ISLANDERS REMAIN UNDEFEATED AFTER 5-1 WIN AGAINST COUGARS

By Paradis Jolie Fejerang

The athletes from John F. Kennedy and Academy were lucky to escape the heat during their matchup on JFK’s home turf and end up with an evening game. What started as an even matchup with the first shot of the game going to the Cougars turned into an overpowering comeback for the Islanders to take the win with a final score of 5-1.

With their starting keeper out for the game, the Cougars brought a lot of energy with an aggressive attitude meant to keep the Islanders on the defensive with no time to shoot on their goal.

Academy’s tactic proved successful to start. Even with the Islanders clear communication and proficient passing skills, the green-and-gold girls were getting overwhelmed by the eager Academy athletes’ intensity to strike on the field.

Achieving a first for the season, the Cougars pushed so far forward to attain not only the first goal of the match but against JFK for the entire season. A freshman Cougar accomplished the feat as the entire team moved forward to support her, through the confusion of the play as a crowd piled around the goal, the energy quickly changed to cheers as both the crowds and athletes realized the ball had truly made its way to the back of the Islander net. 

As the athletes on the field reset, the Islanders seemed only ignited by the competition and got back into it with a new sense of heat in their game. JFK captains Jodee Halili and Cassandra Kido share that they approached this game knowing it would not be an easy win, but still found themselves shocked by the Cougar goal. “It pushed me to do way better on the field,” Halili states. “It put a bitter taste in my mouth. It hurt, but it was an eye-opener for us,” agrees Kido.

The Islanders hit the ground running as soon as the whistle blew to start and immediately frazzled the Cougar defensive line. The fluster in the Academy team traveled through the athletes from striker to goalkeeper as the ball made its way past their defense and eventually led to the Cougar keeper picking up the ball just outside of her box, to receive a handball call, and allowing the Islander’s a free kick. Kido took the lucky kick and made it out of the keeper’s reach just under the crossbar.

As the game continued, Academy’s game only lessened as the Islander’s consistent passing and communication picked up. Following the first goal from her co was Halili with one of her own. Succeeding their captains came Annie Jones and Asako Belocora with getting a few scores under their belts with Jones ending the game as lead scorer with the final shot of the night.

After their most competitive game of the season, the Islander captains are ready to get back to practice but with their teams approaching every moment with a game mindset with the hopes of taking every piece of the sport seriously and leaving lackluster energy behind. For Kido, the most important part is the communication between the girls and while Halili agrees, she also acknowledges that alongside working on their mistakes, her athletes first need to take care of themselves with healthy recovery.

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