HARDWICK – After starting their week with a victory and a draw against Richford and Oxbow, the Hazen Union girls soccer team went toe-to-toe with the top team in Division III, earning a hard-fought draw against undefeated BFA-Fairfax.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Sophomore Mya Lumsden buried a perfect feed from Isabelle Gouin for the game-winner with three minutes left in regulation to help the Lady Cats escape an upset minded Richford club at home last Monday 2-1.
Senior Baylie Christensen gave Hazen a 1-0 advantage eight minutes into the match with her first career varsity goal. Richford drew even just before halftime, with an own goal from the Lady Cat defense as both teams battled the elements on a slick pitch.
With time running down and the temperature dropping, Gouin battled two defenders to win a through ball at the top of the box and placed a perfect pass on the right side to a streaking Lumsden, who ripped the back of the net for the win.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
“I thought our sophomores Taylor Thompson (midfielder) and Kelsie Rivard (goalkeeper) played their best defensive games of the season. Taylor’s gritty work rate and possession passing through the lines were exceptional. Kelsie undeniably is a game-changing athlete and was a leader for us with authority all throughout the game,” said head coach Jay Terrien.
The loss dropped Richford to 4-10 on the season.
The Lady Cats showed tired legs late on Tuesday, having to lace up their cleats on back-to-back days against a tough Oxbow team that erased a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw on the road. Seniors Natalie Michaud (two assists) and Christensen (second career goal) shined on Senior Day, joining Craftsbury Academy teammate Savanah Boyce in celebrating their last regular season home game.
Seniors Brendan Moodie and Gavin Stratton were honored for their outstanding careers on the Wildcat golf team.
Junior Isabelle Gouin netted her team-leading fifteenth goal of the season in the win. Natalee Spear and River Gardner found the back of the net for Oxbow, who improved to 4-7-3 on the season.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Taylor Thompson found Gouin for the equalizer 14 minutes into the second half to help the Lady Cats spoil a perfect season for BFA-Fairfax, earning a 1-1 draw on their homecoming Senior Day weekend. Rivard continued her stellar play in net for Hazen, turning away four shots on the day.
Emma Spiller scored for The Lady Bullets, who will be the top seed in the upcoming Division III tournament. BFA-Fairfax came into this matchup with the Lady Cats having won 13 straight matches by a combined score of 64-7.
“It was an evenly played match in what was the matchup of the season for us in the Mountain League. We made some tactical adjustments at the break to man mark the middle better and it paid dividends with a good combination from Taylor and Isabelle. Kelsie and the defense was sensational and we were able to force BFA to drop points for the first time this season,” said Terrien.
Terrien’s club will enter the Division IV tournament as the third seed with an 8-2-4 record. They host fourteenth-seeded Blue Mountain in the first round on Wednesday at Hudson Fields. If they advance, they will host the winner of Richford/MSJ in a quarterfinal matchup on Saturday at 1 p.m.
