Greenville edges Maple Hill in overtime to claim the Class C boys' soccer title

Greenville Spartans celebrate after defeating Maple Hill in overtime in the Section 2 Class C championship game at Queensbury High School in Queensbury, NY on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union (Stephen Weaver) QUEENSBURY - A taut tussle pitting a pair of Patroon Conference boys' soccer squads required more than 80 minutes Saturday afternoon to determine which would emerge as the Section 2 Class C champion.In the final minute of the first overtime, Greenville gained a brief advantage during a scramble near the Maple Hill goal. A couple of chaotic seconds later, Greenville senior star Isaac McAneny was credited with a goal he couldn't quite describe, as the second-seeded Spartans registered a 1-0 victory over top-seeded Maple Hill in a clash of 2025 sectional champions."It was ridiculous, honestly," said McAneny, one of three captains for the Spartans, regarding the game's concluding sequence. "I think Chris (Hughes) had a shot and it went off the back of my head. … It went right into the back of the net. A little bit of luck, but I think we earned it with the hard work we did today."The Wildcats (17-2-1), winners of the 2025 Class C crown, dominated the bulk of the second half and, up until McAneny's goal, most of overtime.But the top seed was unable to clear the ball inside the box prior to McAneny's game-winning score."How many cracks did we have at it, three?" lamented Maple Hill coach Dan Gillespie following the award ceremony.Greenville, a program that emerged with the 2025 Class B sectional title, barely had any offensive possession time during the first 32 minutes of the second half as the Wildcats poured on the pressure."You really have to give Maple Hill credit. That is a strong soccer team," McAneny said. "We did get outplayed, but we did what we do best: we kept a strong defensive structure and we came out on top in the end."The two programs shared the Patroon Conference championship with identical 8-0-1 league records. The tie came in a 2-2 verdict in a game played between the teams at Greenville in September. Greenville (15-3-1) dropped a pair of contests in October, lopsided losses against the two teams that competed for the Class AA title Saturday: champion Bethlehem (6-0) and runner-up Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (5-1)."Those games really prepped us for a game like this," McAneny said.As his players prepared to leave the field, Gillespie stood quietly behind the bench with his hands in his pockets, seemingly replaying the game in his mind after the Wildcats were denied the program's 25th sectional title. All of the championship teams were coached by Gillespie, who finished the season with a state-record 789 career wins."Everybody would take a 17-2-1 record every year," Gillespie said.Key momentIt appeared a second overtime was going to be needed. Late in the first OT, though, the Spartans managed to keep the ball from leaving the goal area. McAneny was face down in front of the goal post when officials signaled the ball had crossed the line to end the contest in stunning fashion."We were worried about Maple Hill. We knew we would get here, but the challenge was Maple Hill," McAneny said. Star of the gameMcAneny's tally propelled the Spartans back to the state tournament for the second straight year."It is very fitting," McAneny said regarding the closeness of the two contests against Maple Hill. "I am just glad it is us (advancing) because it very easily could have gone the other way."Numbers to know8: Goals allowed this season by Maple Hill over 20 contests - with three of them being tallied by Greenville.4: Consecutive sectional finals Greenville has competed in, the first three coming at the Class B level.0: Wins registered by Maple Hill playing against Greenville since 2024. The Wildcats were 0-3-2 against the Spartans during that span.What's nextGreenville: The next challenge for the Spartans arrives Wednesday at Waterford-Halfmoon High School in state regional play vs. Section 9 champion Rhinebeck.Maple Hill: The Wildcats, ranked No. 5 in the state, concluded their season at 17-2-1.SubscribeThere’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Greenville edges Maple Hill in overtime to claim the Class C boys' soccer title.