John Jay didn't score any goals in the first half of the Hudson Valley Summer Field Hockey League contest against Yorktown. But the team capitalized on its chances in the second half and defeated Yorktown after a hat trick from Sarah Lang.
John Jay exploded for four second-half goals in a 4-0 Indians' victory Monday, August 2, at Putnam Valley High School.
Their coach Amanda Antenucci was pleased because her squad was creating scoring chances and felt that if her team kept getting those opportunities, it would eventually score.
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"It's so important because when you get those chances, you know you can cash in on them," Antenucci said. "If they are not there, there is nothing you can really do. But if they are there, it's just a matter of getting your stick on the ball, move one step left, one step right and putting it in."
Yorktown senior Sarah Scott said her teammate Katie Frederick's play in the first half really pumped up the Huskers. Scott said each of Frederick's saves gave Yorktown confidence and kept its momentum going.
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"It's Katie's first time playing goalie in field hockey," Scott said. "She was our goalie from our lacrosse team and we didn't have a goalie in field hockey. She is really adapting very well. We are really lucky to have a goalie like her."
John Jay needed that second-half explosion because in the first half Frederick did a great job of making numerous fantastic saves to keep the game scoreless.
Yorktown couldn't stop Lang in the second half. Lang's play has been so great this summer that if the league had an MVP award, she would be a candidate to win it.
Sophie Hasson assisted Lang's first two goals. The girls have teamed up on numerous occasions this summer and when the high-school season begins in the fall, Antenucci said she expects their chemistry to continue.
"Sarah and Sophie played together all last year," Antenucci said. "Sophie was our left-mid, Sarah was our left-wing. Sophie plays ice hockey too, so she is really good at moving the ball around and Sarah's been maturing. The two of them really click now."
Scott's defensive game was clicking when she made a couple of nice steals in the opening half that almost led to goals for the Huskers.
"I'm more defensive minded so whenever I can just grab the ball and get it to a forward I just go for it, it's worth the risk," Scott said. "I just try to get it up field as much as I can."
John Jay added to its lead when Jillian Crocker, who played on the JV a year ago, scored with Hasson assisting. Crocker then assisted on Lang's score that gave John Jay its winning four-goal margin.
"I'm thrilled with our play this summer," Antenucci said. "We had a good season last year but we're losing a lot of seniors from that team so we were hesitant but after the way we have played in the summer, we are excited and ready to go for the season."
Yorktown is ready for the high-school season to begin in September as well.
"I think we have made a huge improvement since we started playing in the beginning of the summer," Scott said. "We basically have a whole new team. We graduated a lot of people from last year's team. We are meshing really well. We are all ready for the season."
