SOMERS, N.Y. - On Saturday, April 18, Somers roared back from a 7-1 first-half deficit. Even after the Tuskers grabbed a late 14-13 lead, there was still overtime to play. And when Shea Mullins found herself alone with the game on the line, she didn’t hesitate.
“I was thinking, it’s my time,” said Mullins, as her sudden-death shot found the back of the net.
John Jay came out firing. From behind the net, Cait Brennan found Coco Inglis out front for a quick 1-0 lead.
Just 14 seconds later, Caitlyn Mayfield answered for Somers. After an errant pass, Sofia Conner scooped the ball and pushed the pace, setting up Mayfield on the left side to tie the game at 10:55.
The Wolves responded quickly. With nine seconds left on the shot clock, Brennan fed Fin Degl in the crease, and Degl made a slick move to beat Emma Donaldson.
John Jay continued to build momentum. Maye Viders assisted Erin Brennan on an underhand score, then set up Amelia Inglis to make it 4-1.
Midway through the quarter, Coco Inglis forced a turnover and pushed ahead. Cait Brennan connected with Viders on the run, extending the lead to 5-1 at 4:10.
Even after a Somers timeout, John Jay stayed hot. Brennan found Inglis again, and the Wolves pushed the lead to 6-1. Amelia Inglis capped the first quarter with a goal on a penalty, making it 7-1.
That’s when the comeback began.
Mayfield controlled the draw to open the second quarter, and Conner drew a penalty before scoring to cut the deficit. Riley McCaffrey made a point-blank save for John Jay, but Somers kept pressing. Lilly Lassen intercepted a pass, and Mayfield finished the play with a behind-the-back goal at 9:41.
Both goalies stood tall over the next stretch. Donaldson denied Degl on a break, and McCaffrey answered with a kick save on a penalty shot.
John Jay regained some momentum as Degl converted on a free-position attempt, and the Wolves added another through Coco Inglis to go up 9-3.
But Somers closed the half strong. Megan O’Reilly pushed the ball upfield, and Elana Kellock converted a penalty shot to make it 9-4. Still, John Jay answered with two more goals to take an 11-4 lead.
In the third quarter, Somers began chipping away. Kate Barton drew a penalty and helped spark a run, while Mayfield dominated the draw circle. Barton scored again to cut the deficit to 12-8, and Conner added another after a strong setup from Mayfield.
“We all work as a team,” Conner said. “It creates opportunities for everyone.”
Mayfield’s dominance at the draw continued to fuel the comeback, leading to another Barton goal. Despite strong saves from McCaffrey, Somers kept applying pressure.
Late in the third, Conner scored on a penalty to make it a two-goal game. But John Jay responded with a free-position goal from Degl to maintain momentum heading into the fourth.
Somers refused to go away.
Paulmeno scored early in the fourth, and eighth-grader Amelia Marcus set up Barton to make it 13-11. After a disallowed John Jay goal gave Somers new life, Conner struck again to cut the deficit to one.
A missed opportunity by John Jay and a big save by Donaldson gave Somers possession, and with 90 seconds remaining, Mayfield found Conner to tie the game.
Moments later, Paulmeno gave Somers its first lead since early in the game, scoring with 1:01 left to make it 14-13.
John Jay answered under pressure. After winning the draw, Coco Inglis scored on a penalty to tie the game with just 24.5 seconds remaining.
The Wolves nearly won it in regulation, but Degl’s shot sailed wide, sending the game to overtime.
In sudden death, Mayfield once again controlled the draw and made a crucial defensive play.
“We were pressuring out on defense,” she said. “It was a long pass, so I decided to go for it.”
Her interception sparked the final sequence. Mullins took a pass from Marcus, Barton then took the baton and Mullins played closer. “Caitlyn made an insane interception, got it to Amelia, then to Barton and she drew the defense and passed to me. I faked and finished.”
With the 15-14 win complete, Paulmeno summed it up simply:
“John Jay started getting down on themselves, and we took advantage.”
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