BURLINGTON, Vt. — In a closely fought contest that was destined to leave one side heartbroken, the Woodstock Wasps fell to the Montpelier Solons 2-1 in double overtime in the VPA Division III state title game on Friday at Moulton Winder Field at the University of Vermont.
With about three and a half minutes left in the second seven-on-seven sudden-death overtime period, the Solons were awarded a penalty corner. It led to a flurry of action that ended when Montpelier senior Emily Tringe found fellow senior Regan Walke, who sent the ball into the back of the net to give Montpelier the win.
“I think we came out and we played incredible,” Wasps’ Head Coach Leanne Tapley said. “It’s not the way that anyone wanted to see it end, but it is the way it ended — my girls played amazing.”
Tapley singled out sophomore Betta Cirovic, who battled through a recent illness, and junior Grace Perreault, who had the Wasps’ lone goal, for their effort to bring a state title to Woodstock.
“This is an amazing group of girls,” Tapley said. “They’re so close, on and off the field, and they just really wanted this and worked really hard to get here.”
From the first whistle, it was apparent that both teams’ defenses were locked in and that both offenses would need to work hard to create quality scoring chances.
Late in the first quarter after a feeling-out period between the two squads, a bouncing ball came dangerously close the Woodstock net, but senior goalie Paige Stone was able to keep it out.
Just 90 seconds later, the Wasps took the lead on a shot from Perreault as she tumbled backward to take a 1-0 lead, to the delight of the Woodstock faithful who braved the wind and whipping rain in Burlington to cheer on their team.
That 1-0 lead for Woodstock lasted the rest of the first half. But it didn’t take long for the Solons to find an answer after the break.
About three minutes into the third quarter, a long outlet pass found the stick of Tringe, who beat Woodstock’s defenders and netminder to tie the game.
The scoreboard stayed at 1-1 for the remainder of regulation. That was despite some thrilling back-and-forth action that included near-misses for both squads that elicited groans and cheers from both contingents of fans.
Ultimately, it was the Solons who created the winning goal in the second overtime that put them in the record books as the D-III state champions.
Despite the losing some impact players to graduation, the future should remain bright for a Woodstock team that Tapley acknowledged is on the young side.
“I’m looking forward to another really successful season,” she said.
Tapley is hopeful her returning players will use Friday’s experience as motivation.
“A lot of them were sophomores out there and have never been to a championship game, and the anxiety and stress around just getting here — it’s a lot,” Tapley said. “So, I mean, I think getting here once and having that feeling will just make them hungry to come back.”
