SHRUB OAK – John Jay couldn’t have started faster against Lakeland, with Jordan Sandell scoring on a breakaway in the first minute of the game, and the Indians cruised to a 4-1 win.
“The first 15 minutes of the game absolutely killed us,” Lakeland Coach Jon Hourahan said. “I felt like we competed with them for the rest of the game, but going down by three early is really tough.”
Sprung on an early breakaway, Sandell scored from just outside the box before most of the spectators had sat down.
Caroline Touzeau and Willa Tobin scored back-to-back goals for John Jay in the 13th and 15th minutes to give the Indians a big cushion.
Lakeland was able to muster a few shots on goal but John Jay keeper Allison Oestreicher would have none of it.
“Allison played really well, she had a fantastic game,” John Jay coach David Nuttall said. “ When you have a keeper who plays like that it really settles the rest of the team and gives them confidence.”
The Indians said they can build on this win.
“We’ve been unlucky, we lost our last game on a penalty kick,” Nuttall said. “This game is really big for us. We were finally able to finish in the final third of the field, which has been a problem for us.”
“We we’re just finally able to finish,” John Jay captain Georgia Mraz said. “This win is just a huge confidence booster for us going forward.”
The Hornets hope to get healthy and sharpen their play before the postseason.
“We have a few girls hurt, including our starting goalie,” Hourahan said. “We’ve already had 11 games this year; our schedule has been really tough. We have eight days till our next game so hopefully we’ll be able to get healthy.”
Player of the game – Allison Oestreicher was magnificent in goal for John Jay. She recorded 11 saves, and would have had a clean sheet if not for a last-minute penalty kick.
Turning point – Sandell’s goal in the first minute of play set the tone for the rest of the game. John Jay controlled the game after the early goal.
Stat Line – John Jay got goals from Jordan Sandell, Caroline Touzeau, Willa Tobin and Ana Dorta. Kaitlin Bloss scored for Lakeland. Lakeland’s Stephanie Shalhoub made 15 saves, while Oestreicher made 11.
Quotable – “There were a lot of people yelling at the ref to make that call,” Nuttall said of the late penalty kick awarded to Lakeland’s Bloss. “I guess it’s OK that he made that penalty call, given that we were up 4-0.”
John Jay players celebrate a first half goal by Jordan Sandell (2) against Lakeland during first alf soccer action at Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak Sept. 29, 2016.
John Jay players celebrate a first half goal by Willa Tobin (27) against Lakeland during first alf soccer action at Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak Sept. 29, 2016.
From left, John Jay’s Caroline Touzeau (6) fires a shot against Lakeland during first alf soccer action at Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak Sept. 29, 2016.
From left, John Jay’s Katrina Weiner (4) and Lakeland’s Katherine Maurno (6) battle for ball control during first alf soccer action at Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak Sept. 29, 2016.
From left, John Jay’s Caroline Touzeau (6) and Lakeland’s Ashley Acevedo (14) battle for ball control during first alf soccer action at Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak Sept. 29, 2016.