In Class AA girls' soccer final, Bethlehem outlasts Ballston Spa in PKs

Bethlehem junior June McCarthy and Ballston Spa senior Leah Szmarz race to the ball during the Section 2, Class AA finals on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at Shaker High School in Colonie, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union) (Jim Franco/Times Union) LATHAM - First-year Bethlehem girls' soccer coach Scott Geis spent plenty of time getting his team ready for a potentially season-deciding slate of penalty kicks.Tuesday night at Shaker High School, that work paid off.The Eagles played to a thrilling 1-1 draw with Ballston Spa after 110 minutes in the Section 2 Class AA championship game, but Bethlehem stamped its ticket to the state tournament, advancing 4-2 on penalty kicks."We practice it non-stop," Geis said. "We practice it with me in the goal. … I would shout, ‘Hey, this is the most important shot you've ever taken.' Just pressure, pressure, pressure - and, each time, they laughed it off, they breathed through it and they put it home just like they did today."No. 2 seed Bethlehem (10-4-4 overall) got a huge momentum burst to start the PKs when junior goalie Kinley Logsdon made a diving save to deny Ballston Spa's first shooter, Abby Werner.It was Logsdon's first-ever round of PKs in high school, but she's been through them at the club level. "I know the pressure," she said. "I know I can deal with it."The fifth-seeded Scotties (9-5-5 overall) were also denied in PKs when Charlotte Haskell's attempt hit the post.All four Bethlehem players who stepped up to the penalty spot - Maira Braddock, June McCarthy, Mallory Maycrink and Elayna Shersky - calmly converted their attempts. "As soon as I got it on frame, I knew we had it in the bag," Braddock said. "We've done this so many times in practice. It was just constant repetition. It felt the same. It felt like what we always do."Ballston Spa coach Tom Rogan, who won 348 games and nine sectional titles during a legendary tenure at Bethlehem, expressed pride in his team's run, but acknowledged the heartbreak of season-ending PKs."It's a hard thing. It's almost harder than losing, in a weird sort of way," he said.Ballston Spa controlled most of the first half, taking the lead on a Haley Wiltsie goal 8:03 before halftime. A spectacular solo effort from Braddock netted the tying goal four minutes into the second half, and the following 36 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime were a flurry of near-misses on both sides, including a shot off the crossbar by McCarthy late in the first overtime."I was up, I was down," Geis said. "I was all over the place. I feel like I lost about 10 years."Key momentBraddock simply wasn't going to be denied the game's tying goal.Four minutes into the second half, the sophomore standout collected the ball 40 yards from goal and charged down the left wing with a Ballston Spa defender on her hip the entire way. However, Braddock refused to be dispossessed, and when Ballston Spa goalie Avery DiNallo came off her line, Braddock coolly slipped a shot past her that rolled into the side netting to make it 1-1."I was definitely fighting for my teammates," Braddock said. "I knew that as soon as we got one, we were back in the game. I just used pure will to get that ball in the back of the net."That set the stage for a breathless stretch run and Bethlehem's eventual triumph.Star of the gameLogsdon, the Eagles' junior goalkeeper, was a rock in goal for Bethlehem throughout the night. After giving up the game's first goal with 8:03 left in the first half, Logsdon and the Bethlehem defense kept Ballston Spa off the board for the final 48 minutes of regulation and another 30 minutes of overtime. Logsdon's performance wasn't marked by a number of highlight-reel saves, but rather by her command of the penalty area and her quick action to cut out dangerous Ballston Spa attacks."She was phenomenal," Geis said. "She was everywhere. There must have been three or four real scary breakaway opportunities that she came up with."In PKs, Logsdon provided the biggest highlight of the night when she dove to her left to deny Werner in the first round and open the door for the Eagles to take charge.Numbers to know9: Consecutive games without a regulation loss by Ballston Spa to end the season.7: Years between Section 2 girls' soccer championships for Bethlehem.1:Goals allowed by Bethlehem during the Eagles' three Section 2 tournament games.What's nextBethlehem:The Eagles will face Section 3's Fayetteville-Manlius in a NYSPHSAA regional final Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Stillwater High School. Ballston Spa:The Scotties' season has come to an end at 9-5-5.SubscribeThere’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at In Class AA girls' soccer final, Bethlehem outlasts Ballston Spa in PKs.