News & notes

 Sectional pairings should be announced today for men's & women's soccer in Section II. If I were Troy High AD Paul Reinisch, I'd decline the bids.

The men's team limped to the finish line Saturday night, losing 5-0 to Bethlehem in a game that was originally set to be played at Bethlehem, but because the Eagles have a grass field, which was unusable after the rains of Friday night, the game was switched at the last minute to Picken Memorial Field at Troy, creating a doubleheader. The result of the women's game has not been reported at press time.

Update, 10/19/21: Per Schedule Galaxy, Bethlehem shut out the Troy women, 8-0, extending the Lady Horses' current losing streak to 5 games.

The men had been shut out in five of their last six games, the lone score coming in a 6-1 loss to CBA on Thursday night. Leading into a soggy Senior Day on Saturday, the women had only scored goals in their two wins (over Albany & Schenectady), and all of their losses were by shutout. Ye scribe has not attended any of the games, but the trends tell us this:

Aside from Albany & Schenectady, the other two second division clubs in the Suburban Council's Grey division, the Troy women have had issues cracking opposing defenses. Troy's defense has been routinely shredded. Burnt Hills & Shenendehowa each racked up 11 goals against Troy this season. The men, who have just one non-league win (Sept. 7 over Chatham) and a tie (Schenectady) this season, have come physically to play, but mentally? That's questionable.

I get that they want to use the sectionals as one last teaching tool for the season, but I'm more concerned about what this does to the morale for the teams.

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Speaking of Bethlehem, the school introduced an updated set of logos on Friday:

I think this could start a trend in Section II in each school's marketing departments, if it hasn't already.

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Shen grad Ian Anderson didn't figure in the decision Sunday night, as Atlanta walked off the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2nd straight night, 5-4, to take a 2-0 lead in the NLCS.

Anderson was lifted after three innings, walking three, with two strikeouts and two earned runs, courtesy of a 1st inning homer by LA's Corey Seager. The bullpen and the Braves' offense bailed out Anderson, who will likely get a second start if the Braves don't sweep the series, which moves west to LA on Tuesday.

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Overtime is not a friend to RPI hockey.

The Engineers dropped a 3-2 decision in the extra frame on Saturday to Canisius, as the Golden Griffins gained a split of the two game series. Meanwhile, Union & Colorado College skated to a 3-3 tie in OT

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Field hockey doesn't get the same kind of attention across Section II as other sports do, largely because not every school plays. 

Section II announced the pairings for this year's tournament, which begins Thursday:

Class A:

Niskayuna @ Guilderland.

Columbia @ Saratoga.

Bethlehem @ Shaker.

Suburban Council champion Shenendehowa gets a first round bye, and will play the Shaker-Bethlehem winner a week later. The finals will be at Schuylerville on Halloween. There is no Class AA in field hockey.

Class B:

Glens Falls @ Scotia-Glenville.

Emma Willard @ Queensbury.

South Glens Falls & Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake are the top two seeds. The Emma Willard-Queensbury winner travels to Burnt Hills on October 28, while the Glens Falls-Scotia winner visits South High the same night. Finals are also at Schuylerville on Halloween.

Class C (no Class D):

Corinth @ Hoosick Falls.

Salem-Cambridge @ Granville.

Greenwich @ Schuylerville. Winner plays top-seeded Johnstown on October 27.

Schuylerville hosts the finals on Halloween.