The defending Class C state co-champions picked a bad time to have a meltdown.

Top-seeded and host Marathon jumped out to a two-goal lead 15 minutes into the game, but fourth-seeded Newark Valley stormed back with three unanswered goals for a 3-2 victory Tuesday in the Section 4 Class C semifinals to knock off the defending state co-champs.

Newark Valley (14-2-1) will play No. 2 Elmira Notre Dame for the Section 4 Class C championship at 11 a.m. Saturday at Union-Endicott.

"We started to break down mentally after Angela Halliday scored on a slow roller to the near post," Marathon coach Trish Hayes said. "It was poor timing to have our worst game of the season."

Halliday's second goal with 11 minutes left proved to be the winner for the Cardinals. That came when Lindsay Bakal picked off a bad pass, beat a defender and dumped it off to Halliday for an easy touch-in goal. Bakal evened things up five minutes into the second half by torching the Olmypians' defense with her speed by stealing another pass before scoring.

Marathon (14-3), which was ranked third in the state in the latest New York State Sports Writers Association poll, outshot Newark Valley 11-6 and got goals from Lindsay Peri and Rachel Parker.

* Elmira ND 1, Unatego 0: After three big saves by Unatego goalkeeper Shelby Beers, Elmira Notre Dame sophomore Rachael Lamoreaux delivered a shot that Beers deflected but couldn't stop with 24 minutes, 29 seconds left, sending the Crusaders to a sectional final for the 13th time in the program's 24-year history with a 1-0 Section 4 Class C semifinal victory at Southport.

"I was worried it would hit the post and go out," Lamoreaux said. "I was relieved when it went in."

The Crusaders, who were 2-0 against Newark Valley during the regular season, will be seeking their fifth sectional championship and first since 2004.