Pictured clockwise from top left, John Jay celebrates after a goal by Jojo Degl (6) in quarterfinal win over Sleepy Hollow. Finja Degl scored a pair of goals in quarterfinal victory. Kaycie Keeley splits a pair of defenders to make her move to the goal for John Jay. Jim MacLean photos
By JIM MACLEAN
As the No. 2-seed, John Jay field hockey knew what to expect heading into the Section 1 Class B tournament. John Jay was the favorite to win in the first two rounds and the Wolves took care of business with a pair of dominant victories to advance to the semifinals.
John Jay opened the tournament with an 8-1 win over Walter Panas in the first round, and then the Wolves cruised to a 5-0 shutout win over Sleepy Hollow/Briarcliff in the quarterfinals at home on Monday to advance to the semifinals, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 31, at home against rival Horace Greeley.
In the quarterfinals on Monday, John Jay faced a Sleepy Hollow/Briarcliff team that was packing it in on defense with three defenders around the goal trying to limit the Wolves offensive attack. The Wolves were able to find a way, creating corner opportunities and finding the goal. Jojo Degl started it off as the senior captain scored off an assist from Logan Bueti with 5:28 left in the first period to make it 1-0. Two minutes later, her sister, Finja Degl, scored off an assist from captain Kaycie Keeley off another corner and the Wolves had a 2-0 half time lead.
“Our focus is to just play the Jay way, we want to stay true to ourselves no matter what team we are playing and what style they use,” Jojo Degl said after the win. “That first goal, the passing was unbelievable, starting from the defense getting it to Kaycie and then Logan with a perfect pass across the goal, that really set the tone and broke the ice.”
In the third period, John Jay struck again on a corner opportunity. Laney Daly started it off with a steal on defense for a fast break that led to the corner, and Jojo Degl scored her second of the game off another assist from Keeley. Then it was Keeley’s turn as the Wolves had another corner with just 30 seconds left in the period and she scored a goal off an assist from captain Jane Brennan to make it 4-0.
Finja Degl scored her second goal of the game with 1:42 left in the fourth period off a scramble in front to make the final score 5-0.
“Consistency is the key, where you can dig deep as a team, we relied heavily on our defense today, our passing wasn’t really there, but we stepped up and got four goals off of four corners,” John Jay coach Debbi Walsh said after the win.
John Jay controlled possession throughout the game as the Wolves had eight corners and Sleepy Hollow/Briarcliff had zero corners and no shots on goal. The trio of senior captains led the way controlling the middle of the field as Walsh credited Jojo Degl, Kaycie Keeley and Jane Brennan for setting the tone leading their teammates, including their younger sisters Finja, Callan and Caitlin, who are all sophomores on the Wolves roster.
“I’m so blessed with the captains I have this year, incredible leaders and they have all grown to be incredible field hockey players,” Walsh said of her captains. “What we’ve built this year is all because of the captains and their willingness to collaborate as a team. It’s beautiful to see them work together on the field, that’s what happens when you have three and four year varsity players on the field.”
In the first round, John Jay hosted Panas on Friday and the Wolves cruised to the 8-1 victory. Catherine Natko led the way with the hat trick as she scored three goals for the Wolves. Kaycie Keeley scored two goals and had an assist. Jojo Degl, Finja Degl and Sophia Shaw each scored a goal, and Jane Brennan had an assist for the Wolves.