Font ResizeBRATTLEBORO -- Playoff season is underway, and three area soccer teams will play the first round of their respective divisions, with all games starting today at 3 p.m.
In Division 1 boys soccer, no. 10 Brattleboro (7-7-0) will travel to Jericho to face no. 7 Mt. Mansfield (9-4-1).
"So far we’ve had a decent regular season," said BUHS coach Paul Sather. "The whole northern metro-league is always a challenge, but we’re looking forward to Tuesday’s game."
Coach Sather said his plan against the no. 7 seed is to first fortify the Colonel defense, before going on the attack. Fortunately for Brattleboro, the team’s lead scorer, Jackson Batchelder, has the ability to dictate the speed of the game, noted Sather.
If the Colonels win, they will go on to play the winner of CVU (12-1-1) and North Country (3-9-1). Middlebury (12-1-0) is the top seed.
Coach Chris Barton said his no. 2 Leland & Gray (11-3-0) team is ready for their initial playoff engagement today, as the Rebels host no. 15 Winooski (4-10-0) in Division 3.
"We are excited to be the no. 2 seed and have our first one at home," said Barton. "Winooski plays a much different game than we’re used to, and this is the first time we’ve faced them this year, so we don’t know much about them, but they don’t know much about us either. Should be interesting. We’ve had a couple recent injuries, but the team will be
In Division 4, the no. 2 Twin Valley (11-3) Wildcats will play no. 15 Twinfield (2-10-2) at Sawyer Field in Brattleboro.
"We had a rough week last week, but the players were very energized at practice, so they’ve put it behind them," said Twin Valley coach Buddy Hayford, speaking about his Wildcats’ 3-1 loss last Tuesday to rival Leland & Gray.
"Twinfield is a good team with an exceptional goal keeper," noted Hayford. The two teams faced off last year in the same round at the same field. The Wildcats came from behind to squeak out the win. People’s Academy leads the Div. 4 pack this year.
Varsity girls soccer playdowns will begin Wednesday at 3 p.m.
One of the more evenly matched games should be no. 8 Bellows Falls (7-6-1) led by coach John Broadley, as they host no. 9 Leland & Gray (6-6-2) for a highly anticipated Division 3 showdown in Westminster. Also a D3 team, No. 11 Twin Valley (5-7-2) will make their way to no. 6 Stowe (7-5-2).
In Division 1, no. 15 Brattleboro (5-9-0) will make their way to Hinesburg to battle the no. 2 CVU (12-1-1) Red Hawks. Essex sits at the top of the mountain with a 13-0-1 record.
Field hockey playoffs continue Saturday at 11 a.m. as coach Bethany Coursen’s no. 2 Bellows Falls (11-2-0) get set to take on no. 7 North Country (3-8-3), in a D3 matchup at BFUHS’s lower field.
"We’ve never played North Country, in my experience," said Coursen. "They’re a northern team, so we often don’t see much of them. We haven’t been in the no. 2 spot in a while. It’s our homefield, and hopefully we’ll have the fans there with us, so we can do our best and keep having fun."
Just ahead of the Terriers is the top-seeded Rice (12-0-1) who will host no. 8 Montpelier (1-9-3).
David Aquino can be reached at daquino@reformer.com, or by calling 802-254-2311, ext. 164.
