LYNDON CENTER – New team, same results for head coach Peter Stratman and his Twinfield-Cabot-Danville (CCSU) boys’ soccer team last week, as they shut out Division II Lyndon Institute on the road last week in their season opener.
Junior Sam McLane netted the eventual game-winner twelve minutes in to power Caledonia United to a 2-0 win over the Vikings last Wednesday in what was the program’s inaugural match as a cooperative between the three neighboring schools.
McLane picked the ball off the foot of an opposing defender to go one-on-one with Viking goalkeeper Angel Lockward, slotting home a clean finish to kick off a new era for Caledonia United. Freshman midfielder Judah Klarich made it 2-0 eighteen minutes later to end the scoring on the day with the first goal of his young varsity career. Josh Petersen faced six shots and made one save to earn the shutout for CCSU.
Lockward turned away 13 shots in the loss as the Vikings fell to 0-2-1 on the season.
“Our defense did a good job denying Lyndon many quality chances. We held possession for most of the match and put 17 shots on goal. Judah received a cross from Sam on the left side of the pitch and made a perfect far post run for his first varsity goal, which was great to see. We weren’t clinical enough in the final third and Lyndon did a good job digging in to keep the score close. Connor Winn played a solid game at center defensive mid, and Landen Fournier and Evan Whitehead combined to hold down the back line. Sean Lehoe was impressive as a wing back and made some excellent attacking runs,” said Stratman.
Stratman, who has north of 100 career wins while coaching small school Cabot and Twinfield-Cabot boys’ soccer programs to three Division IV Final Fours over the last decade, will be navigating this new Caledonia United team through the rigors of the Mountain League this fall with only two seniors on the roster. He’ll get plenty of leadership from a dynamic core of nine juniors, rounded out by six sophomores and a pair of freshmen.
“It felt great to start the season with a win. We only had one preseason match, so we are still finding our footing and trying out some players in different positions. I’ve been really impressed with how the boys have come together to build this new soccer program. They’re willing to work hard together and there’s a lot of support and positivity on the pitch,” said Stratman.
Caledonia United welcomed Division II powerhouse Burke Mountain Academy to town on Tuesday and will stay at home for a match-up with Mountain League rival Richford on Friday.
