CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - On Tuesday, September 29, John Jay traveled to Somers, and Abby Mattielo is no stranger to how proximity fuels the rivalry. “It’s always the intensity,” said the junior, and the tight back-and-forth of this iteration definitely lived up to the gritty history.
John Jay scored first, Somers tied in the second half, and the Wolves scored last to go home with a 2-1 victory.
John Jay didn’t wait to get started, either. In the opening minute, Maye Viders chased the ball down the sideline, won the corner and centered to Caroline Civetta. The freshman calmly controlled and dished right to Alex Milich, but the kick went wide at 39:31.
The teams then traded a few easy shots on goal, and the next to get out of their seats was the Somers crowd. Kate Hanford won the ball in the Somers end and knifed through the Jay defense. Unfortunately, her pass ahead went just long, and the Wolves took over at 32:20.
Three minutes later, the pass was on point when Aurora Riley led Angie Giron perfectly. On the right, the middie had no angle, and Evelyn Hermanto made the save at 29:25.
John Jay’s turn. Maye Viders got the ball at midfield, cut in and left her defender behind. Not going unnoticed in the John Jay bleachers, her pass down the sideline yielded cheers and a throw-in.
No dividends, but Jay got just a little closer at 23 minutes. Sophya Papa won the ball at midfield, led Viders on the right, and her pass to Mattielo was just cut off by Olivia Tatela in goal.
Of course, Viders was undeterred, and Mattielo could speak firsthand to the havoc the sophomore inspires. “She can beat a lot of defenders and create chances for everyone,” said the attacker.
At 21 minutes, Mattielo was everyone. After Mykel Papa intercepted a pass in the Jay end, she found Viders on the incline, and her pass ahead rolled perfectly to the Wolf. Not alone, she was pulled down and easily scored on the penalty shot.
In at 20:16, the girl plays defense, too. On a Somers corner kick, Viders rose high above the fray and headed the ball away.
Somers stayed in the game nonetheless and had the next near miss at 10 minutes. First, Natalie D’Ippolito controlled the ball on defense, Maeve Cleary battled at midfield and led Bridget Leitner to the left. She found Angie Giron ahead, and her lead pass just fell prey to Hermanto getting to the finish line first.
Two more great chances were on the way, and both had Viders in the middle. First, at four minutes, she dribbled into space at midfield and led Mattielo down the sideline. She was able to control and cut to the goal, but a defensive slide tackle negated the advance.
Three minutes later, Viders and Mattielo switched roles. Viders received Mattielo’s sideline pass and put a move past her defender. Left momentarily with a one-v-one with Tatela, the Tusker defense converged, and the score remained tied into the second half.
The Jay momentum did not carry over, though. After an attempted John Jay clear, the midfield Somers defense put the stops on, got the ball to Amelia Marcus, and her shot deflected off one of the interior defensive heads. The ball changed direction, and Hermanto was unable to adjust.
Only 27 seconds in, Somers kept coming. On the far sideline, Aurora Riley put a stutter-step move on her defender, and a clear path to the goal resulted. Not for long, Mykel Papa raced out of nowhere to shut down the play at 33:30.
Almost not good enough, the go-ahead goal came at 30:38, and Mattielo reveled in the manner in which Sophia Papa went the distance. “After she won the ball back, she saw the gap between the two center backs and made a great split pass,” said Mattielo.
Rolling from midfield, the attacker ran it down at the 20 and shot from the left hash mark. High to the short side, Tatela didn’t have a chance.
On defense now, the defense continued to frustrate the Tuskers, but too much of a good thing almost didn’t work out. Hanford cut off a clear attempt at the 20, and with some space, the freshman lofted a tailing shot to the left side of the goal.
There, Hermanto waited with a disadvantage. “I’m kind of short. I’m not going to lie. So high balls scare me,” said the eighth grader.
The ball did drop enough with 17 minutes remaining, but the goalie was still concerned. “The most dangerous part is me making a mistake and not catching it,” said Hermanto.
So she tries to stay calm. “I focus and catch the ball,” said the Tusker.
The goalie did just that, and her offense pressed on. The usual suspects, Mattielo led a streaking Viders to the goal, but Tatela got there just ahead at 14:55.
Back the other way, a penalty kick on the sideline put the Jay crowd on edge. Mykel Papa wasn’t letting them go over the edge, though.
She skied for the stop, and Hermanto understood that height isn’t all the tall defender brings. “She’s a leader. She tells us where we need to be, and we can always count on her,” assured the goalie.
Dillon Hall then got the clear. Still, Somers stayed close, and on the throw-in, Riley shot from the left, which left Hermanto playing stone wall. She caught the low liner, and 12:34 remained.
Of course, the John Jay offense was still on the field. Starting with a defensive stop by Lila Baker, she got the ball to Sophia Papa, and the freshman raced through the Somers defense. Another great pass ahead, the play was whistled offsides on Viders’ receipt in front at 9:15.
Three more stops by Mykel Papa increased the urgency for Somers, and then the non-scoring play of the day unfolded with three minutes to go. After Mattielo’s corner kick returned to the left, she lofted it to the front of the goal, and Viders skied.
The shot went wide left at 3:15, and just a little more defense was needed. Jay mostly did so by staying on offense.
Even so, Somers did have one last chance when a lead pass had the potential to split the defense. Instead, the girls converged, and Viders made one last clear to seal a victory that is never easy.
“It’s nerve-wracking and exciting,” concluded Mattielo.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here