It didn't take long for the Colchester Lakers to take a lead they would not relinquish in their 2-0 victory over Essex in the girl's division one high school soccer semi-final playoffs yesterday.
Leah Lamothe sent a corner kick into the area just over a minute into the start of the game and Brooke Booska converted the try into the net for a 1-0 Lakers lead. In the second half it was another corner by Lamothe that eventually found its way to the back of the goal when Madison Finelli put the corner home.
The Lakers next challenge will be trying to topple top seeded and defending state champions CVU and hand them their first loss in an otherwise perfect 16-0 season. CVU and Colchester will play for the D-1 state title Saturday morning at ten, after CVU's 2-0 victory over South Burlington.
The Wolves held the Redhawks without a goal in a scoreless first half but CVU broke through in the second on a goal by Josie Pecor, and doubled their lead when Olivia Zubarik polished off a breakaway chance.
In division two girls soccer an epic battle between U-32 and Milton needed two overtimes to decide a winner and that came off the foot of Milton freshman Emma Warner, who booted the game winner for the Yellowjackets less than a minute into the second frame of extra time, a golden goal that gave Milton a 2-1 victory and sends them to the D-2 state championship game.
This is familiar territory for Milton, which has won the last three D-2 state crowns and can make it four in a row if they can defeat top-seeded Rice Saturday morning. This should be a great match between Milton and Rice, the one and two seeds respectively, who met in last year's final and went to penalty kicks before the Yellowjackets triumphed.
Rice booked their trip to the final by edging out Mount Abraham 2-1. Alex Dostie had the game winner for Rice, converting a pass from Emma Blanck early in the second half.
Division three saw another double overtime thriller that extended the season for the underdog sixth seeded Vergennes Commodores. They will play for the D-3 title thanks to am double overtime winner put home by Emily Rooney for a 2-1 victory over number two seed Oxbow. Avery Barton scored first for Oxbow, but Vergennes evened the game on a goal by Ciara McClay in the 69th minute to set up Rooney's double OT winner.
The Commodores get a chance for an upset in the D-3 state title game against top-seeded Thetford, after their 1-0 shut-out of Peoples Academy.*
And in division four, goals by Maggie McKearin and Maddie Flander gave top-seeded Proctor a 2-1 win over West Rutland. Proctor will go on to face Arlington in the D-4 state final after Gillian Calkins scored the only goal of the contest in Arlington's 1-0 victory over Long Trail.
There was semi-final high school field hockey action as well, and in division two Burr and Burton shut out Woodstock 2-0, while in division three Stowe and Missisquoi were knotted at 1 after regulation and went to penalty strokes to decide the game, with Stowe emerging victorious in the shootout round 3-1.
In men's college soccer UVM suffered a 1-0 shut-out loss against UNH in its last regular season contest at Virtue Field yesterday, Jack Doherty scoring the only goal of the contest for New Hampshire, and in college Field Hockey UNH defeated Saint Michael's 2-0.
*The original broadcast version of this report incorrectly stated the final as 4-0 in favor of Thetford.
