CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - On Sunday, Nov. 1, John Jay held a 1-0 lead for 72 minutes, and a sectional title seemed right around the corner. Unfortunately, Harrison had other ideas, scoring the tying goal, and 10 minutes into the second overtime, the dream remained elusive.
Back and forth, Mykel Papa lined up on the sideline for a free kick, and in a sea of height, Lila Baker stood just a bit below. But Coach Dave Nuttell had no reason to count her out with 3:36 remaining.
“She might not be the tallest. But she wins those headers,” he boasted, and from Baker’s head to Sophya Papa’s, the connection won the sectional title in sudden death.
Long before, the Wolves came out in a frenzy. Maye Viders received the ball upfield and relentlessly made space.
“I cut inside and passed a couple of players,” said the sophomore.
She then looked for her running mate.
“We always play on the diagonal,” said Viders of Abby Mattielo, and the ball went left.
There, Mattielo juked two defenders and hit the right corner of the net at 38:01. John Jay didn’t let up, either.
Mattielo, Sophya and Mykel Papa and all the Wolves kept pushing, while Viders remained in overdrive.
“She’s tenacious, she’s non-stop,” said Nuttell. “That’s why she’s so dangerous.”
On the attack, Viders chased a long pass into the corner, created her typical chaos, and Harrison was whistled for a handball. The ball kicked around, Mattielo’s shot was blocked, and Coco Inglis ended up all alone in the crease. With the ball bouncing a bit high, the attacker’s swing followed suit and went over the crossbar at 31 minutes.
No reason to stop, the Wolves’ attack continued to give Harrison fits. Viders received passes from Inglis and Mattielo for great chances, and Mattielo kicked wide at 28:26.
Back the other way, the defense was just as disruptive. Baker, Alex Milich and Mykel Papa stopped advances, and Jay was halfway through the half.
Onward, Mattielo launched from the left sideline, and while the ball beat the outstretched hand of the goalie, the football crossbar was another story. The shot banged off the yellow metal, which wasn’t the only thing taking a beating.
On the other side, Viders went into the corner with a couple of Huskies and refused to do a head count. She definitely took some lumps in the tussle, which are never a bother given her motivation.
“Winning,” she assured.
The corner kick she came away with was just one example. Up and across, Inglis’ crash into the goalie wasn’t enough to double the lead at the 13-minute mark.
Neither was Viders’ burst through a pair of Huskies. On the left, her shot sailed high at 4:23, and less than 60 seconds later, the Viders frenzy continued.
She worked toward the middle this time, and her laser went wide. Of course, Mattielo got a few licks in before intermission. Taking a lead pass from Nalani Nosworthy, the wing drove down, curled into the crease and fired another good shot at the net.
The one-goal difference remained, and so did the recipe the Wolves would need to complete the day. Unfortunately, the Huskies came out with a completely different menu.
Harrison pushed and pushed, while Jay was almost in a constant state of clearing the zone.
“We didn’t come out with as much fire,” admitted Sophya Papa.
Defense almost did break the game open for Jay, though. On a penetration by Maya Ellison, Mykel Papa poked the ball away with 13 minutes to go, and off the rock went to Viders. She got down the sideline, up went the John Jay crowd, but just wide went the projectile.
Three minutes later, Viders teamed with Mattielo again. A lead pass down the sideline, Viders took over, and wide right went her shot.
With 10 minutes to go, near misses might still deliver the day. Not quite. The Harrison pressure freed up Natalie Chantrasuk in front, and her shot put the celebration on hold.
The shock had Baker reflecting on the second-half downturn.
“It went a little south in the second half,” she said. “I think we lost our balance.”
The final 8:46 was even more difficult, but Jay held on to force overtime. Regrouping, the Wolves definitely got their bearings.
So, too, did the Huskies.
“It was back and forth,” said Viders.
The same was true for the second overtime. With no serious shots on goal, the end began when Milich was fouled on the sideline with four minutes remaining.
Enter Mykel Papa, and the moment didn’t complicate her thoughts.
“I just wanted to give a good ball for my teammates,” said the defender.
In the crowd, Baker knew exactly what her teammate meant.
“I knew where she was going. So I had to be back post and make contact,” said the Wolf.
The last leg kept it in the family.
“It was an amazing header, and it happened to come to me,” said Sophya Papa. “Right where I was, it was a one touch finish.”
Easy enough, but the journey was another matter.
“We worked so hard for this, and we came out on top,” Sophya Papa clarified.
Of course, these Wolves haven’t plateaued yet.
“We want to keep going and win it all,” concluded Mykel Papa.
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