DANVILLE – The Caledonia United boys soccer team advanced to its first Division IV Final Four as a three-school collective (Twinfield-Cabot-Danville) last week, blanking seventh-seeded Proctor to remain a perfect 15-0 on the season.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Eli Russell’s goal midway through the second half proved to be the game-winner as Cal United survived and advanced with a 1-0 win over Proctor on Saturday. River Thibault found Russell racing past Panther defenders near the right side of the box, and the senior Vermont All-State selection didn’t miss, blasting the game-winner in the upper left corner with eighteen minutes to go in regulation. Proctor’s goalkeeper Aaron Brock (nine saves) kept his team in the match the entire day before Thibault and Russell hooked up to finally finish off one of their many scoring opportunities on the day.
“We had 23 shots in the match, but we weren’t clinical enough in the final third. Brock had a fantastic game in the net for Proctor. He was brave in the box and came up big on several occasions. They did a good job denying us on many scoring opportunities,” said head coach Peter Stratman.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Josh Petersen recorded one save to earn the tenth shutout of the season for the Cal United defense. Stratman’s veteran club continues to reset the program win record with their fifteenth of the season. Proctor was a dangerous seventh seed in a loaded Division IV state tournament. The Panthers came into this matchup with a 10-4-1 record that included four wins over the top six teams in the tournament.
“Proctor came ready to play and maintained strong energy throughout the match. They only got off one shot, but the match remained very tight. We were able to produce 12 shots in the second half but only got four on frame. I was pleased with our backline for keeping Proctor off balance. It was a well-earned shut out,” said Stratman.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Stratman advances to his fifth Division IV Final Four with now three different programs. Cal United will bring a lot of fire power into their semifinal matchup against Arlington with Russell leading the way with a career-high 29 goals on the season. Fellow senior Sam McLane is close behind with a career-high 25 and Jola Otten also reached double digit scores on the season. Cal United has been truly dominant this fall, outscoring its opponents 87-8 along the way.
Cal United will look to get its head coach to his first ever state title match on Wednesday as they welcome third seeded Arlington to The Hedges in Danville. The Eagles improved to 11-2-2 on the season with a 1-0 win over sixth seeded Grace Christian in the quarterfinal round. Top seeded Twin Valley (15-0) will host No. 5 Mill River on Wednesday in the semifinal match-up on the other side of the bracket. The state championship match will be held at Rutland High School on Saturday night.
