Henniker, n.h.
Squads from Vermont dominated the girls-boys doubleheader, outscoring their Granite State foes by a 10-2 margin — a 5-0 win for the girls, a 5-2 win for the boys — in the annual fundraiser for various Twin State Lions charities. Sharon Academy’s Mallory Lloyd scored twice for the Green Mountain girls; Woodstock’s Anna Dieffenbach opened the scoring. On the boys’ side, Woodstock’s Collin Campbell provided an offensive spark on a tenacious Vermont team that looked like a squad on a mission.
It was the first time since 2012 that both Vermont teams have walked away winners from the Lions Cup; the five-goal win was the largest since the girls match began in 1983 and the first time Vermont scored more than four goals in a single game since 2003.
For Bonneau and Strohbehn, participating in the Lions Cup was more than just a chance to compete against high school foes. Strohbehn’s brothers Luke, in 2015, and Ian, in 2013, both were selected for the Lions Cup when they were graduated seniors from Hanover. Their father, Kris, also represented Hanover in the 1979 Lions Cup. Both Bonneau’s mother, Vicki, and father, Kevin, also participated in the event.
“It’s huge; it means a lot,” said Sam Strohbehn, who is headed to Tufts University in the fall. “Obviously, I had big shoes to fill; my dad and my brothers were great players. It definitely means a lot because it’s for a great cause. We’re not just playing for fun; we’re playing to raise money for eyesight and vision problems.”
Kevin Bonneau said his son has earned the opportunity. He’s headed to Keene State College and plans on playing club soccer.
“He worked hard. It was a nice surprise for everybody,” said the elder Bonneau, who played in the Lions Cup in 1987. “It’s pretty cool. My experience was great. I’m sure he’ll have the same thing. It’s an honor to play for the state.
“We’ve got a daughter,” he added with a laugh. “The pressure is on her now.”
It might not have been a bad idea to watch Vermont’s girls on Saturday and take notes for future application.
Dieffenbach’s opening score at 25 minutes, 34 seconds of the first half was the result of minutes-long pressure on New Hampshire.
“The coolest part was being able to work with such a high level and bond as a team so quickly,” said Dieffenbach, who’s next step is track and field at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. “It was like the first practice, we clicked. A lot of the girls are up north from Division I. I was expecting them to really stay to themselves. But they were pretty good.”
Lloyd, who will play soccer for Plymouth State in the fall, added to the lead 13:33 later on a cross from right of the goal that deflected off of a New Hampshire defender and into the Granite State net. Amber Sicard, from Colchester, scored in stoppage time on a rocket from outside the box to make it 3-0 for Vermont at halftime.
Lloyd’s second goal came at 42:22 of the second half, and Colchester’s Brenna McMannon pounded in the insurance goal in stoppage time. U-32’s Aine Kennedy provided two assists; Mount Anthony’s Allie Boudreau and South Burlington’s Cameron Peyko each had one helper. Hanover’s J.J. Taube was given the 12th player award for New Hampshire after the game for her contributions to the Granite State effort.
“I’ve always been used to holding myself back for my teams,” siad Lloyd, the Upper Valley’s leading goal-scorer for the past three seasons. “For this, it was really nice to go all out. My school coach (Blake Fabrikant) has always begged me, ‘Please, go all out.’ For this, it was super nice because everyone is so good and really talented. They could keep up.”
In the boys’ game, it was Vermont’s speed that caught New Hampshire off-guard. Ethan Riddell, from Harwood, finished the game with a hat trick. Rice’s Brent McKeown and Essex’ Aiden Whitney provided the other goals. Jake Acker, from Hanover, scored New Hampshire’s first goal of the day with 23:45 left in the sceond half, but it was too little, too late.
“I thought it was an amazing experience overall, just the entire weekend,” Dieffenbach said.
“Then, coming to this game, I knew it was going to be really challenging. The level of play would be really high. I really enjoyed playing and it was good to know, because we basically had a second team on the bench, we could all out and then just be subbed whenever we needed it.”
Notes: Saturday was the first time New England College had hosted the Lions Cup. It will take place at Castleton University next year. … Devin Poslusny, a 17-year-old from Belmont High, recorded both games from remote-controlled drones that glided above the action, from GoPro cameras inside each net and from a sideline camera in the crowd. Poslusny said it’s something he’s just started doing for his school and said a full video will posted on YouTube and will go on sale for the Lions Club eventually. … Alan St. Louis, a Lions Club member in Nashua, sang the national anthem wearing a buttoned-down American flag shirt. St. Louis was introduced as holding seven world records for singing the national anthem, which include the most anthems in one year (217 performances in 2012), the most anthems in one day (25 performances in 2016) and the high-altitude anthem world record in a hot air balloon, according to his business card.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.