-The Bellows Falls girls’ soccer team opened their season on Aug. 29 in Westminster with a big 4-3 win over one of the top teams in Division IV, the West Rutland Golden Horde.
West Rutland had only 11 players available to play, so the Horde had to go the full 80 minutes without substitutions. Bellows Falls striker Gracie Patterson scored four goals before the Horde gave their Division III opponent a scare with a late rally.
Patterson’s speed was too much for the West Rutland defense as she staked her team to a 3-1 halftime lead with goals in the 8th, 12th, and 17th minutes. All three goals came off breakaways.
“When Gracie can get behind a team’s defense, she can create a lot of problems,” said BF coach Jason West.
West Rutland’s Emma Haley spoiled the shutout bid with a goal in the 31st minute. The Horde had a chance early in the second half to shift the momentum their way when they were awarded a penalty kick in the 52nd minute. Haley missed the kick, and Patterson got her fourth goal of the day less than a minute later.
Bellows Falls seemed to have things firmly under control, but the Horde scored twice in the final 10 minutes of the game as Teigan Williams and Haley both found the back of the net to cut the Terriers’ lead to 4-3. The BF defense managed to hang on in the final minutes to earn a hard-fought victory.
In 2025, Bellows Falls compiled an 11-4 record for its first winning season since 2011. Most of the players are back from last season and are determined to prove that their 2025 success wasn’t an aberration.
“This was definitely a difficult match for us,” said West. “Playing a team like West Rutland was a true test for our players.”
Boys’ soccer
• The Brattleboro Bears cruised to a 6-0 win over the Green Mountain Grizzlies in the season opener for both teams at Natowich Field on Aug. 28.
The Division III Grizzlies were no match for the Division I Bears as Brattleboro took a 4-0 lead into halftime. Senior Eli Welch opened the scoring with a pair of goals in the 11th and 14th minutes. Senior Oscar Dawson made it 3-0 with a 25-yard blast into the net. Ninth-grader Liam Doak scored in the final minute of the first half.
Welch got his second goal just two minutes into the second half, and Dawson got his second tally with 16 minutes to play. Junior August Davis and sophomore Travis Shine split the goalkeeping duties for Brattleboro and both had little to do, thanks to the defense in front of them.
Brattleboro has a very deep roster this season with 22 players, 11 of whom are returning from last year’s team. Bears head coach Jonathan Elwell said that the key to the team having success this season will be finding the right blend of experience and youthful energy.
“We’ve been working on building trust, working as a unit, and being more dangerous up front,” Elwell said after the game. “The first 15 minutes were really solid for us, but we took our foot off the gas, Green Mountain tried to make us pay. They had some good chances.”
• Brayden Brown had three goals and an assist to lead the Twin Valley Wildcats to a 6-0 victory over White River Valley on Aug. 28 in South Royalton.
Niko Gerding added two goals and Alex Sullivan also scored with Landon Brown picking up the assist. Twin Valley led 1-0 at the half before scoring five goals in the second half. They outshot White River Valley, 18-6. WRV goalkeeper Trenton Griffin made 11 saves while Twin Valley goalkeeper Davis Cole needed to make just one.
• Leland & Gray traveled to Bennington on Aug. 29 to face the Grace Christian School Lions. The Rebels lost their opener, 3-2.
• For the second straight year, Bellows Falls will not be fielding a varsity boys’ soccer team. Athletic director Rob Weltz said that not enough players signed up to play, but three Bellows Falls students will be instead playing soccer for Green Mountain this fall.
Field hockey
• Bellows Falls opened their season on the road with a 2-1 win over the Colchester Lakers on Aug. 28. Avery Maxfield and Callyn Lisai were the Terriers’ goal scorers and goalie Brook Parker made five saves.
• Brattleboro opens their season on Sept. 2 when they host the Burr & Burton Bulldogs in a 4:15 p.m. game at Sawyer Field.
Pickleball for a purpose: Rally for Freedom Classic
• The Women’s Freedom Center in Brattleboro is inviting pickleball players from across the region to serve up some fun while supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence at its inaugural Rally for Freedom Pickleball Classic on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Living Memorial Park.
This all-day, open-gender doubles tournament will feature six courts, round-robin play in the morning, and championship playoff brackets in the afternoon. Players are currently registering as intermediate or advanced, based on self-rated DUPR skill levels.
“More than a day of competition, Rally for Freedom is a community fundraiser supporting the Women’s Freedom Center’s work with survivors of domestic and sexual violence across Windham and southern Windsor counties,” wrote organizers in a news release. “Proceeds will help sustain 24-hour crisis support, emergency shelter, legal advocacy, prevention education, and other essential services for individuals and families.”
Every team is guaranteed multiple games during morning round-robin play, with top teams advancing to afternoon playoff brackets to compete for medals and championship honors. Registration is $50 per person or $100 per team. Teams can register online at zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/rally-for-freedom-pickleball-classic.
Senior bowling roundup
• The spring/summer season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League concluded on Aug. 27 at Brattleboro Bowl with Pin Heads (55-30) having a 5-0 week to capture the season title. Queen ‘n’ Jokers (50-35) finished second, followed by The House (49-36), Ducks (47-38), Skippers (42-43), Near Miss (38-47), Strike Force (37-48), Number 1 and Slo Movers (both 36-49), and Team Two (35-50).
Debbie Rittenhour had the women’s high handicap game (248) and Diane Miller had the high handicap series (692). Milt Sherman had the men’s high handicap game (251) and John Walker had the high handicap series (665). Pin Heads had the team high handicap game (881) and series (2,590).
Kevin Napaver had the men’s high scratch series (711) with games of 279, 216, and 216, while Walker had a 590 series with games of 212, 195, and 183. Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 561 series with games of 219 and 191, Sherman had a 553 series with games of 225 and 195, Gary Montgomery had a 538 series with a pair of 188 games, Skip Shine had a 531 series with games of 203 and 181, and Rich Pietro had a 502 series with a 198 game. Wayne Randall rolled a 181.
Carol Gloski had the women’s high scratch series (465) and Shirley Aiken had the high scratch game (171). Rittenhour had a 168 game, Gloski had a 165 game, and Diane Miller rolled a 160.
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.
This Sports column by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.