High Schools: Saratoga Springs advances in Section II Class AA soccer tournament over Niskayuna

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Niskayuna's Meagan Eldaye hurdles over goalkeeper Anna Joyce as she makes a save against Saratoga Springs' Lucia DeVito on Saturday.

HIGH SCHOOLS – In the Section II Class AA girls’ soccer quarterfinals, No. 5 seed Saratoga Springs advanced past No. 4 Niskayuna on penalty kicks after the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

Saratoga Springs scored on an own goal midway through the first half, and MacLaren Richards had the equalizer for Niskayuna when she scored directly from a corner kick late in the first half.

Saratoga Springs’ semifinal opponent will be top-seeded Shaker, which won 6-0 over No. 8 Ballston Spa.

In the other half of the bracket, No. 2 seed Shenendehowa rolled to a 6-0 win over No. 7 Guilderland, while No. 3 Colonie defeated No. 6 Bethlehem 1-0, with Bella Franchi scoring the game’s lone goal on a penalty kick.

Simone Cassano had two goals and two assists, and Gianna Cirilla also scored twice for top-seeded Schalmont in its 6-0 Class B quarterfinal win over Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk. Meg Lasher and Addison Shultis added a goal apiece for the Sabres, Mia Defayette added two assists, Lasher and Abigail Hughes had an assist each and Georgia Clark posted the shutout with eight saves.

Schalmont will next face No. 4 Mechanicville, which beat No. 5 Greenville 3-1 behind two goals and an assist from Marissa Krosky, and a goal and an assist from Maddy Hopeck. Liv Horan made eight saves to backstop the win, while Ella Mulholland tallied the Greenville goal.

No. 2 seed Schuylerville reached the semis with a 2-1 win over Cohoes, as Macey Koval scored twice in the second half to erase a one-goal deficit. Anika Buff and Bella Buettner provided the assists, and Taylor Barraclough made seven saves for Schuylerville. Cohoes’ Lily Brennan finished with 13 saves, and Jaclyn Benedetti scored for the Tigers.

Broadalbin-Perth advanced over Holy Names in penalty kicks 3-1 after the teams played a scoreless tie. Patriots goalie Mairead Marsden made five saves, while Holy Names goalie

Safia Pantoja stopped six shots.

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COLUMBIA BOYS’ SOCCER ROLLS

Top-seeded Columbia dispatched No. 8 seed Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 8-0 in the Class A boys’ soccer quarterfinals. Cody Hamilton led the Blue Devils with two goals and two assists, while Logan Bradshaw, Aidan Gatchell, Kyle Hebler, Isaac Ladd and Kejhaune Lester also scored and Cameron Mingle had a pair of assists.

Owen Brown and Nicholas Fuierer each had two goals as La Salle scored four second-half goals to snap a 1-1 tie and defeat Scotia-Glenville 5-1. Kofi Jack scored for the Tartans.

In Class B, No. 1 seed Mechanicville beat Broadalbin-Perth 2-1 in overtime, with Scotty Lynch scoring the game winner. Tom Wendel also scored for Mechanicville, and Dylan Raucci made seven saves to support the victory. Broadalbin-Perth forced overtime when Dean Smith scored with 12 minutes left in the second half of a long throw-in by Jack Holland.

In Class C, No. 1 seed Voorheesville got four goals and an assist in its 6-0 quarterfinal win over No. 8 Hoosic Valley. Dylan Ensslin and David Gardner also scored for the Blackbirds.

No. 2 seed Maple Hill defeated No. 10 Berlin/New Lebanon 3-0, with Dillon Halvax scoring twice for the Wildcats.

In Class D, Miles Weaver and Jacob Frank each scored two goals, as No. 1 Northville used three second-half goals to seal a 4-0 win over North Warren. Frank and Garrett Shepard added an assist each for the Falcons, and Landon Frasier posted the shutout with two saves. North Warren’s William Lindsley made 13 stops.

SCOTIA-GLENVILLE FOOTBALL WINS

Quarterback Austin Stark threw a touchdown pass to Kevin Greene in Scotia-Glenville’s 19-6 non-classification football win over Hornell. Nick Battaglia and Paul Marotta each had a rushing touchdown for the Tartans.

Zavry Ward ran for two touchdowns and passed for another to lead Queensbury in a 32-20 Class A Grasso Division football win over Albany. Isaiah Engel led Queensbury’s rushing attack with 79 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Albany’s Jonathan Besong caught two passes for 82 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown pass from Jah’quil Thompson.

NISKAYUNA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TRIUMPHS

In a non-league girls’ volleyball match, Niskayuna beat Hudson Falls 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18 behind 17 kills from Ava Schewe, 29 assists and six kills from Audrey Mason, seven kills and seven digs from Jordan Haughney and 20 digs from Julia Mason.

Queensbury’s Kaliyah Davis put up 17 kills and 19 digs as the Spartans beat Galway 25-17, 13-25, 25-11, 25-17. Gracie Reppenhagen added 10 kills and seven digs in the win. Amber Kolpakas led Galway with 10 kills and 11 digs, while Grace O’Brien dished out 18 assists.