As Shenendehowa's girls' soccer players got back to their bench after a celebratory postgame cool-down jog across the field at Niskayuna High School following Saturday's Section 2 Class AAA semifinal win over Colonie, three words were echoed by many Mustangs.
"Finish the job."
Last year, Shen found itself in the exact same position it now faces, heading into the Class AAA championship game as the No. 1 seed. The 2025 postseason saw Shenendehowa pushed into overtime by Saratoga Springs before a chaotic bounce gave the Blue Streaks the winning goal and the sectional title.
The Mustangs (13-3-1 overall) have built their entire 2026 season around getting back to that point, and now they've done so.
"Coming up short last year was definitely a stinger for us," junior forward Brittany Tetlack said after Shen's 5-0 semifinal win over Colonie. "We knew after having such a great season (this year), we really wanted to punch this ticket to the sectional final."
"Like we've said all along, we're just getting a little bit better each game," said Shenendehowa coach Holli Mulholland, whose team will face No. 2 Guilderland (8-4-4 overall) in Friday's championship game at Niskayuna. "Now, we finally punched our ticket to that sectional final."
Against fifth-seeded Colonie, Shenendehowa looked like a team on a mission. The Mustangs were on the front foot from the opening whistle, with their slick passing combinations creating constant chances and only stalwart goalkeeping from Colonie's Abby deMoulpied preventing things from getting out of hand early.
After about 15 minutes of pressure, Shen finally cracked Colonie's defense with Emilia Rich, Lillyann Palmer and Tetlack scoring goals in a span of five minutes and 27 seconds. A long-range effort from Cali Robilotti made it 4-0 just before halftime, and Robilotti set up Tetlack's second goal of the night just past the midway point of the second half to allow Mulholland to substitute liberally as the Mustangs closed out the win.
"Our ability and our movement up front, having our runs overlap, is really important for us," Tetlack said.
That movement and synchronization between Shenendehowa's forward line was evident in the semifinal even with one of the Mustangs' regular attacking trio, junior Lily Iacovetti, out of the lineup due to an ankle sprain.
Mulholland said she's hopeful that Iacovetti will be available for the sectional final against a stubborn Guilderland defense that Shenendehowa only managed one goal against when the teams met on Oct. 15.
The Mustangs' creativity in the final third, with players such as eighth-grader Robilotti and sophomore Akshaya Ramani playing incisive passes to the team's constantly buzzing forwards, is a huge reason why Shen has scored 21 more goals than any other team in the Suburban Council and boasts a plus-41 goal differential.
"The Lilly Palmer to Brittany Tetlack to Cali Robilotti combination, it's super creative," Mulholland said. "It's next-level stuff at the top of the attacking third, just playing balls in tight spaces and finding success."
While Guilderland's stingy defense is a concern for Shenendehowa heading into the Class AAA final, Tetlack and her teammates who were part of last year's team are determined not to have history repeat itself.
"This group is so special to me," Tetlack said. "We need to finish this unfinished business we have in the sectional final."
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There’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Shenendehowa girls' soccer determined to 'finish the job' in Class AAA final.