HARDWICK – The Hazen Union girls soccer team fell to twelfth seeded BFA-Fairfax last week in the opening round of the Division III state tournament, suffering a home playoff upset for the third consecutive season.
The third time was a charm for the Lady Bullets as they made a second half goal stand up against a late push from fifth-seeded Hazen to pull off a shocking 1-0 road upset last Wednesday. Mariah Wright won a scrum in the penalty box off a second consecutive corner-kick and tucked in the game-winner with fourteen minutes left in regulation. Hazen’s all-time scoring leader (56 goals) Isabelle Gouin had a pair of point-blank chances for the equalizer late for the Lady Cats but just missed wide right on her first attempt before smashing her last attempt off the crossbar. Ella Renaud made six saves in the loss for Hazen. Emily Dearborn turned away seven shots for the Lady Bullets.
“As it goes, apparently the third time’s the charm. It was the third matchup of the season against them, and they capitalized on a scramble in front of the goal that proved to be the game winner. We put tremendous pressure on their defense in the final minutes, but couldn’t find the equalizer,” said head coach Megan Mercier.
Mercier’s club handled Fairfax in two matches earlier this season by a combined score of 6-0. This match-up proved to be much more challenging as junior Taylor Thompson was out of the lineup due to injury. The 2024 Vermont All-State selection injured her ankle late in Hazen’s regular season finale against Fairfax. Her absence on the pitch was glaring for the Lady Cats, whose offense looked disorganized without their midfield quarterback. Thompson not only is the catalyst for the offense with her dominant play in the middle of the field but is also the trigger on most set pieces. Mercier shuffled the lineup to adjust, but the familiar through balls past the defense from Thompson to Gouin just weren’t there for the taking.
Mercier’s first season at the helm was impressive, winning 11 matches, including nine by shutout. Losing Gouin, Renaud, Julia des Groseilliers, Brianna Holbrook and Craftsbury Academy’s Adelina Augsberger to graduation will be a big challenge next fall. She will return however a talented core of underclassman with four years of varsity experience under their belt.
“It was a great season, but this loss hurts as our seniors will be dearly missed. Some of my freshmen had their best matches of the season tonight, which makes me excited already for next year!” said Mercier.
Fairfax’s playoff run came to an end over the weekend, falling to fourth seeded Fair Haven 5-0 in the quarterfinal round.
