Taken during a Section II Class C girls semifinal soccer game between Maple Hill and Stillwater on October 26, 2016. Photo by Dylan Rossiter/518 Sports.
Stillwater, NY — The Stillwater girls varsity soccer team advanced to the Section II Class C semifinals Wednesday, with a one-nil win over the Maple Hill Wildcats.
After a scoreless first half, Brooke Pickett delivered the eventual game winner just two minutes and three seconds into the second half of play.
“We always want to score early, but when it happens we have to go to the drawing board and come up with something which is what we did,” said Stillwater head coach Christine Ihnatolya.
As the match entered its final minutes of play, Maple Hill made a final, last-ditch effort to keep their season alive, but the Wildcats simply couldn’t get anything past Stillwater keeper Danika Svendsen.
“It came down to our mental toughness which is something we talk about every day, and everyone came together down the stretch,” said Ihnatolya.
The Warriors, ranked eighth in the state, will now take on the defending state runner-ups in Schoharie, at Lansingburg High School on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 3:00 p.m.
Earlier in the day Schoharie shutout Chatham, 4-0.
Despite the loss, the Lady Wildcats have absolutely nothing to hang their heads over. As the No.11 seed, they already defied the odds once this post-season, on Monday’s one-nil win over the No.6 seeded Cairo-Durham Mustangs. Not to mention, it was the first time in nearly four years that they scored a goal in the tiny Green County town.
Look for Maple Hill to be a threat again next year, especially with Papas in goal.