HARDWICK – Long time Hazen Union teacher and Peoples Academy (PA) alum Megan Mercier is the new varsity head coach for the Lady Cat soccer program.
Mercier will officially replace Jay Terrien this fall after leading Hazen to a 9-3-4 record and a second-round exit in the Division IV playoffs to eventual state champion Richford. Terrien, a former Burlington High School and Bates College standout, infused an attacking style into the athletic Lady Cat roster, but stepped down after only one season. Mercier, a 2010 PA graduate, earned her mathematics and education degree from Middlebury College, and has been teaching math at Hazen since 2019. She has been Hazen’s middle school soccer coach the last several years. Mercier takes over a talented Lady Cat roster led by incoming senior and leading goal scorer Isabelle Gouin and fellow All-Mountain League First Team selections Taylor Thompson and Kelsie Rivard. Thompson and Gouin earned Vermont All-State selections for their outstanding play last fall.
“We are so excited that Megan will be taking over our varsity girls program. She has a great relationship with the girls, having coached most of them in middle school. She really knows the game and more importantly, is a great person and role model for our student athletes. I think she is going to build a strong program for many years to come,” said Hazen Athletic Director Aaron Hill.
Hazen’s varsity and JV teams will once again welcome Craftsbury Academy players to the rosters as high school soccer practices across the state officially get underway in less than two weeks. The Lady Cats are scheduled to open the season at Hudson Fields against Lake Region on August 30.
