CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - On Tuesday, Oct. 28, John Jay hosted Yorktown in the sectional quarterfinals. It was their second meeting in ten days, and Yorktown came in looking for revenge after falling in a 1-0 overtime thriller. Taking an early 1-0 lead seemed like a good start—but not according to Catherine Natko.
“That just made us want to fight more,” she said. After the junior tied the score later in the period, the Wolves made good on that promise, earning a 2-1 victory.
Yorktown struck first after forcing a pair of penalty corners. The pass came across to Lilly Diaz, and her ground ball rolled all the way through for a 1-0 lead at 12:16.
From there, the teams battled to a stalemate until Kaitlyn Condon intercepted a pass at midfield. She sent the ball to Callan Keeley, whose push into the crease created a scramble. On the ensuing free shot, Keeley received the pass back and fed a lead to Logan Bueti. Bueti’s shot on goal rebounded out, and Natko was there to knock it in at 5:31.
John Jay nearly took the lead before the quarter expired. After the Wolves sent the Huskers scrambling in the crease, a penalty corner was awarded, and Cait Brennan almost converted. She took the entry pass and rocketed a shot off the post.
As the quarter closed, the teams continued to trade possessions without giving any ground. John Jay nearly broke through again when Condon wound up from distance, but her shot was ruled outside the circle.
Meanwhile, goalie McKenzie Ryder and the defense held firm. At the end line, Ryder made a kick save on a Marisa Rachiele shot and credited her defense for clearing it out. “I trust my defense 100%,” she said. “I know they are going to do whatever it takes to get the ball out.”
Brennan twice cleared the ball on that sequence, and Ryder backed her up with two more saves before halftime. “If they can’t, it comes down to me and trusting my ability,” she said.
In the third period, Ryder continued to shine. At 13 and 10 minutes, she stopped two penalty corner chances, and at 9:45, she got a little help when a penalty shot rolled through and bounced off the post.
Then it was John Jay’s turn to threaten. On the inbound, Harper Christian found Finja Degl at midfield, who quickly touched the ball to Keeley. The junior weaved through a sea of white jerseys and passed back to Degl near the goal line. Degl’s cross rolled through the crease untouched at nine minutes.
Ninety seconds later, the Wolves were back on the attack. Degl stole the ball at Yorktown’s 30 and slashed a backhanded chip just wide. Christian kept the pressure on, intercepting Yorktown’s clearance attempt and feeding Bueti in the middle. Bueti’s push went out of bounds before Degl could redirect it on the goal line at 7:05.
John Jay kept coming. After another defensive stop by Christian, Keeley got the ball on the goal line at six minutes, but her pass out front didn’t find a stick.
No problem—Keeley stayed at it. Degl broke up a play at midfield, and Christian gathered the loose ball, sending it ahead to Keeley. The junior carved through the Yorktown defense with dazzling moves that left her teammates impressed. “I love watching her play. She’s just insane. I wish I could tell you how she does it,” boasted the junior. “The way she moves, nobody knows.”
Keeley wasn’t done, either. With a bit of space, she passed to Bueti, who put a shot on goal, and Keeley was there for the rebound.
Up 2-1 with 1:44 left in the third, John Jay was 17 minutes from the semifinals. Yorktown pressed on—especially Rachiele, who forced two penalty corners—but Brennan was there both times to stop her.
The third time wasn’t the charm either. Degl intercepted a high ball with her stick, and the clock ticked down to 9:23.
Things got tense again with three minutes to go. After another penalty corner, Ryder made a sliding kick save, and the Wolves held Yorktown in check until one final surge. Condon cleared the ball, sealing the win—and Ryder could finally exhale.
“I wanted to give her a big fat kiss,” joked Ryder, as John Jay celebrated the 2-1 win that sends them to face Rye on Thursday.
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