JAY – There was no way the Jay field hockey team was going to pass up this opportunity.

Liz LeBlanc waited for the pass and uncorked a hard slapshot that was deflected in to the back of the cage as Jay held on for a 1-0 win in a Class C quarterfinal against Lisbon under sunny skies Tuesday afternoon.

Jay relied on its rotating defense led by sweeper Mallory Bonnevie and halfbacks Heather Chancy, Hannah Gentle Emily Bolvin and sisters Betsy and Eliza Gemelli to keep the Greyhounds’ offensive thrust moving the ball around the circle. Tiger goalie Brenda Allen also proved to be the difference. The senior netminder was credited with 16 saves.

No. 3 Jay advances to play North Yarmouth Academy or Sacopee Valley in a semifinal game on Saturday.

“We really didn’t make any big adjustments,” Jay coach Jane DiPompo said. “Our strategy today was to substitute freely and give the players two-minute breaks, so we had fresh legs on the field all the time. Lisbon had spread the field and controlled the play.”

The momentum shifted when Lisbon drew the first five whistles in the second half and changed the players advances. The Tigers had a burst and the eventual winning goal resulted from a penalty corner when Lisbon had been whistled for obstruction inside the circle. Senior co-captain Bree Beisaw passed the ball in toward LeBlanc who was positioned at the top of the circle. LeBlanc stepped forward to meet the ball and fired it toward the cage. The ball was deflected by a Greyhound defender and redirected past goalie Monica Larkin.

“We approached this game with fire and intensity,” Jay forward Katie Nemi said, referring to the Tigers’ 1-0 win over Lisbon in a Mountain Valley Conference game last month.

Still, there wasn’t a great deal of difference because the Greyhounds outshot them 27-14, but the ball didn’t cross the goal line.

Lisbon had dominated the first half with shots by Amanda Stevens, Christy McAuliffe and Kait Dingley. In one sequence, Amanda Stevens was kicked out by Allen, who slid to the left and kicked the ball away

“I’m proud of my girls,” Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. “They did every thing they could. I had told them on the way here that they needed to do the things that they did the best, including shooting, passing and even dribbling. We even controlled most of the second half, but I knew Jay wouldn’t quit.”