Vergennes Spoils Lady Cat Opener
VERGENNES – The Hazen Union girls’ soccer team didn’t get the bounces to go their way last week, falling in overtime to Vergennes on the road to open their season.
Junior Ava Francis scored the game-winner on a scrappy goal mouth scramble, giving Vergennes a hard fought 1-0 home win over Hazen last Friday. Lady Cat junior captain Isabelle Gouin nearly stole the win for the visitors late in regulation, smashing a rocket off the crossbar. Fellow co-captain Brianna Holbrook, along with sophomore center-back Autumn Dailey and goalkeeper Ella Renaud led a stout defensive effort for Hazen in the loss. Francis earned Vermont All-State honors after a tremendous sophomore campaign that saw the speedy forward lead the Lady Commodores in scoring. First-year head coach Jay Terrien liked what he saw from his young Lady Cat team after opening the season on the road against a tough Lake Division opponent.
“Vergennes won a hard-fought thriller, but Autumn and Brianna were absolute standouts for us defensively. Isabelle got a little unlucky off the crossbar and was a constant offensive threat all day long. Onward we go!” said Terrien.
Hazen traveled to crosstown rival Peoples Academy on Monday and will stay on the road for an 11 a.m., Mountain League match-up against Winooski on Saturday. The Lady Cats welcome Enosburg to Hudson Fields next Tuesday for their home opener.
Locals Shine at Groton Forest Trail Run
GROTON – Several local runners made their mark over the weekend in a trio of distances over the weekend at the Groton Forest Trail Run.
Craftsbury Academy (CA) art teacher Alayne Tetor (38 years old) led the way as the top female finisher in the 26.5-mile marathon, finishing seventh overall with a time of 4:42.20. Thirty-three-year-old Colin Pope of Topsham led all competitors with a time of 3:47.44, with runner up honors going to Caleb Clark (35) of Danville. Stannard’s Emma Podolin (33) had the second-best women’s time in the 15.5m race, with Woodbury’s Ricky McClain (38) edging her by less than two seconds with a time of 2:35.40 for a sixth overall finish. Waylon Kurts (22) of Middlesex bested the field with a time of 2:07.14. Marshfield’s Hardin Bethea (49) finished eighth overall in the 6.2m race with a time of 1:08.14, won by 48-year-old Melissa Nestel of Putney, who broke the hour barrier by seventy seconds. Walden’s Elizabeth McCarthy was the most senior female finisher in any of the races on the afternoon, finishing in the middle of the pack in the 10k.
Circosta Earns Rookie of the Week Honors
NORTHFIELD – Norwich University freshman Leo Circosta was recognized with the season’s first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Rookie of the Week honor last Tuesday after leading his Cadet men’s cross-country team to a season opening win at the Castleton Invitational.
The Greensboro native and former Craftsbury Academy (CA) Division IV cross-country state champion led Norwich to their first overall win at the six-team Castleton Invitational two weeks ago, posting an individual runner-up finish.
Circosta and the Cadets will be back in action at the Founding Tree Invitational, September 28, in Amherst, Mass.
