FAIRFAX – The first road test of the season didn’t turn out to be a test at all for the Caledonia United boys soccer team last week as they steamrolled Mountain League foe BFA-Fairfax to improve to 3-0.
Senior Eli Russell recorded his second hat trick in as many weeks to power Cal United to an 8-0 road win over the Bullets last Monday. The 2024 Vermont All-State selection also tacked on a pair of assists to his impressive stat line as the visitors took a commanding 4-0 lead into the break.
“It was a decisive victory for us on the road. Fairfax graduated a lot of seniors from last year and is rebuilding. Their young players worked hard and didn’t give up,” said head coach Peter Stratman.
Fellow senior Sam McLane continued his hot start to the young season, finding the back of net for Cal. United for the fifth time in three matches. Jola Otten also continued to contribute heavily to Stratman’s offense in his senior campaign with another goal and Alijah Andrews finished off the scoring barrage with a rare goal from his center back position. Josh Petersen made two stops on the day to record his first shutout of the season. Mason Sanders recorded 20 saves for BFA as they suffered their first loss of the season. The Bullets came into the matchup with an impressive draw against Lake Region and a pair of wins over Lyndon Institute and Oxbow. Their defense had only surrendered two goals on the season.
“Eli, Sam, and Jola continued their prolific scoring run for us, and it was great to see Alijah get a goal, putting himself on the end of a great cross, volleying the ball into the back of the net. Josh and the defense did a good job locking them down to secure the shutout. We controlled the match and generated lots of different scoring opportunities. It’s still early in the season, but I’m pleased with our progress so far,” said Stratman.
Stratman’s veteran club is coming off a 10-win season last fall in a highly competitive Division III. They moved back down a division this season and look poised to be a contender to make a third trip to the Division IV Final Four in Stratman’s seventh season at the helm. Cal. United has outscored their opponents 19-2 in their first three matches.
Caledonia United looked to keep it rolling with a road matchup against Burke Mountain Academy on Tuesday before welcoming Blue Mountain to town on Friday. They are scheduled to travel to Oxbow next Monday.
