Saratoga 2, Niskayuna 1
Funny how things change.
These two teams opened up against each other. The early September game in Saratoga did not bode well for the home team, as Nisky pounded them 6-0. Nisky looked like the class of the Suburban early, and Saratoga was blown out in 2 of its first 3 games. However, a streaking 'Toga took advantage of a fading, Sophia Constantine-less Niskayuna to win its 9th straight and give them their 3rd loss in 4 games.
The action started early, as sophomore Sarah Covell scored on an assist from Sadie Ray to put Saratoga up 1-0 in the first 20 minutes of the game. The back-and-forth affair made for an exciting match, but a goalie's nightmare. The Blue Streaks went into intermission up 1-0 at half, but they narrowly missed a chance to add on - just as Nisky missed a golden opportunity to get the equalizer. A 'Toga defender had to knock one away from goal. A Nisky shot hit the top post and bounced straight down. Ellery Bianco found the ball at her feet 2 yards from goal for Saratoga, but a perfectly timed tackle just stopped it from becoming 2-0. The game felt like it could've been 4-3, but 1-0 sounds alright, too.
The action kept going in the 2nd half, picking up right where they left off. Ten minutes in, leading scorer Bianco was able to find Covell, who buried her 2nd goal of the game to put Saratoga up 2-0. The game wasn't over, but with 30 minutes left and a 2 goal deficit, it was danger time. You could tell Nisky was getting frustrated... more on that later. Without Constantine (a stud) in midfield, the home team was missing a huge piece of their attack - they especially missed her physicality. It really wasn't over though, as Niskayuna brought it to 2-1 when Rachel Walsh one-touched a long Sarah Cook cross past the keeper with 13:19 remaining. They pressured quickly after and nearly brought it even a minute later, but that chance didn't pan out and the well ran dry. Between two state-ranked teams, Saratoga surely proved their worth.
I'm skipping the numbers for the most part. There's a couple things that really stood out to me. First, Saratoga is just getting better. After a pair of 6-0 losses were bookends to a 2-1 W to start the season, they haven't lost. They've got a pair of standout scorers in Bianco and Ya'Nique Van Ness - and it was Sarah Covell who scored both of their goals in this one. With her up to 7 goals on the season, she's becoming a legitimate 3rd option. The Blue Streaks also make you earn it. They gave up 13 goals in their first 3 games - in their last 9, it's been just 8 goals. They play more physical than most teams in Section 2 that I've seen... which brings me to Nisky. When I watched them play earlier in the season (a 3-0 W over Colonie), I had a prevailing thought the whole time watching them. They're good. With Sophia, maybe they're the most skilled team in Section 2. Colonie let them get where they wanted to get, though. There wasn't much tackling, bumping, challenging. As a matter of fact, there was a 33 minute period where a foul wasn't whistled on either team. So odd, I considered it noteworthy even back then. My thought: how will Nisky respond if a team plays physical against them? I may have had that answered. The very skilled, finesse team started to get frustrated. The officials were letting them play - the very rare instances where Nisky responded by playing physical, the officials let it happen, so it wasn't just a one-way street. The Warriors made it a one-way street though, because instead of responding by understanding how the game was being called and playing tougher, it turned into more complaining than anything. Were some things let go that probably shouldn't have been? Sure. But not every game is officiated the same way, and it's on the players/coaches to respond to that. With the inevitable yell or hand wave or shoulder shrug to the official after any borderline push, nudge, or tackle, it took away from their play on the field. Occasionally, they would get the call - but for every time they did, there were 3 other times where Saratoga won the ball. The Blue Streaks effectively threw their opponents a little bit off their game & took them out of their comfort zone, and when Niskayuna finally started to respond the right way in the game's waning moments... it was too little, too late.
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