-There are few things more stressful, mentally and physically, as settling the outcome of a postseason soccer match with penalty kicks.
After 80 minutes of regulation time and two 15-minute overtime periods, the fourth-seeded Brattleboro Bears and the No. 13 Burlington Seahorses were locked in a 1-1 tie in their Division I girls' soccer first-round playoff at Natowich Field on Oct. 22.
Darkness was descending as the field lights gradually took over for the last bit of autumn twilight. Now it was down to five shooters against one goalkeeper to decide who would advance to the next round and who would go home empty-handed.
Brattleboro head coach Jay Cudworth said the team had been ending their practices over the past week or so with a penalty kick shootout, but that there is a vast difference between making those kicks on a quiet practice field and making them under the heavy pressure of a winner-take-all game.
Sophomore Leanna Rago-Marker scored first for the Bears, and Ava Schwartz converted for the Seahorses. Then Bears sophomore Amara Tuma missed on the second attempt, and Burlington senior Vera Finkenzeller scored for a 2-1 lead. The Bears were perfect after that and didn't miss the rest of the way. Senior Reese Croutworst and sophomore Louise Frehsee scored, while Burlington's Isa Garehime missed and Ruby Dutcher had her shot saved, setting up the game-winning kick by junior Sadie Cheslawski.
Cudworth marveled at the coolness of his players - especially the sophomores - at such a crucial moment. "They put the ball down, waited for the whistle, and calmly put it in the corner of the net."
As remarkable as the shootout win was, it might not have happened without the performance of senior Emerson Frehsee. After starting goalkeeper Naima Harris tore her left ACL in the next to-last game of the season, Cudworth made the decision to put Frehsee in goal for the Burlington game.
Frehsee never started a varsity game in goal, so why did Cudworth choose Frehsee over sophomore backup Desiree Thibault? "Emerson's a senior and she's a little bigger and stronger," said Cudworth. "I thought she gave us the best chance to win." His hunch paid off, as Frehsee made 11 saves in regulation time and the two overtimes.
Croutworst, who scored six goals in the final game of the regular season, got Brattleboro's only goal in regulation, assisted by Tuma, in the first half. It was the 80th goal of Croutworst's high school career. Burlington's Sidney Burdick later tied the game in the second half.
The victory over the Seahorses was the first playoff win for Brattleboro girls' soccer since 2007. But the Bears had little time to savor it, for they had to face an even tougher opponent in the No. 5 St. Johnsbury Hilltoppers in an Oct. 25 quarterfinal at Natowich Field.
It may have been too much to ask of these young women, to come back on less than three days rest after a dramatic and exhausting opening win over Burlington. The Bears gave their all against a faster and more skilled Hilltoppers squad, but fell short, 2-0.
St. Johnsbury got its first goal when senior Avery Gelwicks scored in the 10th minute of the game. The Bears tried to get the equalizer, but couldn't break through. In the second half, Croutworst had to leave the game with an ankle injury with about 25 minutes left in regulation. She did return, her left ankle heavily taped, with 15 minutes to play.
Croutworst was not at full speed, but she and her teammates continued to try to find a way to tie the game. The Hilltoppers dashed that hope with 5:42 left in regulation when freshman Lucy Moriarty scored an insurance goal.
"They left everything they had here," said Cudworth. "I couldn't be more proud of them. I couldn't have asked for anything more from them against a pretty good team there."
Even with the disappointing ending, it was a historic season for Brattleboro. They tied the school record for wins with 11 victories. They tied Burr & Burton for first place in the Southern Vermont League's A Division, losing out on the crown on a tie-breaker. And they got their first playoff win in 18 years.
"Soccer is a cruel game," said Cudworth after the St. Johnsbury loss. "This stings a bit, but these girls can walk away knowing they made some history this season. I was a pretty lucky guy to be able to coach this team."
Rebel girls upset West Rutland to advance to semifinals
• Leland & Gray had a rough regular season, finishing 4-9-2. But, as the old sports cliché goes, everyone starts with a 0-0 record in the playoffs. The ninth-seeded Rebels proved that with a pair of big wins in the opening rounds of the Division IV girls' soccer tournament.
The wild ride began with an Oct. 21 trip to Danville in the Northeast Kingdom to face No. 8 Caledonia United. The Rebels rallied from a 2-0 second-half deficit with a pair of goals from Lily Litchfield in the final 15 minutes to force overtime, and Sophia Hallock scored the game-winner off a penalty kick seven minutes into the first overtime to give the Rebels a 3-2 victory.
The Rebels then had to go on the road again on Oct. 24 to face the undefeated top seed, the West Rutland Golden Horde, in the quarterfinals. Again, the Rebels rallied in the second half and broke a 1-1 tie at the half with a pair of goals for a shocking 3-1 win.
At press time, the Rebels were set to travel to Poultney to face the fourth-seeded Blue Devils in the Division IV semifinals on Oct. 28.
BF girls reach field hockey semifinals
• Veronica Moore scored six goals and an assist as top-seeded Bellows Falls rolled to a 7-0 win over the eighth-seeded Middlebury Tigers in a Division II quarterfinal game on Oct. 24 in Westminster.
It would have been easy for the 12-2-1 Terriers to see this game against the 2-11-1 Tigers as a walkover. Moore said she and her teammates were having none of that. "We didn't want to overlook this team," she said.
BF coach Bethany Coursen agreed and, after a scoreless first quarter, said her players "started trusting each other" and passing the ball more. It paid dividends in the second quarter as the Terriers took a 3-0 lead.
Moore got an unassisted goal just 90 seconds into the second quarter and scored again with 11 minutes to play in the second. Moore then set up Avery Maxfield for a goal six minutes later to all but clinch the win.
"Veronica is a dynamic player, and when she is on, she's tough to stop," said Coursen.
Aside from a brief hiccup in the third quarter, when Middlebury ended up with five penalty corners in the space of a couple of minutes, the Terriers were solid on defense and goalie Brook Parker needed to make just one save in earning another shutout victory. Moore scored twice more in the third quarter, and added two more goals in the fourth for her double hat trick.
At press time, the Terriers were set to take on their field hockey arch rivals, the 7-6-2 Hartford Hurricanes, in the semifinals on Oct. 28. It will be the third time this season they've faced each other. BF won both of the regular season games, but as Coursen cautioned, "it is hard to beat a team three times in one season."
Wildcat boys reach semifinals
• The top-seeded and undefeated Twin Valley Wildcats had eight days off between their last regular season game and their Division IV boys' soccer quarterfinal game against the No. 8 Sharon Academy Phoenix on Oct. 25.
"We had some time to heal up, because virtually everyone is hurting this time of year, but you always worry about being rusty with so much time between games," said Twin Valley coach Buddy Hayford. "I didn't see any rust tonight. The rest was definitely a blessing."
It certainly was. Alex Sullivan scored three first-half goals as the Wildcats shut out the Phoenix, 5-0, before a big crowd on a chilly night at Hayford Field.
This game showed the clinical precision of Twin Valley and how the Wildcats, in the words of Hayford, "imposed our will on Sharon."
Sullivan got the first of his goals in the sixth minute, heading in a ball from Brayden Brown that beat Sharon goalie Collin Keep.
Brown then set up Carson McHale with a through ball that McHale tucked into the net in the 29th minute. Sullivan scored again with a 25-yard strike with Niko Gerding getting the assist in the 35th minute, and then Sullivan finished his hat trick with Brown again assisting in the 38th minute to give the Wildcats an insurmountable 4-0 lead at the half.
"Those were some beautiful goals," said Hayford. "Alex is always lurking around near the goal, and then bang, he puts the ball in the net."
McHale got his second goal of the game in the first minute of the second half, with Brown picking up his fourth assist of the night. The rest of the game was played with a running clock as the mercy rule kicked in. Neither team could muster a quality scoring chance as Twin Valley goalkeeper Kaelyn Lackey had to make just two saves before giving way to Davis Cole in the final 10 minutes. Twin Valley had a 19-2 advantage in shots and controlled the ball for nearly the entire game.
Hayford credited his midfielders for controlling play, and his back line for making it another easy night for his goalkeepers. "This is a team with a lot of veteran players. They know what to do."
Next up for the 15-0 Wildcats is a semifinal match at Hayford Field against the fifth-seeded Mill River Minutemen (10-5-1) on Oct. 29. Sharon got to the quarterfinals after defeating ninth-seeded Leland & Gray. 2-1, on Oct. 22.
Cross country championships
• Brattleboro finished fifth in the Division I boys' state cross country championships on Oct. 24 at Thetford Academy.
Nico Conathan-Leach was the top Brattleboro finisher, coming third in 16 minutes, 52.30 seconds. Other Bears in the scoring mix were Willow Sharma (16th, 17:54.20), Liam Conathan-Leach (32nd, 18:52.70), Jonas Ackerman-Hovis (33rd, 18:54.10), and Jackson Ferreira (40th, 19:02.80)
• Green Mountain's Desi Broadley successfully defended her Division III state girls' individual championship. Broadley, who won the 2024 championship running for Bellows Falls, decisively won her second title wearing the green and gold of her new school, winning her race with a time of 20 minutes, 22.70 seconds, well ahead of Daisy Jane Berg of Peoples Academy, who finished second in 21:35.10. GM's Gillian Robb was 24th in 25:32.80.
Fall playoff roundup
• Seventh-seeded Brattleboro lost to second-seeded Otter Valley, 4-1, in the Division II field hockey quarterfinals on Oct 24.
This was a close game in the first half, as the Otters led 2-1 at the break. However, the Otters scored two more goals in the second half and shut down the Bears' offense. Brattleboro finished the season with a 2-11-1 record.
• Fifth-seeded Rutland shut out No. 12 Brattleboro, 3-0, in a Division I boys' soccer first round playoff game on Oct. 21. Brattleboro finished the season at 6-9.
• No. 13 Twin Valley lost to fourth-seeded Poultney, 1-0, in a Division IV first-round girls' soccer playoff game on Oct. 21. Jade Lupien scored the game's only goal in the second minute of play.
• Seventh-seeded Bellows Falls lost to No. 10 Woodstock, 6-0, in the first round of the Division III girls' soccer playoffs on Oct. 22.
Woodstock stops BF in wild 60-52 game
• The final regular season football game for Woodstock and Bellows Falls ended up being a high scoring shootout that took two overtimes to settle, with the Wasps coming away with a 60-52 victory to end the Terriers' bid for an undefeated record.
How wild was this one? The teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of offense, with the hosts outgaining the Terriers 525-445. BF did most of its damage on the ground, led by Jaden Bazin (273 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown) and Pat Connors (123 rushing yards, one touchdown).
Bellows Falls kept the Wasps from scoring before the end of regulation, but they were not as successful in overtime.
The Terriers briefly held the lead after striking first in overtime on an 8-yard TD run by Bazin, but the hosts were able to tie the game by scoring on the following play. Woodstock capitalized again in the second overtime on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line before refusing to give up a single yard on the game's final possession to hold on for the victory.
Both teams ended the regular season with 7-1 records, but Woodstock ended up with the top seed in the Division II playoffs, which begin Oct. 30. Woodstock will host No. 8 Windsor, while the second-seeded Terriers host No. 7 Mill River at Hadley Field.
Bears snap 16-game losing streak
• For the first time in over two years, the Brattleboro Bears have won a football game. They were victorious Oct. 26, winning their senior night game against the winless North Country Falcons, 30-22.
Senior John Harrison was all over the field, making impact plays on both offense and defense. Both of Brattleboro's first two touchdowns came on Harrison receptions; he finished 95 yards from scrimmage and added an interception on defense.
The two touchdowns made the score 14-0. North Country tied the game on a pair of Brattleboro mistakes. The Bears attempted a fake punt and converted, but the runner fumbled after crossing the first down marker. Quarterback/defensive back Noah Taylor scooped and scored from over 40 yards out.
Running back/defensive back Gage Beaumont intercepted an errant pass from Brattleboro quarterback Logan Casey on Brattleboro's following drive. Taylor scored on a quarterback keeper on the ensuing drive to tie the game up.
Junior Hunter Roth had a breakout performance. After his usage had declined in recent weeks, the running back exploded for 64 yards on eight carries and the first touchdown of his football career. That touchdown made it 21-14. Roth was also perfect on extra points, going 4-for-4.
For the second time in three weeks, Luke DiZoglio was also a standout performer, providing for the Bears in all three phases. On defense, registering two sacks and two pass break-ups. One of those sacks was in the end zone, bringing Taylor down for a safety that made it a two-score game with just over eight minutes to go in the fourth.
DiZoglio added two catches for 43 yards, including a 34-yard catch on an impressive grab where he went up and over a defender. He also pinned North Country's offense inside their own 10-yard line twice on punts. Senior Colby Bristol put the game out of reach with a rushing score with four minutes to go in the fourth. It was one of Bristol's best games of his career with 60 yards on ten carries.
North Country would go on to score one more touchdown before the end of the game, with Beaumont pounding it in from seven yards out. Taylor brought another quarterback keeper in on the two-point attempt to bring the score to 30-22. That would be all North Country could muster, as their final drive sputtered out near midfield.
Brattleboro's student section stormed the field and set off confetti as the Bears secured their first win of the season. The win snapped a 16-game losing streak. While Brattleboro missed a playoff spot in Division I with a 1-7 record, there were enough glimmers of hope to suggest 2026 might be a better season for the Bears.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 8 of the fall/winter season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl on Oct. 23 saw Slo Movers and Wayne's World (both 26-14) remain tied for first place, followed by Pinocent Bystanders and 3 Plus One (both 24-16), Ricochet (20-20), Strike Away (19-21), Stayin' Alive and Lucky 7 (both 17-23), SOS (15-25), and Strikers (12-28).
Diane Cooke had the women's high handicap game (246) and series (682), while Wayne Randall had the men's high handicap game (253) and Mike Pavlovich had the high handicap series (678). 3 Plus One had the high team handicap game (917) and Wayne's World had the high handicap series (2,536).
Kevin Napaver had the men's high scratch series (631) with games of 247 and 205, while Milt Sherman had a 595 series with games of 216 and 191. Pavlovich has a 558 series with a 201 game, John Walker had a 526 series with a 195 game, Rick Westcott had a 514 series, Gary Montgomery had a 513 series, and Randall had a 502 series with a 208 game.
Cooke had the women's high scratch series (490), with a pair of 182 games. Pam Greenblott had a 167 game, and Pat Bentrup and Nancy Dalzell both had 161 games.
Randolph T. Holhut, deputy editor of this newspaper, has written this column since 2010 and has covered sports in Windham County since the 1980s. Readers can send him sports information at news@commonsnews.org. Football coverage was provided by Thaddeus Sawyer of WTSA Radio and Dan Barile of springfieldareasportspage.com.
This Sports column by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.