Defending champions and familiar opponents headline Saturday’s Section 2 soccer championship schedule. Six finals across three sites will decide four boys’ titles and two girls’ titles.
At La Salle, unbeaten Bethlehem faces Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake in the Class AA boys’ final before Shaker meets Guilderland for the Class AAA crown. At Queensbury, Hartford seeks its first sectional championship against two-time defending Class D champion Northville, followed by a Class C matchup between Maple Hill and Greenville, teams that played to a September draw.
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The girls take the field at Lansingburgh, where defending state champion Stillwater faces Lake George in Class C before Mechanicville and Schuylerville meet in a rematch of last year’s Class B final.
Here’s a closer look at all six matchups.
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When and where: 1:30 p.m. Saturday at La Salle
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What to know about Shaker: Shaker (12-5) beat Guilderland 4-2 in their regular-season meeting in early September, with goals from Aiden Donohue, Eddie Larsen, Sami Terra and Hamza Sayed. The Blue Bison lost their first three games of the season before going on an eight-game winning streak. Shaker earned a spot in the final with a 2-0 win over Saratoga Springs, with goals from Avery Subik and Terra, and Alex Cross earned the shutout. Both games showed the depth of the Blue Bison’s offense. Shaker was 9-3 against Suburban Council opponents, has won four of its past six games and brings a plus-16 goal differential into today’s game.
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What to know about Guilderland: Guilderland (12-3-3) lost to Shaker 4-2 in the regular-season meeting, but the game was much closer than the score suggests. After starting the season 0-2-2, the Dutchmen went unbeaten in 10 straight games before a 1-0 loss to Shenendehowa in the penultimate game of the regular season. Guilderland avenged that loss by topping the Mustangs 2-1 in the semifinals on goals from Carem Moncur and Mahir Surti. The Dutchmen went 6-3-3 in Suburban Council play and had a plus-27 goal differential.
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When and where: 11 a.m. Saturday at La Salle
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What to know about Bethlehem: Bethlehem (15-0-2) beat Burnt Hills 1-0 in the regular-season meeting on a goal from Sean Doyle in the 65th minute. The Eagles advanced to the final after outlasting Niskayuna on penalty kicks. Bethlehem went 10-0-2 in Suburban Council play, has a plus-58 goal differential and has allowed just eight goals this season, with 12 clean sheets. Led by standout goal scorer Ayaz Sajid, the Eagles are making their third straight appearance in the Class AA final and seek their first title since 2024.
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What to know about Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake: Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (11-4-2) has won eight straight games since a 1-0 loss to Bethlehem in late September, outscoring opponents 22-6 over that span. The Spartans topped defending Class AA champ Columbia 4-1 in the semifinals, led by two goals from Colby North, and one goal apiece from Dylan Geren and Max Nafus. With a 7-4-1 Suburban Council record and a plus-17 goal differential, the Spartans are seeking their first sectional title since winning Class A in 2019.
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When and where: 1:30 p.m. Saturday, at Queensbury
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What to know about Maple Hill: At 17-1-1, defending champion Maple Hill beat Chatham 4-1 and Cambridge/Salem 3-0 to reach the title game. The Wildcats have won six straight since a 1-0 loss to Section 7’s Saranac in early October. Maple Hill and Greenville met in a regular-season contest in September, tying 2-2, with the Wildcats’ goals coming from Owen Leahon and Michael Michel. The Wildcats went 8-0-1 in Patroon Conference play and allowed just seven goals, for a plus-68 goal differential.
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What to know about Greenville: Greenville (14-3-1) is the defending Class B champion and is playing in its first Class C title game since winning in 2015. The Spartans have won seven of their past eight games and defeated Mayfield 7-0, Lake George 3-1 and Loudonville Christian 4-1 to reach today’s final. Greenville tied Maple Hill 2-2 in their lone regular-season contest, with goals from Chris Hughes and Alex Ingalls. The Spartans went 8-0-1 in the Patroon Conference and have a plus-55 goal differential this season.
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When and where: 11 a.m. Saturday at Queensbury
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What to know about Northville: Two-time defending champion Northville (17-1) beat Germantown 4-0 and North Warren 12-0 to advance to the final, led by consecutive hat tricks from McQuade Klippel. The Falcons have won seven straight games, outscoring opponents 54-0 over that span. Northville went 13-0 in WAC play this season and has allowed just five goals, for a plus-134 goal differential. Northville defeated Hartford 4-1 in their regular-season meeting, led by two goals from Klippel and one apiece from Logan Hammons and Khy Tran.
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What to know about Hartford: Hartford (14-2-1) has won two straight games and three of its past five, including playoff wins over Bolton/Warrensburg, 2-0, and Fort Ann, 2-0, with Gabe Durkee recording one goal in each. After losing to Northville 4-1 in an early-September game, the Tanagers won 10 straight games, outscoring opponents 39-4 over that span. Hartford’s last appearance in a sectional final was in 2023, when they lost to Loudonville Christian. The Tanagers are seeking their first-ever sectional title.
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When and where: 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Lansingburgh
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What to know about Mechanicville: Defending champion Mechanicville (16-2) has won six straight games since a 2-1 loss to Section 7’s Beekmantown, outscoring opponents 29-2 over that span. Mechanicville beat Ichabod Crane 8-0 and Voorheesville 4-0 to reach the final. With a plus-72 goal differential on the season and an 8-0 record in the Wasaren League, Mechanicville has also beaten Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Scotia-Glenville, Stillwater and Schalmont.
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What to know about Schuylerville: Schuylerville (14-3-2) has won eight of its past 10 games and four straight after beating Fonda-Fultonville 7-0, Cairo-Durham 4-0 and Broadalbin-Perth 1-0 to reach today’s final. The Black Horses went 7-2-1 in Foothills Council action and have a plus-49 goal differential on the season. The Black Horses lost to Mechanicville in their first-ever appearance in a sectional final last season.
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When and where: 11 a.m. Saturday at Lansingburgh
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What to know about Stillwater: Stillwater (17-2) has won 11 straight games since a 1-0 loss to Class B top seed Mechanicville, outscoring opponents 60-3 over that span. Stillwater beat Whitehall 7-0, Waterford-Halfmoon 1-0 and Mayfield 7-0 for a spot in today’s final. The defending state champion defeated Lake George 1-0 during the regular season, led by a goal from standout freshman Kamryn VanPelt. Stillwater has allowed just nine goals this season and has a plus-73 goal differential.
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What to know about Lake George: Lake George (15-3-1) has won seven straight games since a 1-0 regular-season loss to Stillwater. The Lakers defeated Cambridge/Salem 7-0, OESJ 3-0 and Schoharie 2-1 to advance to the final. Lake George has allowed just seven goals this season, has a plus-67 goal differential and won its third straight Adirondack League Championship.
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This article originally published at Section 2 soccer finals: What to know about Saturday’s 6 title games.
