in favor of Somers. Despite the loss, John Jay fought valiantly and left the field with their heads held high.