The Brattleboro Colonels' soccer teams got a good test of where they stand so far this season with a weekend home doubleheader with the Burr & Burton Bulldogs, who just moved up to Division I in soccer this season.
The Colonel girls opened the series with a 2-1 loss in overtime on Friday night at Tenney Field. Burr & Burton put 32 shots on goalkeeper Aimee Johnston, who played a tremendous game to keep the Bulldogs at bay.
Brattleboro took a 1-0 lead when Libby Annis scored on a scramble in front of the Bulldogs' net in the 21st minute of the game. It was one of only 15 shots on goal for the Colonels. With Bulldogs goalkeeper Samantha Sullivan also having a good night between the posts, it was up to the defense to make the goal stand up.
They did, until Kate Cottrell scored the equalizer for the Bulldogs in the 65th minute. Burr & Burton's Daisy Sullivan then scored the game winner with 5:16 left in the first sudden-death overtime.
“We gave them a good match,” said Colonels coach Edwin de Bruijn, whose team fell to 1-4-1.
“Our midfielders matched up well, but they were clearly better than we were at keeping possession and taking shots on goal. We're getting better, though, and this was a good game for us.”
The following afternoon it was the boys' turn as the Colonels and Bulldogs squared off at Sawyer Field on a windy day that turned showery by game's end. Two second-half goals proved to be the difference as the Brattleboro boys won, 3-1.
Brennen Zolnoski scored with an assist from Robyn Avery to put the Colonels on the board about midway through the first half, but Conde Reed got the equalizer a few minutes later.
Brattleboro took control when Jack Maples scored off a Miles Goldenbird pass just 3:34 into the second half, and Conner Elliot-Knaggs got an unassisted insurance goal late in the game.
Coach Paul Sather was particularly gratified by the victory for the 3-1-1 Colonels, as the boys played a disciplined game throughout - especially the defenders.
“This is a really young team, with only three guys back from last year,” he said. “This was a good win against a good team, and we won by starting strong and not letting up.”
Football
• Bellows Falls dominated the North Country Falcons in a 52-0 beatdown last Saturday at Hadley Field.
The Falcons knew they were in for a long day when BF tailback Carson Fullam ran for a 49-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, and then ran for a 51-yard score on the Terriers' second play of the game.
BF finished with 293 rushing yards on 38 carries as Fullam ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns, while Austin Stack finished with 42 yards and Kyle O'Rourke added 39 more.
When you see a team pile up the yardage on the ground like that, you know the offensive line is having a good day. BF coach Bob Lockerby moved co-captain Matt Conkey from tackle to center, and the result was that Conkey and fellow linemen Jeramiah Dunbar, Jacob Lober, Tyson Taylor, DJ Snide, and Devin Hogan opened up some huge holes for the Terriers' running backs.
The defense had a good day, too: Lober reeled in an interception, and Cody Kerr, Dakota Derby, Nate Milliken and Jeramiah Dunbar all had a sack. The BF defense limited the Falcons to just 28 rushing yards and 27 passing yards.
BF led 45-0 at the half. After Fullam's two touchdowns, Ian McKeen scored on a two-yard run, O'Rourke scored on a six-yard run, and quarterback Ethan Illingworth threw to Brian McAnuff for a 45-yard touchdown on his only pass of the game. Fullam got his third score on a 20-yard run, and then Kerr blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for the final touchdown of the half.
In the second half, Jakob Mead's five-yard touchdown run was the lone score. David Dunbar added the extra point - his third successful kick out of four tries.
Now 2-2, the Terriers will go for their first road win of the season when they play at Burr & Burton (3-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
• Hartford's Patrick Libuda ran the ball 17 times for 146 yards and scored three touchdowns as the three-time defending Division I champions improved to 2-2 by beating the Brattleboro Colonels, 34-7, in White River Junction on Friday night.
The Hurricanes led 34-0 after three quarters. Dylan Rice started it with a 14-yard touchdown run; quarterback Gregg Shinn scored on a four-yard run; and Libuda scored on rushes of one, two and 31 yards. Rice was four for five on point-after kicks.
Brattleboro broke up the shutout in the final quarter on Adam McPhail's one-yard carry. Ryan Fontaine tacked on the extra point. After three straight losses, the 1-3 Colonels will play at 0-4 St. Johnsbury this Saturday at 1 p.m.
Boys' soccer
• Brattleboro held the Proctor Phantoms scoreless for the first 55 minutes of their road game on Sept. 17, but then Curtis Tomlinson scored two goals and the Phantoms went on to a 4-1 win. Miles Goldenbird got the Colonels' lone goal in the 74th minute.
• Mill River's Patrick Mumford and Elijah Akin were the goal scorers as the Minutemen beat Leland & Gray, 2-1, in Townshend on Sept. 17. Bryce Karg got the Rebels' only goal in the 77th minute in an evenly matched game.
• Twin Valley has a four-game winning streak going after defeating Fair Haven last Thursday, 4-0, at Baker Field. The Wildcats haven't allowed a goal during that span.
The Wildcats put 27 shots on goal as Colin Lozito and Dal Nesbitt led the attack. Lozito scored a goal in the 15th minute, with Nesbitt on the assist. He followed that with an unassisted goal late in the first half, and got his third goal off a second Nesbitt assist in the second half. Nesbitt would get a goal of his own in the 70th minute. Twin Valley goalkeeper Sam Molner had six saves on the evening.
Girls' soccer
• Brattleboro got its first win of the season on Sept. 18 with a 3-1 victory over Hartford. Hannah Lynde scored twice, and Libby Annis got the Colonels' other goal. Goalkeeper Aimee Johnston made 11 saves.
• Freshman Julia Carone scored three goals, and Kayla Stoodley and Nicole McCardle each added goals as Fair Haven beat Bellows Falls, 5-1, in Westminster on Sept. 16. Rose Cobb scored BF's only goal in the game.
The Terriers then lost 3-2 in double overtime to Arlington last Friday. BF's Emily Perry opened the scoring in the first half off a Chelsea Wilder corner kick.
In the second half, goals from Molly Elwell and Avery Bucchieri gave Arlington the lead, but BF's Lydia Pedigo tied the game on a free-kick in the 65th minute. The two teams battled until Brooke Therriault scored the game-winner with four minutes in the second overtime.
BF ended the week at 1-5.
• Emily Stockwell had a goal and an assist as Leland & Gray beat Arlington, 4-2, in Townshend on Sept. 18. Casey Williams, Giannina Beckstrom, and Ashley Bates also scored as the Rebels improved to 3-2.
• Twin Valley suffered a tough 5-2 loss to Black River on Sept. 17, but the Wildcats bounced back two days later to beat Fair Haven, 2-0. Savannah Nesbitt and Sammy Cunningham scored the Wildcats' two goals in the loss to Black River. Nesbitt and Henriette Aas were the goal scorers against Fair Haven.
Field hockey
• Brattleboro's Katie Damien scored first, but Hartford followed with three unanswered goals in a 3-1 win at Tenney Field on Sept. 17. Allison Courtemanche, Megan Newton, and Jenna Yee all scored for Hartford.
The Colonels then played host to Bellows Falls last Thursday, arguably the best field hockey team in the state right now, and the undefeated Terriers rolled over Brattleboro, 5-0.
BF finished 11-2 last year, and was the second seed in the Division II tournament. They had visions of a state title, but were upset by North Country in a crushing last-minute quarterfinal loss.
Nearly all of last year's players are back, and coach Bethany Coursen says they remember what happened last season and are determined not to let it happen again.
The Terriers took control immediately, as Sarah Wells and Anna Clark scored in the first eight minutes of the game. Brattleboro goalie Jen Dyer faced a barrage of BF shots, but held the Terriers scoreless for the rest of the first half.
Wells and Clark both then scored again early in the second half, and Cassidy Santorelli finished the scoring as BF goalie Shea Wilkinson picked up another shutout victory.
The Colonels finished the week at 1-4, while the Terriers improved to 5-0.
Cross-country
• The Brattleboro girls' team is steadily improving. They started last week with a second-place finish in a meet against Rutland. Nevada Powers was the Colonels' top runner: she led for most of the race before Rutland's top runner passed her. Powers was just six seconds behind the winner.
Becca Freeman came in fifth place, and Catey Yost, Eve Pomazi, and Gwen Harris rounded out Brattleboro's top five runners.
The Colonel boys were fourth over in the Rutland meet. Ryan Gilligan finished seventh to lead Brattleboro, with Tyler Clement, Oliver Pomazi, and Jon and Dan Burdo completing the top five.
At the Russ Pickering Invitational in Bellows Falls last Friday, the Colonel girls had another good day as Freeman out-kicked Powers to lead the girls team to a third-place finish. Yost ran her best race of the year, as did Eve Pomazi and Harris.
Gilligan had another strong showing for the Colonel boys, placing in the top 10 with a time of 18:15, followed by Clement (19:29), Jon Burdo (19:45) and Dan Burdo (20:13).
• The Bellows Falls boys also ran in the Rutland meet and finished sixth. Tim Jones placed 10th in 20:11 and Jonah Bolotin took 21st in 22:14. BF's Lucy Lawlor finished 18th in the girls' meet in 27:35.
In the Pickering race, BF's Willie Moore crossed the line first with a time of 16:47. Tim Jones (18:14) and Jonah Bolotin (19:23) rounded out the top three for the Terrier boys. Other BF finishers include Lucy Lawlor (25:21) and Tess Kinney (29:09).
BCC crowns club champions
• A new men's club champion emerged at the Brattleboro Country Club this year, as Ward Dannemiller defeated John Sessions 4-up on Aug. 18 to take the title.
Dannemiller made it to the finals via a 2-up victory over Jason Kelley in the prelims, 2-1 over Jeff Houle in the quarterfinals, and a 1-up victory over Steve Hiner in the semi-final.
Sessions had a bye in the first round, but then marched to the final with a 2-1 victory over Rick Wisell in the quarterfinals and a 2-1 victory over Hugh Barber in the semifinals.
Doug Fiske won the Men's First Flight 4-2 over Bradley Poster, after defeating Keith Strand 4-2 in the semifinals. Poster advanced with a 6-4 victory over Jon Bengtson.
The Women's Championship was a 36-hole medal tournament with Tracy Sloan capturing her third title, with a score of 183 over Sheryl Libardoni.
Kate Clark won the women's first flight over Sherry Bengtson, after besting Cyd Strand in the semifinals. Bengtson had advanced with a victory over Becky Day.
• The 36-hole medal play Senior Club Championships at Brattleboro Country Club were held Aug. 24-25. Pete Zachery was the first-round leader with a 3-over-74, but his 80 on Sunday fell short of champion Hugh Barber's total of 77-73-150.
Bob Kessen finished third (77-78-155), and Ward Dannemiller fourth (80-77-157).
The Net Champion was Larry Cassidy (70-66-136), followed by Dennis Mayotte (69-69-138), Dave Washburn (66-74-140), and Dick Noel (73-72-145).
The Agnes Huestis Senior Ladies Club champion is Elizabeth Walker, whose 87-90-177 overtook first round leader Alicia Field by two strokes (85-94-179). The net Champion was Kate Clark (76-67-143), followed by Eileen Ranslow (77-73-150).
Flag football league begins in October
• The Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department is starting up a new adult 7-on-7 flag football league. Games will be played on Sunday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon, starting Oct. 20 running through Nov. 24, at the West River Park Field on Route 30.
An informational meeting for managers and players is Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. at the Gibson-Aiken Center on Main Street.
Player fees are due with the rosters on Oct. 10. There are no sponsor fees required. Fees are $35 for residents and $60 for non-residents.
For more information and the rules, call program coordinator Tom Cote at 802-254-5808, ext. 104.