Stillwater girls' soccer defeats Lake George for 3rd straight Class C sectional title

TROY – It may not have been as dramatic as last season’s overtime thriller, but for the third straight year, the Stillwater girls’ soccer team defeated Lake George to win the Section 2 Class C championship.

The two programs have met in each of the previous three Class C title games, and the result has been the same, with Stillwater victorious.

No. 1 Stillwater took an early lead on Saturday morning over the second-seeded Lakers, and never looked back, as the defending NYSPHSAA Class C champions secured a 3-0 victory to clinch a spot back in the state tournament.

“The last five minutes of the game I was waiting to go celebrate with my team,” said Stillwater senior Brooke Hodgson. “It’s just an amazing feeling to get to celebrate after bonding together the entire season.”

“Each one is just as special,” said Stillwater coach Christine Ihnatolya. “These girls work hard and they work together. No matter if it’s their first, second or third, every one is just as special as the last.”

Hodgson scored her team’s first goal about eight minutes into the contest, while freshman Kamryn VanPelt added to the lead four minutes into the second half.

“That’s always ideal, because it allows you to take a deep breath,” Ihnatolya said of scoring early. “But we really talk about starting out the game playing hard, at 100% from the first whistle to the last whistle, and playing our style.”

Stillwater junior Peyton Perretta tacked on the final goal midway through the second half, on an assist from freshman Kennedie VanPelt.

Key moment

Kamryn VanPelt’s goal early in the second half gave Stillwater the insurance it needed to keep control of the game.

The freshman confidently booted a long shot from the corner of the 18, which sailed in to give Stillwater a 2-0 advantage.

“She’s someone that I trust to go out there and do her thing,” Ihnatolya said. “She’s been such a great asset for us all year long, and I trust what she’s going to do with the ball.”

Star of the game

Stillwater senior Brooke Hodgson set the tone early on in the championship game.

With a young roster of 17 players, including 13 between 8th and 10th grade, Hodgson’s experience gave her team the start it needed.

“We’ve had really great team chemistry this entire year,” Hodgson said. “I don’t think there’s anyone on the field that stands out above the rest. We all work really well together.”

“When you have that many girls (that young), it’s really hard to keep great team chemistry, as well as we have all year long,” Ihnatolya said. “It’s something that they’ve bought into from Day 1, and has carried us throughout the season.”

Numbers to know

2019: History has a chance to repeat itself. In 2017, Ihnatolya began an epic three-year stretch, as Stillwater fell in the Class C state championship, before winning back-to-back state titles in 2018 and 2019. After falling in the state championship game in 2024 and winning the 2025 state title, Stillwater could have the opportunity to finish off the same feat it accomplished less than a decade ago.

59: Total wins so far for Stillwater during its Section 2 Class C three-peat, against just five losses.

11: Saves by Lake George goalie Addison Reinhold.

What’s next

Stillwater: Will take its 18-2 overall record into a subregional matchup against Section 9’s Sullivan West on Tuesday at Lansingburgh High School at 5:30 p.m.

Lake George: The Lakers finish their season with an overall record of 15-4-1.

Subscribe

There’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.

This article originally published at Stillwater girls’ soccer defeats Lake George for 3rd straight Class C sectional title.