For the Panther field hockey team, this game got off to a bad start and went downhill from there. The Schuylerville Black Horses scored with less than 2½ minutes gone in the game. Three minutes later they struck again. The Black Horses controlled the pace for the rest of the game from there. By the time the first half came to an end, the Horses had four goals to their credit and the Panthers were reeling.
Hoosick Falls had chances to score, earning 10 corners, seven in the first half, but were never get the ball past the Horses goalie.
Schuylerville, playing on their home field, added one more goal with just over 10 minutes gone in the second half.
In the latter part of the game, Panther head coach Denise Campbell substituted freely, inserting some players into their first varsity game.
Schuylerville will face the winner of the Section 3 championship game between Weedsport and Little Falls. The regional playoff game will be at Shenendehowa High School on Sunday, November 5, at 4 pm.
HF 3 – Warrensburg 1
Friday, Oct. 27 at HFCS. The Panthers needed to win this game to get to the finals. The Ladies went through the motions for the entire first half of this game. Fortunately for them Warrensburg wasn’t exactly on their game either, as neither team scored a goal. Less than four minutes into the second half, Warrensburg’s Kayla Raymond stung the Panthers when she scored. This seemed to light a fire under the Ladies and their intensity level increased dramatically. It was like that Warrensburg goal told them that if they didn’t do something and do it now, this was the end of the season. Over the next twelve minutes the Ladies responed with three goals, while holding Warrensburg scoreless. Actually the Ladies barely let Warrensburg into the Panther end of the field. Jayda Stell-Gulley, with an assist from Mackenzie Sprague, scored first, just two and one-half minutes after the Warrensburg score. Six minutes later Lillian Hickey struck and six minutes later Sprague lifted one into the Warrensburg goal just for good measure. Warrensburg’s Isabella De Amelia had three saves and Panther Zoe Gress also recorded three.
Even with the championship game loss, it was a very successful season for the Panthers. The young team replaced a 2016 team where that consisted of two of the most productive players in Panthers field hockey history who continued their careers in Division II. Those two players were surrounded by an excellent supporting cast that played deep into the state playoffs. This young 2017 team stepped in and played their hearts out to a 16-2 record. Nothing to be ashamed of there.