JCC women’s soccer ends season at nationals
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BATAVIA -- It wasn’t the ending to a historic season that the Jamestown Community College (JCC) women’s soccer team would have scripted, as a banged-up and bruised Jayhawks squad fell 6-1 to Ocean County College in the consolation round of the NJCAA National Championship Tournament, hosted by Genesee Community College.
Jamestown fell behind 2-0 early before Avery Johnson extended her program record for goals in a season. Off a first-half pass from Mary Lundmark, Johnson found the back of the net to pull JCC within a goal. However, the Vikings responded by scoring the final four goals of the game to secure the 6-1 victory.
Despite the loss, the Jayhawks left the field with their heads held high, knowing they had accomplished something this program had never seen before.
This group of student-athletes and their coaches became the first in the green and gold to win a Region 3 Championship and North B District Championship, defeating No. 5 Mohawk Valley Community College 2-1, en route to earning a berth in the eight-team national tournament.
The Jayhawks’ 12-3-1 record represents the highest winning percentage in program history at .781. Their 12 victories are also a new program record. The five wins to start the year are also the most for a JCC women’s soccer squad.
Defensively, Jamestown recorded seven shutouts as a team, shattering the previous single-season mark. Angel Busch also established a new individual record for shutouts by a goalkeeper with five.
On the offensive side, the team’s 3.63 goals per game created another new benchmark for the Jayhawks.
Freshman Avery Johnson etched her name at the top of the single-season record book with 26 goals and 58 points. She wasn’t alone in making history, as sophomore Kaylyn Carnes finished with 37 points, good for sixth all-time in a single season. Meanwhile, freshman Gracie Chimera’s 11 assists moved her into second place on the program’s single-season list.
JCC’s five All-Region selections were the most in program history. Avery Johnson and Mary Lundmark earned First Team honors, Kaylyn Carnes and Madilyn Seastrum were named to the Second Team, and Sarah Kruszka earned Third Team recognition.
The Jayhawks also placed four players on the Region 3 All-Tournament Team, with Carnes earning Most Outstanding Player honors. Teammates Busch, Johnson, and Kruszka joined her on the team.
Throughout their phenomenal season, the women’s soccer team and its players collected several additional accolades. Angel Busch was named NJCAA Division III Goalkeeper of the Week in October, while Carnes earned Region 3 Player of the Week honors twice and Johnson received the recognition once.
Finally, head coach Sarah Chimera, who took over a program that did not field a team during the 2025 season, was named North B District Coach of the Year.
The season didn’t end the way the Jayhawks had hoped, but with seven freshmen on the roster, the 2026 JCC women’s soccer team has established a fantastic foundation for the future of the program.
JAYHAWKS FALL AT NATIONALS
BATAVIA -- The 7-seeded Jamestown Community College (JCC) women’s soccer team struggled to find a spark in the wind and rain of the opening round of the NJCAA D3 national tournament, falling to No. 2 Dallas Brookhaven at Genesee Community College 2-0 in Thursday's quarterfinal.
JCC fell behind early, conceding a corner kick that led to the opening goal just 86 seconds into the game.
From there, the Jayhawks buckled down with goalie Angel Busch making several key saves and the defense in front of her locking down.
Jamestown faced 17 shots on goal in the contest, with arguably the biggest save coming in the 18th minute to preserve the one-goal deficit and send the game to half with the one-score margin.
The Jayhawks opened the second half with much better ball control and possession but couldn’t crack the code of the Bears’ defense, a foe who entered the tournament shutting out their last eight opponents.
Forwards Avery Johnson, Mary Lundmark, and Kaylyn Carnes kept pushing forward, but JCC wasn’t able to find the back of the net.
It was a tight battle throughout as the score remained 1-0 with less than 20 minutes on the clock, with Sarah Kruszka, Madilyn Seastrum, M’Kenzie Zavala, and Gracie Chimera doing everything they could to slow down the opposing attack.
As the clock struck 17:19 remaining in the game, the Jayhawks took a foul inside the box, setting up Brookhaven with a penalty kick.
Once again, Angel Busch was up to the task making the save, but it was the Bears getting to the rebound first to make it a two-goal deficit for Jamestown.
A margin they weren’t able to overcome as their hopes at a national title were dashed in the opening round.