NORTHEAST KINGDOM – With high school soccer in the books, we wrap another season with several compelling playoff runs in the Capital and Mountain League, as well as a Cinderella Story for the ages in girls soccer.
The Capital League on the boys side once again proved to be a breeding ground for some of the best soccer in the state of Vermont, with Harwood completing their defense of the Division II crown in dominating fashion. The Highlanders defeated Stratton Mountain 3-0 in the title game to finish off an undefeated season. Harwood (16-0-1) capped off their title defense with their ninth shutout of the season, outscoring their opponents 104-8 along the way. Stowe (14-2-1) seemed destined to defend their division III crown as well, breezing through the tournament with a 25-3 scoring differential before being shocked by Green Mountain in the title game in a penalty shootout.
In the Mountain League, the Winooski boys program continued their Division IV dominance with their third straight state title. The Spartans defeated top seeded Twin Valley 4-3 in overtime and have been one of the elite teams in the state since winning the program’s first ever title in 2022.
BFA-Fairfax dominated the Mountain League on the girls side, with their only test coming from a 1-1 draw with Hazen Union to close out the regular season. The top seeded Lady Bullets marched towards the Division III state title game with a 12-1 scoring differential. Something had to give between the state title battle of the undefeated and it was Windsor completing a perfect season with a 2-1 victory.
The story of the postseason was also in the Mountain League as eleventh seeded Richford discarded two of the top three seeds on their way to one of the most improbable state title runs ever seen. The Lady Rockets entered the tournament with just four wins and matched that number in the tournament, handing top seeded West Rutland their first loss of the season 3-2 in the title match. It was the first Division IV state title in program history for Richford, who needed a penalty kick in the closing seconds against No. 3 Hazen in the second round to complete their fairy tale season. They were the lowest seed to make the division IV title game since sixth seeded Arlington in 2021 and #6 Hazen Union in 2020. Richford started the season 0-6 without scoring a single goal. They capped off the historic turnaround on an 8-4 run, punctuated by multi-sport senior star Kyrielle Deuso’s 50th goal of her career for the state title game-winner.
