New York, NY - Behind two-goal performances from
Ava Lopez and
Natalie Mack, the No. 2-seeded John Jay College women's soccer team punched its ticket to the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Championship match with a commanding 6-0 shutout victory over No. 3 Brooklyn College on Saturday afternoon at Randall's Island.
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This marks the eighth straight season that the Bloodhounds will be vying for the league title, having won the championship in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025.
Before the start of today's semifinal contest, the Bloodhounds recognized their 2026 Senior Class of
Yamile Bastidas,
Nicole Savage,
Anina Gut,
Katy Shurson,
Natalie Mack and
Sofia Soler.
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The Bloodhounds controlled the semifinal contest from the opening whistle, scoring three goals in each half while outshooting the Bulldogs, 18-8, to secure their place in the conference championship.
Lopez and Mack spearheaded the offensive attack, combining for four goals, while Mack added two assists for a six-point performance.
Sofia Soler continued her role as the Bloodhounds' primary playmaker, recording two assists, while
Annmarie Russo and
Bella Steele each found the back of the net.
John Jay wasted little time establishing control, opening the scoring just 6:14 into the contest. Lopez finished a scoring opportunity set up by Soler and Mack to give the Bloodhounds an early 1-0 advantage.
Ten minutes later, Lopez struck again, converting a feed from
Nicole Savage in the 17th minute to double the lead. The two-goal performance marked Lopez's second multi-goal outing of the season.
The Bloodhounds continued to apply pressure throughout the opening period, and Mack extended the advantage to 3-0 at the 30:58 mark with an unassisted tally.
John Jay entered halftime with a commanding three-goal cushion after outshooting Brooklyn, 10-4, and placing seven attempts on target.
The Bloodhounds maintained their offensive momentum following the intermission, adding three more goals over an 11-minute stretch midway through the second half.
Mack netted her second goal of the afternoon in the 63rd minute, finishing a setup from Soler to push the advantage to 4-0. The assist marked Soler's second of the contest.
Just over four minutes later, Mack turned provider, setting up Russo for her third goal of the season at 66:46 to make it 5-0.
Steele capped the scoring in the 74th minute, converting a feed from
Genesis Quito-Rodas for her third goal of the campaign and the Bloodhounds' sixth of the afternoon.
John Jay's defensive unit was equally impressive, limiting Brooklyn to eight shots, including six on goal, while recording its second consecutive postseason shutout.
Senior goalkeeper
Anina Gut anchored the defensive effort, making four saves across 75:14 of action before giving way to
Gianna Duarte, who registered two stops over the final 14:46 to preserve the clean sheet.
The Bloodhounds finished with an 18-8 advantage in shots, an 11-6 edge in shots on goal and a 5-3 margin in corner kicks.
Brooklyn goalkeeper April Hartje finished with five saves in the loss.
John Jay will defend their title on November 7 at 1:30 p.m. from York College Soccer Field as they will take on the top-seed CCNY. The Bloodhounds won last year's title meeting, 3-0, while the Beavers took the regular season meeting this season, 1-0.Â
