MIDDLETOWN — Gavin Hames scored all three goals Saturday, and the Hamilton Emerald Knights shut out Northville in New York’s Class D boys championship soccer match at Middletown’s Faller Field.
Hamilton (19-3-1) won 3-0, extending its season-ending win streak to 10 matches. The Emerald Knights went 17-1-1 after being beaten in two of their first three matches to start the season, including a 2-1 loss to Tully, which was beaten Friday in a Class C semifinal at the state tournament.
More:Hamilton boys advance to play for Class D state soccer championship against Northville
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Hames, a junior, scored one goal before halftime and two after, giving him nine goals and nine assists in seven postseason contests, and 26 goals and 25 assists for the season. The hat trick was his first this fall.
Playing with the win at their backs to start the contest, the Emerald Knights struck quickly. They were awarded a corner kick in the opening minute, and Hames hooked the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Hames scored again midway through the second half with an assist from Colin Olsen. Two minutes later, a handball earned Hamilton a penalty kick, which Hames converted for the 3-0 lead.
Brayden Bovee put a free kick off the crossbar from just above the top of the box for Northville while trailing 1-0 before halftime, and the Falcons had a shot hit the inner part of a post and ricochet across the mouth of the goal after.
Section II co-champion Northville finishes the season with a 16-5-1 record. The Falcons had been unbeaten in six matches (5-0-1) entering the championship and 12-1-1 in in their last 14. The Falcons had played overtime in three matches in a row, including a scoreless tie with Fort Ann in their sectional final; the Falcons advanced to the state tournament by winning a penalty kick shootout.
Both teams played overtime in Friday’s semifinals with Hamilton beating Section V Naples 3-2 and Northville defeating Section VII Chazy 2-1.
Section III Hamilton and Section II Northville had previously shared a state championship in 1995. Hamilton won outright titles in 1997, 2008 and 2011 and was a finalist in two other seasons.
The 2024 Hamilton championship follows Poland sharing the 2023 title with Chazy, Section III’s first claim to a championship since the Emerald Knights’ 2011 win.
