Girls soccer fans watch the action during the nightcap. /Stefan Hard, TA
Both U-32 boys and girls soccer posted shutout wins in a playoff doubleheader, with the second-ranked boys downing No. 15 Otter Valley, 4-0, and the fifth-ranked girls beating No. 12 Brattleboro on the strength of three second-half goals.
In the boys matchup, U-32 used four goals from three different players, led by two goals from exchange student Alex Capocchi, to shut out the Otters in their Division II matchup. The shutout, in which the Raiders held Otter Valley without a shot, was the third in a row as the team continued to roll.
“From the back forward, we didn’t allow them opportunities,” U-32 coach Steve Towne said of his team’s play. “With that said, it’s great to have a first round like this where you put the game out of reach early and you’re able to prevent injuries going forward.”
U-32 was in control early, peppering shots on Otter Valley keeper Colin Nicklaw. Nicklaw turned away 17 shots throughout the game, but it was teammate Connor Gallipo who was also impressive. The senior defenseman parked on the back line in an unconventional approach, clearing away three or four would-be goals.
However, the Raiders eventually found the back of the net in the 18th minute. Ohan Fillbach broke down the right side, sending in a high, arcing cross that Noah Elmore rose above a pair of Otter defenders to send a lofting header over Nicklaw for a 1-0 lead. It set off a chain reaction, as Capocchi scored back-to-back goals 14 seconds apart after Elmore’s finish.
He sent the first goal home from point-blank range after a nice feed from Elmore, then Luke Carrier found the Spanish sophomore for the finish. Corrigan Collier capped the scoring late in the second half, with just over 11 minutes remaining on a nice left-footed finish off of a rebound.
The nightcap saw U-32 sophomore forward Aine Kennedy net her fourth hat trick of the season and fifth multi-goal effort in a 5-0 shutout of Brattleboro in the Division I girls tournament. The Colonels were outmatched by Kennedy and a talented U-32 defense that held them to just one shot while the Raiders racked up 23 on goal.
However, they weren’t able to find the back of the net for the first 38 minutes of play. Brattleboro senior keeper Tori Svec turned away shot after shot, finishing with 18 saves, many of which were very acrobatic to deny U-32 a goal. However, Kennedy scored a pair of goals at the end of the half — including one as time expired — to give the Raiders momentum.
“It took us a little while to settle into our opportunities and take advantage of them,” U-32 coach Rebecca Dezan said. “But Aine Kennedy came through with two great back-to-back breakaways. She’s got the ability to finish low in the corners, and that was the momentum we needed.”
After Kennedy broke through several defenders to create her own chance and finish with 1:30 remaining, Maggie Kirby then fed her a perfect ball that she sent past Svec right before the buzzer sounded. The Raiders were able to add three more goals in the second half, with Kirby sending a beautfiul, long-distance shot into the upper right and Maya Mashkuri scoring on the far post after a Kirby corner kick snuck through.
Kennedy finished off her hat trick and closed out the game with five minutes left after she scored off of several deflections in front of the net. They travel to Burlington (12-3) next, facing off against the No. 4 Seahorses on Friday at 3 p.m.The boys play No. 7 Enosburg on the same day, only at home.
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