MECHANICVILLE — The Livingston Manor Lady Wildcats’ season came to an end last night at the hands of the Lady Cardinals, as Fort Ann defeated Livingston Manor/Roscoe 4-0 in the State tournament.

The Lady Wildcats were escorted to the highway by local first responders as snow flurries began to kick up in both Livingston Manor and Roscoe.

The girls traveled past Albany, to Mechanicville High School to take on the Section 2 Champions, where luckily there was no snow to be found.

However, the chill set in prior to the 7 p.m. start, and the players and spectators were doing their best to keep warm throughout the game.

After the game started, which was delayed by the prior game running late, it did not take long for Fort Ann to succeed in taking the lead.

Less than two minutes into the contest, a penalty kick was awarded to the Cardinals, who converted to take a 1-0 lead with 38:20 to play in the first half.

Despite having a few chances to push the ball up the field, Livingston Manor’s offense was mostly kept quiet throughout the first half.

The Cardinals deployed a trap defense against Rebecca Gashinsky, making it difficult for her to advance the ball with the footwork skills that have contributed to Livingston Manor’s success throughout the season.

The two teams battled for possession throughout most of the first half, with the Cardinals finally breaking through with a second goal with 3:23 left in the first half.

The two teams regrouped at the half, and when play resumed the Lady Wildcats began finding more success moving the ball and slowing down the Cardinals’ offensive runs.

The second half was a stalemate for the first 25 minutes until Fort Ann was able to break through for a third goal.

Immediately after, the Cardinals intercepted a Wildcats pass and raced up for a quick goal to make it 4-0.

In the waning minutes of the game, Livingston Manor continued to make runs at the goal but were unable to convert before the final whistle, bringing their storybook season to an end.

The Lady Wildcats had a strong turnaround this year, from being winless in 2022-23 to Section 9 champs in 2023-24, and despite the first round exit from the state tournament, they will look to build off this year’s success.

The Lady Wildcats put eight shots on goal in the game, and goalkeeper Zaylee Cox recorded 16 saves.

“I’m very proud of my team for how hard they worked all season long and for making it into the New York State tournament,” Coach Maggi Fitzpatrick said. “We made some adjustments at halftime that allowed us to gain some more offensive momentum in the second half, but unfortunately we weren’t able to commit enough numbers forward to score. Fort Ann played the better game tonight and deserved the win. I’m looking forward to continuing to build with this team next season and improve our ability to compete outside of our section.”