THETFORD — Namya Benjamin’s sweeper tryout is complete.
The Thetford Academy junior scored an early goal during Wednesday’s 5-0 win over Enosburg Falls in a VPA Division III girls soccer semifinal, then dropped back on defense to fill in for injured starter Grace Davis.
Davis, a senior, is expected to return for Saturday’s championship game against Vergennes, but her position may have found its next successor.
“Namya seems like she likes that position, and she looks like she can play it really well,” said Thetford Coach Dave Williams. “So we’re kind of excited about her there next year. That’s an important position. Grace has been a rock back there for us for three years now, and if Namya’s willing to step into that position and play it like she’s been, that will be a real boost for the team.”
Benjamin, who normally plays further up the field at attack, has seen time at sweeper in several games.
“I feel like throughout this year, I’ve been slowly coming out at the end of the game and Namya’s been going in,” Davis said. “And she’s been doing a really good job, just with her aggression and everything like that. I feel like she’s doing good taking it over.”
In the meantime, the No. 1 Panthers (14-2-1) have one more hurdle to jump in their quest for a third consecutive D-III title. The No. 2 Commodores (11-4-1) defeated Leland and Gray, 2-1, on Wednesday to set up a title-game rematch.
Thetford’s victory against No. 5 Enosburg (12-5), which took place in muddy conditions, was never in doubt. Benjamin’s goal came two minutes into the game on a counter-attack against the Hornets and their goalie, Zoe McGee.
Casey MacVeagh headed in a Davis corner kick midway through the first half before the latter left with a shin injury. MacVeagh added another tally after McGee coughed up a high-arching Emi Vaughn service from the right side and later completed a hat trick by scoring a goal assisted by Autumn Horniak. Lily MacVeagh added a goal for the Panthers, assisted by her sister, Casey, on a corner kick.
Thetford started the season rather slowly, losing to South Burlington and tying Montpelier within their first three games. They lost to U-32 on Sept. 17 and have since won 12 games in a row. In three postseason games, the Panthers have scored 17 goals and given up only two.
Saturday’s championship rematch is set for 10 a.m. at the Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford.
“(Vergennes is) a good team,” Williams said. “That was a nice final last year, that was a scrap right to the end. It’s just real fun to be playing this time of year, and I feel great for our seniors because they’re a terrific group and they’ve worked hard for a long time.”