ROTTERDAM - Winning Section 2 championships has long been the expectation for the Schalmont girls' soccer program. When the Sabres beat Broadalbin-Perth in last year's Class A final, it marked the sixth straight season in which Schalmont brought home a championship plaque.
The players may change, but tradition never graduates.
"Schalmont has that philosophy that we build and build and build from the bottom up," Sabres coach Maurizio Cassano said. "That's what we're doing every year."
Now, as another Section 2 postseason dawns, this current group of Sabres is focused on extending that championship streak to seven and repeating - or exceeding - last year's trip to the state semifinals.
Schalmont received the No. 1 seed in the Class A playoffs when tournament brackets were unveiled Monday.
The other teams to receive top seeds were Shenendehowa in Class AAA, Columbia in Class AA, Mechanicville in Class B, Stillwater in Class C and Northville in Class D.
There have been some ups and downs for this year's Schamont team, which enters sectional play with a 12-4 record, but the Sabres' leaders are confident in the direction the team is heading as tournament play begins.
"We've lost together and we've won together," said senior defender Gianna Amoroso, one of the team's captains. "I've just seen this team grow so much."
It's been a season of change and growth for many Schalmont players. Chief among them is senior co-captain Selena Cassano.
One of Section 2's most talented players, Cassano scored 32 goals and added 18 assists in 2025 to fuel Schalmont's potent attack. But, this past June, her offseason work was derailed by a cracked fibula that left her in a walking boot for around a month.
Getting back to her peak level wasn't easy.
"It was a little hard at first, but I think I adapted pretty well," she said. "I just wanted to play because I'm so passionate about soccer. That kind of made it easier."
Selena Cassano came back from her injury into a new role with the Sabres. The loss of several standouts in the midfield from last year's team, including first-team Times Union all-star Aubree Marano, led Maurizio Cassano - Selena's father, in addition to being her coach - to drop the star senior from striker into central midfield.
"It was a little complicated for me, because last year I was the goal scorer and that was the focus," Selena Cassano said. "This year, I had to change my role to be more reserved at first, just passing the ball and taking on a leadership role."
With roster turnover hitting Schalmont hard - particularly in central midfield, the center of defense and in goal - it also necessitated a slight change in strategy. Schalmont's 2025 team was built on the philosophy of "tiki-taka," a possession-based style centered around short, rhythmic passes that legendary coach Pep Guardiola deployed at FC Barcelona and that led the Spanish men's national team to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Early on this season, that familiar style wasn't working.
"This whole group had to be refocused and connected with the theory of ‘tiki-taka,'" Maurizio Cassano said. "We couldn't really pass and move as much. Now, we're working different angles to create a different style of play, including the ‘tiki-taka.'"
"We have a lot of talent, individually," Amoroso said. "We had a little trouble working together as a team and passing, but we figured it out quickly, and we're here now."
The Sabres enter sectionals as a balanced squad capable of attacking from multiple angles. Playing deeper, Selena Cassano's stats aren't as gaudy as they were in 2025, but she still shares the team lead with 14 goals alongside Gia Kowalczyk, and has a team-high 12 assists.
Eight different Schalmont players have scored at least three goals this season, including Amoroso with eight.
"These girls have been extremely coachable," Maurizio Cassano said. "Now, it's all about putting it in place."
For Schalmont's seniors, the energy heading into postseason play is palpable - especially after getting a taste of a deep run in the state tournament a year ago.
"Honestly, it's amazing, the feeling of playing one more time (in sectionals)," Selena Cassano said. "I think our team can do it. We want it more, and we want to go far."
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There’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Schalmont girls' soccer eyes a 7th straight Section 2 title.