Williamstown, Vt.
Displaying old-school futbol skills and tactics, the third-seeded Blue Devils shook off a concerted challenge from seventh-ranked Thetford on Tuesday, claiming a 2-1 Vermont Division III boys soccer semifinal victory at Williamstown Middle High School.
A retro turnaround blast from midfielder Ben Bristow midway through the second half spelled the difference in the match and ended a surprise tournament run for the Panthers (10-6-1), who are now four years removed from their last title-game appearance.
That’s nothing compared to Williamstown (16-1-0). The Blue Devils just had a four-year run of D-III hoop titles ended and will enter the winter owners of five state basketball crowns in seven seasons. But when they suit up for the D-III boys soccer final at Bellows Falls Union High School on Saturday, they’ll be doing so for the first time.
“I don’t allow them to talk basketball,” said fourth-year Williamstown coach Kasey Miller, who had guided many of this year’s Blue Devils since they were sixth-graders.
“Everything we’ve heard is it’s a basketball school. It is, but this is the second time we’ve been to the (soccer) final four in the last four years. This is the first time in the championship. We’re going to enjoy it.”
Thetford didn’t sufficiently establish the midfield possession style of soccer that coach Mark Weigel prefers enough to keep the Panthers’ postseason run going. Even with a 1-1 draw at the half, TA was less impressive than Weigel would have preferred.
The visitors couldn’t be faulted for their effort, however. Thetford didn’t earn its first corner until the 67th minute but piled six into those last 13 minutes on the clock. The Panthers forced three second-half saves and a couple of harried punch clearances from Williamstown goalkeeper Eric Hurlburt, but they couldn’t link enough passes to get through the Blue Devils’ backs on a regular basis.
“The kids have just really wanted it, and I’ve been so proud of the way they became so consistent once the postseason started,” Weigel said. “We played our best soccer in the postseason. I really admire these kids, how they came together as a team, really jelled and played their hearts out.”
The Blue Devils thrived on their bumpy and compact home surface largely because of the style they play. Williamstown’s big backs like physical soccer and appear as capable of chopping wood as chopping down the opposition. They and Hurlburt think nothing of quick releases over the enemy defense, confident that they’ll win the battle to the ball.
Like kids successful at basketball might be, the Blue Devils also excel in the air. Between eight corners and frequent long throw-ins, the hosts successfully knocked passes to the box down to secondary targets who had chances to test Thetford goalkeeper Anthony Stoffel (three saves) more than they eventually did.
The Devils got on the board first at 18:35 in such fashion. A left-wing cross from forward Jacob Tassie overshot the TA box, but ski-capped right back Brandon Currier returned the ball to the mixer. Burly forward Nathan Poulin then nodded it home off the back of his head past Stoffel.
But Thetford returned the favor in identical manner just seven minutes later. Aiden Cudhea lobbed a free kick over the Williamstown defense to Connor Brown, who pulled Hurlburt off his line at the right post. That gave Brown room to find Frank Loveland with a rolling pass for the empty-net conversion at 25:31.
Aside from that strike, however, Thetford midfielders struggled to set the tempo through the opening 40 minutes.
“It wasn’t our best brand of soccer, no doubt,” Weigel said. “I don’t know if it was the nerves, if it was the hype and the big game, but I’d say a lot of the game unfortunately wasn’t our Thetford brand.”
Bristow put the Devils ahead to stay at 59:38 with an old-school goal of Giorgio Chinaglia vintage. (History time: Don’t know Giorgio? Google him.) After Thetford’s defense cleared out a Williamstown pass, midfielder Justin Morande returned the ball to the top of the TA box. Bristow settled the feed, then in one motion turned and whipped an 18-yard drive with his left foot that caught the hands of the flying Stoffel before settling into the net off the left post.
“That was only his third goal of the year; this team is so deep,” Miller said. “Our guys who play on defense can go up and score, too. I just told him to crash. He was playing sweeper; I told him to make that run once in a while, and if he does, sometimes that ball might be left right there.”
The Panthers pressed over the final 15 minutes, piling up corner after corner without success. Hurlburt punched two dangerous feeds clear, got his body behind a 22-yard Brown free kick with 10 minutes left and raced out to the edge of his box to beat TA’s Erik Lindahl to a dangerous through pass shortly after that.
“They helped disrupt our game plan,” Weigel said of the Blue Devils. “They were very solid in the midfield. I think that, in the end, became a big factor in the game.”
Free Kicks: The Panthers lost attacking midfielder Jackson Hall in the 24th minute to an apparent head injury when he was plowed from behind by Morande in pursuit of a 50-50 ball at midfield. … Meanwhile, TA center back Arthur Clayton played much of the second half with a welt on his forehead after taking a punch during a collision in the Thetford box. Given the assessment of the bump (golf-ball round, maybe two silver dollars in thickness) by a stranger, Clayton smiled before returning and said, “Decent.” … Each squad attempted 12 shots. Hurlburt finished with four saves for Williamstown, which will meet the winner of today’s Stowe-Twin Valley semifinal for the title on Saturday. … Loveland’s goal was his sixth of the year for Thetford and his first since scoring in a 10-0 rout of Blue Mountain on Sept. 14. … The Panthers dropped the 2012 D-III final to Stowe and last won a state boys soccer crown in 1996. … The Panthers will lose Clayton, Lindahl, Brown, Mitchell Higgins, Noah Perry and Ryan Lucas to graduation.