Several of her current players have been there. For the rest, this weekend’s experience will be brand new.

The Blue Streaks (17-3) have reached the summit of their sport by making it all the way to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Final Four. Saratoga faces Section I’s Lakeland tonight (Friday) at Cicero-North Syracuse in the semifinal round. The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. start.

“Everybody’s very excited. The players that have been this far are helping the others,” Hostig said. “We’ve got a pretty level-headed team, so they’ve been able to stay focused.”

Saratoga won the Class A state championship in 2004 and Lakeland  (21-1) are the defending champions. If the Blue Streaks are victorious tonight, they will move on to the final Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m versus the winner of Ward Melville and Williamsville.

Practice has been challenging this week for Saratoga with the cold and rainy conditions. Hostig is expecting the same in Syracuse, so she thinks her team will be ready.

“We were able to get onto a turf surface to prepare for what we’re going to play on out there,” Hostig said.

Last Saturday, the Blue Streaks defeated Liverpool, 2-0, in a regional contest at Skidmore College. Saratoga was led by senior captain Emily Riley’s two goals.

“She’s getting better every day. She’s our high scorer, but she’s always willing to pass the ball around,” Hostig said. “She’s gone to the next level and has helped her teammates get there with her.”

Lakeland looks like a particularly formidable opponent for Saratoga even though they’ve lost many of their key players from last year’s title team.

“They’re a very disciplined and very aggressive team. They like to score early and often,” Hostig said. “We’re going to have our “A” game.”

A spectator bus will ride alongside the Blue Streaks to Syracuse. Hostig remembers opposing teams commenting during the 2004 run about how impressive the size of the Saratoga contingent was.