Whittaker's overtime goal lifts Northville girls' soccer to Section 2 Class D title | Leader-Herald Sports | dailygazette.com

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The Northville girls' soccer team defeated Fort Ann 1-0 in overtime to win the Section 2 Class D championship on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 at Niskayuna High School.

NISKAYUNA — Northville sophomore Elleah Whittaker chose a good time to score her 20th goal of the season.

With 4.6 seconds remaining in the first overtime period of the Section 2 Class D girls’ soccer championship game, Whittaker punched in the first and only goal of the contest, securing a 1-0 win for the Falcons over Fort Ann.

“I was just hoping it would go in the goal,” said Whittaker, who described the ensuing celebration. “When I was at the bottom of the dog pile, all I could see was the lights flashing. It was crazy down there.”

While Northville controlled most of the offensive possessions, the Falcons struggled throughout regulation to get anything past Fort Ann goalkeeper Baylee Wright, a junior who tallied 21 saves in the contest.

“That’s what we talked about at halftime, that we can’t keep playing balls into the keeper that she’s going to save,” said Northville coach Doug Hammons. “She was very aggressive and was going to come out to get the saves.

“We wanted to get to the goal and we wanted to get the ball to their feet. We wanted to make the game happen inside the 18, instead of playing big balls in.”

Defensively, Northville was able to thwart the opportunities Fort Ann put together, with Falcon goalie Lilian Chamberlain collecting nine saves.

Once the game was sent to overtime in a scoreless tie, Whittaker had one thing on her mind. On Saturday, the Northville boys’ soccer team was able to knock out Fort Ann on penalty kicks. Whittaker did not want to see Monday’s championship matchup come down to that.

“That was my motivation in this overtime,” she said. “That was the last thing I wanted, with all that pressure.”

On a ball crossed in by Isabella Colon, Whittaker was able to find her footing on a scrum at the goal, finding the back of the net.

“What a way to win,” Hammons said. “I knew we had it in us, but I didn’t know it was going to come to that last-second. It was amazing to win like that. We were in that situation last season when we lost, where we were on the other side of it.”

“It was a knockout fight,” he added of the back-and-forth in the game. “I felt we held the possession in the middle more than they did, and they tried to change the direction a bit. I felt like we utilized the width [of the field] and we were able to find our middles.”

While Northville has a 11-7 overall record this season, it has come a long way since Sept. 7. The Falcons opened the year with a five game losing streak, including games against some tough non-league opponents.

After losing their first five games, the Falcons won their first game of the season on Sept. 16 over Middleburgh, 11-0. Northville has posted an 11-2 record since picking up its first win.

“We’ve just grown into a great big family,” Whittaker said. “I can’t imagine making it here with a better team.”

The Falcons went on to earn the No. 2 seed in the Class D bracket, and defeated No. 6 Salem in the semifinals, 8-0.

Fort Ann, the No. 1 seed, topped Mekeel Christian Academy 4-0 during its semifinal matchup. The Cardinals finished their season with a 12-5 overall record.

Northville moves on to the regional championship round of the state tournament. On Saturday, the Falcons will make the trip to Section 9’s Wallkill High School for a regional championship matchup at 1:30 p.m. They will take on either Livingston Manor or Eldred, who play in the Section 9 Class D title game on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Northville boys’ soccer team will also head to Section 9 for a regional championship matchup at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park. It will take on Chapel Field Christian at 6:30 p.m.

“The unique thing is that both our boys and girls teams are sectional champions this year,” Hammons said. “My son is on the boys team, and Wednesday I’ll go to watch their game, and try to weave our practice schedule into that.”

Fort Ann 0 0 0 — 0

Northville 0 0 1 — 1

Fort Ann scoring: None. Northville scoring: Whittaker 1-0; Colon 0-1. Goalies: Fort Ann, Wright, 21 saves; Northville, Chamberlain, 9 saves.

Contact Kyle Adams at [email protected]. Follow him on X and Facebook @kasportsnews.

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