Sports Central

Big Games

I'll be off in a few minutes to cover the Norwich Suffolk men's soccer game, one game of several in a week of soccer that just keeps getting better. In fact, Norwich vs. Suffolk may or may not be the best matchup on the schedule despite the fact that that it is a Great Northeast Athletic Conference semifinal. Norwich has been the league's dominant team this year, but only beat Suffolk 3-2 on the road early in the season.

A half hour or so after Norwich kicks off, things really heat up with Montpelier hosting Harwood and Spaulding hosting Burlington in the girls high school playoffs. Harwood vs. Montpelier might be the best of the season after the Solons nipped the Highlanders in Duxbury early in the season. Spaulding, meanwhile, has something the prove against the Seahorses. After leaving the Metro Division of the NVAC and moving to the Capitol Division, the Crimson Tide girls ran off a 14-0 season. They did that without playing Burlington, South Burlington, CVU, Mount Mansfield or Colchester. The unbeaten record earned them the No. 1 seed, but without having fought the Metro wars the seed came with some suspicion. To balance the suspicion Spaulding has home-field advantage and team that has quickly learned how to win.

Finally, on my home turf a little, Saturday marks the resumption of an inter-county feud between Stowe and Peoples Academy in the Division III finals. Both teams upset high-seeded squads to get into the finals, they played each other this season in a 1-0 game (won by PA) and the championship game should be a great one. Too bad it's being played in Middlebury. The home turf comment is because I went to Stowe High School 30 or more years ago and played (though not much and not well) on Stowe's last state championship team in 1974.

Pete Hartt   

Berry saves Colby-Sawyer

Always on the lookout for our former area high school athletes in the releases some college sports information directors send us, I found this game story about the Colby-Sawyer men's soccer team's conference tournament win featuring former U-32 keeper Will Berry:

Chargers Advance With 1-0 Victory over Gordon College

WENHAM, Mass. – October 27, 2007 – Colby-Sawyer's Kevin Brisebois scored what proved to be the game winner with just six minutes to go in the first half in the Chargers quarterfinal match up with Gordon College on Saturday and freshman goalkeeper Will Berry of Berlin made 13 saves as the No. 5 seeded Chargers held on for the 1-0 victory over No. 4 seeded Gordon College in The Commonwealth Coast Conference quarterfinal round of the men's soccer tournament. The win is the first for the Chargers in post-season play since 2004.

Gordon (9-8-1) came out of the gate firing, registering nine shots in the opening 15 minutes but the Chargers (9-7-2) were up to the task in the early going. With 29:14 to play in the opening half, Gordon's offense had their chance against Colby-Sawyer's freshman goalkeeper but Gordon's Chuck Anderas fired the ball over the top of the cross bar on an open net. The relentless attack continued for the Fighting Scots but despite 17 shots first half, Gordon came up empty.

With 6:12 to play in the half, Colby-Sawyer was fouled five yards off the end-line, setting up a chance for the Chargers. Sophomore forward Andrew Popp  sent the direct kick to the top of the box where he found senior midfielder Kevin Brisebois who sent the ball to the back of the net from 18 yards out to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.

The Fighting Scots tried to get back on the attack but Berry stopped three consecutive shots to preserve the one-goal lead. With just over two minutes to play, CSC senior midfielder Nic DeZenzo nearly put the Chargers up a second goal, but the shot rattled off the cross bar.

Up 1-0 to begin the second half, the Chargers offense came to life as a more balanced second period of play ensued. Several chances on both ends of the field came up empty throughout the second half as Colby-Sawyer put up 19 shots to the Fighting Scots' 10. The Scots continued to press as time ran down but could not find the back of the net as Berry finished the contest with 13 saves and the Chargers defeated the Fighting Scots 1-0.

The Fighting Scots finish the season with a 9-8-1.

Colby-Sawyer moves on to play Western New England College on Tuesday, October 30. Western New England won their quarterfinal matchup with the Nor'easters of the University of New England 1-0, thanks to an own-goal by the Nor'easters.

In the two team's regular season matchup, the Golden Bears came away with a 1-0 victory in Springfield, Mass. in the winner of University of New England and Western New England College in the TCCC Semifinals on Tuesday (Oct. 30).

Any other news on former area athletes??

--Anna Grearson

a few random thoughts post-Game 1

OK fine, JD Drew and Julio Lugo are okay. They can hang around some more. My jury is still out on Eric Gagne, however, and that, my friends, is unwavering.

A few thoughts after today's high school sporting playoff action:
Did you know a member of Oxbow's girls soccer team is a nationally-ranked equestrian eventer? I'm pretty sure I didn't, either. The things you learn by making friends with score keepers and clock-runners.

Said Oxbow girls team is No. 2 for a reason, and for none other than the double-local and because I am positive I am not alone in thinking so, I would've loved for the Olympians to take on No. 7 Northfield in the second round. I hear Enosburg is a good team and the game sounds like it could be a good one, but I've really enjoyed covering both Northfield soccer teams and I like the idea of a Marauder-Olympian contest...am I alone here?

--Anna Grearson

First round congrats

Once you get to the middle of the pack in the playoff seedings, let's say No. 6 through No. 11, it's hard to call any defeat of a higher seed by a lower seed an upset of great dimension. That said I will stop short of calling the U-32 boys 2-1 victory over Middlebury an upset. What it was was a good win by an improving team with a lot on the line. The "lot" is a two year state championship legacy and every game the Raiders win is another step in that defense. With what the Raiders lost to graduation a repeat is unlikely, but until someone dethrones the defending champs they are the champs, and now they just have a couple of upsets  to go before thy are right back at the big game.

Kudos also to the Spaulding boys for advancing into the quarterfinals, though at No. 5 their win was not an upset. The question mark with a trio of area teams is how much the regular season schedule hurts or helps them. No question the top seed in the Division I girls tournament and the second seed in the Division III tournament made the Spaulding girls and Oxbow girls playing a slightly easier regular season schedule highly worthwhile. Now both teams have to prove the value by winning a round or two in the playoffs. For the Spaulding boys the situation was a little different. The Crimson Tide proved its ability in the Essex Tournament early in the schedule and is a threat in Div. I, though the road will be hard.

Finally, regarding yesterday's defense of J.D. Drew: It's still not about the money. In any employment market the worker owes it to himself to earn as much money as possible, and if he or she gets a big contract (relative to others in the office or where ever) they are to be congratulated for doing a good job in that aspect of their work. J.D. Drew was hired for five years at $70M and his performance over the course of the contract will prove whether it was a good deal or not. His power numbers, which everyone was counting on to be 20-25 home runs and 100-plus RBI  were down, but no more down than David Ortiz who lost 20 some odd home runs and Manny Ramirez who had an interrupted mediocre year.

By the way, you can double my salary, and this blog won't get any better.

Pete Hartt   

Bring them on

The boys soccer playoffs start today, the girls Tuesday and Wednesday, and with any luck the quality of play will match the weather we've been having. At a time of the year when the playoffs are often a slog through rain, sleet, snow and cold weather that turns as much into a survival of the fittest as a battle for the best teams, good weather is a bonus. Good weather allows the teams to show their best instead of fighting for cover under the umbrella or rain cape; no excuses (not that many teams made them anyway) and upsets to the team that earns them.

In a way good weather can make for a less exciting playoffs because the lucky, ball stops dead in a puddle causing the goalie to miss an easy play and allowing the forward who slipped and fell to get up and kick the sitter into the net. It still most often came down to skill, desire and fitness, but my 35 year old memory of a game played in Peacham with 11 inches of snow on the field is indelible.

I know that the ski areas would like to see a hint of snow on the mountains, but two more weeks of passable weather would make an already great fall playoff season just that much more enjoyable.

catching up with local grads

In a long-overdue look around at area high school athletes who have left us for greener collegiate pastures, one finds a good deal of success.

Former Spaulding girls soccer keeper Cady Kerin has done well in goal for the Castleton State College Spartans, recording 13 saves back in September in a match against Skidmore.

Another former Crimson Tide athlete, Stacey Brown, was mentioned in a release by the Ithaca College Sports Information Department in early October. Brown, a senior back on the women's field hockey team, had started six games at that point and scored her first goal and first assist in the Bombers' contest with Hartwick on Oct. 6.

Former U-32 keeper Will Berry has also done well in the college net with Colby-Sawyer, stopping five shots in the Chargers' 5-1 win over New England College on Oct. 11.

Any other news about area grads?? I'd like to keep track of all that I can in this blog, so do pass along any word on our former athletes to anna.grearson@timesargus.com.

--Anna Grearson