Thetford
Casey MacVeagh scored a goal and had an assist within the first 6 minutes and 19 seconds of Thetford’s game against Northfield-Williamstown on Tuesday, an eventual 4-1 win. The match ended with 10:12 left in the second half due to an injured player, N-W defender Savannah King, being driven off the field in an ambulance. Lily MacVeagh also had an assist as the Panthers (11-1) secured a tighter grasp on the top seed in VPA Division III one year after falling in their second championship game in four seasons.
This year, the Panthers hope they can turn regular-season success into a different result.
Much of Thetford’s progress this year has been a credit to its sophomore class, which has filled the Panthers’ starting 11 with talented athletes. Grace Davis has matured into a defensive leader; Arwen Clayton is a talented playmaker at central midfield.
But no position was more in doubt in the preseason than striker after the Panthers graduated Regan Covey — Thetford’s leading scorer with 15 goals and six assists — a year ago.
“Regan was a very effective player for us,” Williams said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “I remember Ted (MacVeagh, Casey and Lily’s father and Thetford’s assistant coach) expressing concern on how to replace that. But I said to him I wasn’t so concerned. You’re always going to miss a player like that. But I was fairly confident in Casey’s abilities. We were very comfortable with what she could do.”
That confidence seems to have been well-placed. Casey enters Thetford’s regular-season finale, on the road against U-32 on Friday, with 18 goals and five assists. She’s scored in all but two games and has scored at least twice in all but five games.
“Last year, I didn’t play so much up front, so I didn’t score many goals,” Casey said. “But in the preseason, I started playing striker. … I’m pretty surprised by the amount (of goals). But I’ve been playing soccer for a really long time, so I feel like I’m pretty experienced.”
The sister tandem, Williams said, is even better when playing together. The Panthers’ coach admitted he’s made it a point to keep the two within passing distance; Lily has five goals and six assists in 12 games this season.
Their emergence hasn’t surprised their teammates.
“I’ve been playing with (Casey) year-round for about a year now,” Clayton said. “She’s a really good player. … Mentally, (Casey and Lily) have a really good soccer IQ.”
Casey’s experience showed in the first minute against Northfield-Williamstown (3-9), when she made an aggressive drive toward the left post that forced an early corner kick and led to Thetford’s opening goal. Her corner delivery found an open Jordan Mousley, who netted her third goal.
Casey added to the lead five minutes later, taking a through ball from Sophia Williams following Ellen Veracka’s initial pass. Thetford sophomore Alexis Gaetz scored twice more within the next 10 minutes off of defensive breakdowns by N-W, which trailed 4-0 within the game’s first 20 minutes.
Shylah King put Northfield-Williamstown on the board just before halftime, beating Panthers goalkeeper Danielle Robinson high over her head. Robinson made six saves in the first half. Freshman Emma Berard made two saves after halftime.
“We try not to look too far ahead,” Williams said. “Last year, the team built expectations from game to game. They started believing in themselves. In the final, we just ran into a great program and got the short end of it. I think that only served to make them hungrier.”
Thetford has made four semifinal appearances since 2012 but has yet to break a championship slump that dates back to 1994. But Williams said the group entered this season with higher expectations. His players said they’ve taken the losses personally.
“We really want to win it because we feel like we have a good chance this year,” Lily said.
Added Casey: “I feel like we all want to avenge last year’s loss.”
Notes: King’s injury — to her neck or left shoulder, according to Thetford athletic director Blendon Salls — appeared to have been caused by a collision with the ground. She was down for about 20 minutes before the ambulance arrived. Northfield-Williamstown coach Jamal Jacobs consulted his team before deciding to end the game early. … Thetford seniors Robinson, Mousley, Hannah Davis, Brooke Horniak and Katherine Vaughan were honored before the game for senior night. … Thetford’s season finale is at 4 p.m. at U-32 on Friday.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.