BETHEL – If your field hockey team is fortunate enough to steal away Telstar Regional High School’s momentum, even for a minute, few teams are better equipped than the Rebels to swipe it back.

Telstar scored its first goal only 52 seconds into the game Monday afternoon. Later, the Rebels rattled the cage twice in the final eight minutes to bookend a 4-1 victory over Jay, one of their chief rivals in the Mountain Valley Conference and Western Class C.

Josie Reiss and Whitney Mills each scored twice for Telstar, which remained undefeated at 11-0 in pursuit of its third regional title in the last four years.

“This game, we really wanted to run. We always want to run,” said Reiss. “Our field is big, too. A lot of people aren’t used to a big, bumpy field.”

The Rebels used their speed to its full advantage on the familiar mountaintop. Telstar didn’t waste time playing keep-away, either. Most of its strikes were the result of one-timers off crisp centering passes.

Reiss’ opening blast was a textbook example. Chelsea Bean ran down a long pass in the corner to the right of the Tigers’ cage and rifled the ball toward Reiss.

Jay’s defender on the scene waved at the ball in an attempt to clear the circle, but it landed squarely on Reiss’ stick, instead, leaving Tigers goalkeeper Brenda Allen defenseless at point-blank range.

“I didn’t even think Chelsea was going to get it. She sprinted down and made an amazing pass. It was perfect,” Reiss said. “It was basically her goal, because she put all the effort into it. I just cashed it in.”

Mills made it 2-0 at the exact midway point of the half, flagging down a feed from Bailey Davis and serving it past a diving Allen just inside the near post.

“The passing game and speed are what move us along,” said Telstar coach Gail Wight. “A quick one-touch and a goal; that’s what makes the difference. When you try to keep possession too long, you get too many people around you and too many things happen.”

Jay (8-3) found its footing in the second half. Shayna Meserve redirected a shot by Katie Hall at 16:24, capitalizing on extended play off a long hit into the Telstar defensive zone.

Moments later, Liz LeBlanc rattled the right post with a blistering shot that could have tied the game. The Tigers applied more pressure with a series of corners and close calls until Reiss’ second goal with 7:51 remaining.

“It got fun there. We connected with a few passes. We got some zigzagging going and some stick-to-stick going, and it was pretty to watch,” said Jay coach Jane DiPompo. “They’ve got guns. You’ve got to respect them. They’ve got more than one gun that they can go to, and if one’s down, the others pick them up.”

Mills chalked up additional insurance with 2:56 to play, punctuating a win that only looked easier on paper than the Rebels’ 3-2 triumph in Jay last month.

In reality, the rematch was tight enough to leave both teams wary of a potential third meeting in the upcoming playoffs.

“After their goal, I was a little scared,” Reiss admitted. “They got pumped.”

“They’re a talented team,” said DiPompo, “but we think we can run with them.”