Lake George girls' season ends in Section II title game

LANSINGBURGH | In a Nov. 4 showdown for the Section II Class C girls soccer championship against Stillwater, the Lake George Lakers battled hard through 80 minutes of regulation play, but lost in overtime. Considering that Stillwater is ranked the No. 1 Class C soccer team in the state, the Lakers' performance was considered exemplary by fans and community members. The Lakers were seeded No. 2 in Section II Class C, and rose to a ranking as high as No. 5 in the state. The gameplay between Lake George and Stillwater was relatively even, with both teams' defenses forcing the overtime period. Midway into the second half, Lake George sophomore goaltender Addison Reinhold jumped and deflected an overhead shot off her fingertips so the ball was redirected above the goal's crossbar — and in several other instances in the game, she made other athletic saves, including a one-on-one stop. But with about seven minutes and 20 seconds remaining in overtime, Stillwater's Bridget Coon blasted the ball toward the net, it bounced off Reinhold's hands, and in a split second, Stillwater eighth-grader Kamryn VanPelt scored before Reinhold, diving for this second shot, could reach the ball. The goal earned Stillwater its eighth Section II championship, including last year's title — as well as extending its 2025 winning streak to 12 games. As of Sept. 10, Stillwater had advanced to the state Final Four. Lakers coach Steve Kohls said that regardless of the loss, he was quite proud of his team, which had also reached a Section II finals game last year. "We took the team ranked best in the state into overtime," he said. "This is the furthest Lake George girls have ever gone in the playoffs, and to do it two years in a row is a pretty amazing feat," Kohls said following the game. "We took the best team in the state into overtime. Our girls left it all on the field — they gave 100 percent." Kohls said the season was admirable and the team's defense was outstanding, as his athletes only allowed 10 goals over 20 games this season, he said. "Our defense is very athletic, very physical and very well organized," he said. Five seniors on the 2025 Lakers team will be graduating in June: lead scorer Micah Collier-Fisher, center-back Lily Montville, midfielder Bailee Dineen and defenders Mollie Johnson and Morgan Stanko, who scored a goal in the playoffs. "It's going to be tough in 2026 without the girls who are graduating," he said. "Several of them have been on the team for five years, and it's like losing part of your family — But we will do well next year." Kohls identified several players who will be expected to lead the team in 2026, in addition to Reinhold: junior midfielders Maria O'Connor, Bella Brown and Chloe Popa, and forwards Clara Paladino, a sophomore, and Piper Brown, an eighth grader. "We plan for our eighth and ninth graders to take a big step forward and that everybody works on their game, gets a little bit stronger and faster and more technical, and then we'll be right back there (in the Sectional title game) next year." The team will be drafting players from Lake George's junior varsity team, which this year has been competing with far-larger Class AA, A, and B teams and has been performing well. A half-dozen of these JV players joined the varsity team during playoffs to gain experience. Backing them up is a modified team with 20 players that was 9-1-1 for 2025, Kohls said. "Our pipeline of talent looks pretty strong right now," he said.

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Lake George girls' season ends in Section II title game

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