Aidan Graber knew the pass was coming before it was made.
As Columbia worked the ball out of its defense and into midfield this past Thursday, Liam Schneider found Ignacio Lopez in the middle of the field. Near the edge of opposing Niskayuna's back line, Graber waited to time his run.
When Lopez glanced downfield, Graber took off toward the penalty box and met the ball a step ahead of Niskayuna goalkeeper Jack Steele. Graber whipped a shot into the net to give Columbia its second goal in what became a 2-1 win to close the Blue Devils' regular season.
"I just know my teammate," Graber said. "He can just play me the ball through whenever."
It was the kind of connected, patient buildup that powered Columbia's run to last year's sectional title. Now, after Section 2 released its boys' soccer tournament brackets Monday, the Blue Devils enter sectionals as the No. 3 seed in Class AA. Columbia (10-4-2) will host Ballston Spa in a quarterfinal this Thursday as it seeks a third consecutive trip to the sectional final.
Shaker, Bethlehem, Schalmont, Cobleskill-Richmondville, Maple Hill and Northville earned the top seeds in Classes AAA, AA, A, B, C and D, respectively. Tournament play begins on Tuesday, with championship games scheduled for Oct. 31 and Nov. 2.
For the Blue Devils, the path looks a bit different from last year's.
Columbia went 17-1-2 overall last fall. The top-seeded Blue Devils were unbeaten through sectionals before losing to Harrison in the state regionals. That team was built around senior leaders, including all-time leading goal scorer Cody Hamilton, and twin brothers Aidan and Matthew Gatchell. Nine seniors graduated from that squad, and coach Bryan Lussier has spent this season moving players around and testing combinations.
"This year, it's taken us a while to put the right puzzle pieces where we want them," Lussier said.
One of the Blue Devils' new pieces is freshman midfielder James Vitale, who drew a foul against Niskayuna to set up Columbia's first goal this past Thursday. Skilled on the ball, Vitale is often one of the youngest and smallest players on the field, yet he plays all 80 minutes.
"He's really come a long way in just a short time this year," Lussier said.
Graber has stepped up to become the midfield leader and Lopez has also taken on a bigger role than last year, providing much-needed offensive firepower.
But as good as Columbia looked in the buildup to Graber's highlight goal against Niskayuna, it still has stretches where it looks like it's trying to fit the puzzle pieces together. The Blue Devils still need to improve in situations that require communication, such as corner kicks and free kicks.
"Set pieces have been a little bit of a weak point for us this year," senior center back Jackson Stilson said.
Stilson, an imposing presence, anchors the defense alongside midfielder Carter Phillips and defender Max Davis.
"Our biggest thing," Stilson said, "is just to stay calm."
Stilson was part of the team that lost to Bethlehem in the final two years ago, then won the title last fall. Now, he wants one more chance with this group.
"It's so much fun to play with this group," Stilson said. "We've got a really good core group of guys ... and we would love to keep it going."
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There’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Defending Section 2 Class AA champion Columbia boys' soccer gears up for postseason.