DANVILLE – The Twinfield-Cabot-Danville (CCSU) boys’ soccer team rebounded from their first loss of the season against Division II powerhouse Burke Mountain Academy last week, with a resounding win over division rival Richford, improving to 2-1 on the season.
Caledonia United’s Samson Kitonga (right) a Danville junior, directs the ball to a teammate as Burke Mountain Academy’s Ben Hostetter (left) keeps his eyes on the play during a game in Danville, September 10. BMA defeated their opponents 4-0.
Charles Leonard netted a pair of goals to power the Bears to a 4-0 road win over Caledonia United last Tuesday. CCSU Goalkeeper Josh Petersen turned away five shots on the day to keep his team in the match, but Burke did all of its damage in the first 25 minutes and never looked back. Junior Cal United striker Sam McLane put the heat on the visitors in the final 60 minutes, outshooting Burke 15-9 for the match.
Danville sophomore Jackson Giroux (right) of Caledonia United and Aiden Lee (left) of Burke Mountain Academy, drive to the ball during play at Danville September 10. BMA won 4-0.
“We were still trying to find our footing in our second game of the season, but Burke’s defense did a great job shutting us down in the critical moments,” said head coach Peter Stratman. “We out-shot them, but we weren’t clinical enough in our finishing. Sam was instrumental holding possession for us at the nine-position, he’s a talented player and capable of scoring from multiple distances. We also got some excellent combination play with Darshan Eddleman, Judah Klarich, and Omar Miksic-Knibb in the middle. Josh was very brave in net and also leaned heavily on strong defensive contributions from Sean Lehoe, Alijah Andrews, Samson Kitonga, Landen Fournier, Evan Whitehead, and Connor Winn. It’s hard to lose, but you always learn more from tough games than easy wins.”
Eli Russell, McLane, and Miksic-Knibb each scored a pair of goals to power CCSU to an emphatic 7-2 home win over Richford on Friday. Senior Darshan Eddleman rounded out the scoring on the day for Caledonia United, who took a 4-2 lead into the break. Gustav Steen and Emilio Schneider accounted for the Falcons scoring on the day and Easton Choquette made eight saves in the loss. Petersen turned away four shots to earn his second win for CCSU.
River Thibault (right) of Caledonia United, a Cabot Sophomore, jumps to head the ball before Spider Schlopy (left) of Burke Mountain Academy at Danville last Tuesday. BMA prevailed 4-0.
“We put them under pressure from the first whistle but missed a few early opportunities that we should have converted. I liked our aggressiveness in the first half, but our 15 shots didn’t generate much offense. There were too many shots flying high and wide, and we need to be more clinical with our opportunities. Eli did a great job crashing an initial save in our first goal. He always plays with so much heart and is such an asset to this team. Our play in the first 40 minutes felt a little messy at times, but the boys did a much better job of moving the ball and maintaining possession in the second half. Josh was solid in net, making several remarkable saves, Richford never gave up and was tenacious, and in the end, it was a decisive win,” said Stratman.
Cal United will hit the road and go back out of division this week with trips to BFA-Fairfax and Enosburg on Wednesday and Saturday.
