HANOVER, N.H. – Shawn Walker scored the winning goal for Woodsville in a New Hampshire state championship soccer game. His goal in Saturday’s men’s game of the Lions Twin State Soccer Cup was nowhere near that dramatic. It was, in fact, just some frosting on the cake in New Hampshire’s dominant 5-1 victory over Vermont.
The women’s game was far more competitive, a fight to the finish. New Hampshire won 2-1 as the Vermonters came out with some inspired play in the second half after trailing 2-0 at the break.
It was a full day, with the two games that pit the top 2026 high school graduates of the two states against one another, as well as several awards that make the day memorable.
The rainy weather kept the crowd down, but West Rutland’s Brayden Schutt, following the men’s game, called the surroundings at Hanover High’s turf field “a great atmosphere.”
Montpelier’s Will Curtis scored the lone goal for Vermont and took home the 12th Player Award for his play off the bench.
“I appreciate this award a lot because it means that I made an impact on the game,” Curtis said.
Curtis will attend Hoosac School in New York and said that he has an eye on playing collegiate soccer.
The MVP Award for the Vermont team went to CVU’s Sebastian Bronk.
Coach Jake Walker and his coaching staff agreed that the team’s other Sebastian, Sebastian Bertmann, of South Burlington, was also a strong contender for this honor for his consistently stout defense.
“It could have been either one,” Walker said.
Jola Otten, the scrappy and skilled midfielder from Caledonia United, was the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award for the Vermont squad.
Milton’s Marlie Bushey captured the Vermont MVP accolade for the women’s game.
North Country goalkeeper Randi Fortin took home the Sportsmanship Award for the Vermonters, but she also had to be in the running for the MVP honor. She, as well as Vermont’s other keeper, Peyton Borick, of Rice, put on an incredible display of shot stopping.
Fortin might well have had the best save of the day when she denied New Hampshire MVP Sara Frye’s bid for a hat trick.
Rice forward Reese Billings received the 12th Player Award.
Women’s game: New Hampshire 2, Vermont 1
One would be a lot to handle, but there are two of them. The Frye twins, Allison and Sarah, were putting Vermont goalies under fire all day long.
In the early minutes, it appeared as though Allison would be the first to score. She had three shots on goal, including a blistering serve that went barely wide of the far post.
But it was the other twin, Sarah, with the game’s first goal. It was not a hard shot, it was actually a lazy floater, but it was placed perfectly into the upper corner of the cage.
It was Sarah Frye with the second goal also, this time a hard shot on a line with 10:34 left in the half.
Essex’s Hazel Fry made a strong scoring bid for Vermont in the final seconds of the half, but the Green Mountain Staters had to go into halftime staring at that 2-0 deficit.
The Vermonters brought some fire onto the field in the new half. Gordon touched off a hard shot that went just over the bar. Then, seven minutes into the second half, Vergennes’ Ava Francis scored to make it a one-goal game.
That kept the rest of the contest exciting. New Hampshire launched some serious forays, but Fortin, Borick, and the defenders in front of them were able to keep the Granite Staters off the board.
Vermont also had its chances.
“We were much better in the second half. We made some changes at halftime,” Vermont co-head coach Wendy Moody said.
The change in the formation was designed to limit the effectiveness by New Hampshire at central midfield.
“I think the formula change made a big difference,” said her co-coach, Jen Rupp.
Spaulding’s Sophie Guarriello had some testing runs toward goal, just one of the players who threatened to deliver the equalizer.
Guarriello will have family and friends watching her play at the next level, as she is headed to nearby Norwich University to play soccer. “I was not set on going there, and then I talked to the coach and it seemed like a really good opportunity,” Guarriello said.
But it is really difficult to overstate the difference the Frye twins from Nashua North made in the game, and one of them is coming to Vermont. Allison will be competing at Middlebury College, but it will be in track and field, not in soccer.
“I was looking at NESCAC schools,” Allison said.
The twins have the telepathy on the field that comes with being twins. “We know where the other one is going to be moving to on every play,” Allison said. “We have always been very competitive with one another,” Sarah said. Sarah will matriculate at WPI and will play soccer.
“They are a handful [for the defense],” New Hampshire coach Tim St. Pierre said.
Men’s game: New Hampshire 5, Vermont 1
Vermont was doing its best to stand up to a talented, fast, and physical New Hampshire team, and kept the game scoreless for more than eight minutes.
But then, Ali Mirza, the center forward from Bedford High, threaded a shot between goalie Levi Causey and the near post to get New Hampshire on top, where they remained.
Hopkinton’s Finan Murphy scored about midway through the half to cushion the lead.
Vermont kept up its intensity in the face of the 2-0 deficit. Sebastian Bertmann made a terrific defensive play by stopping a threatening run to goal of Bishop Guertin’s Liam Ireland with a sliding tackle.
Bertmann was a rock on defense all day and made an outstanding play in front of an open net to keep New Hampshire from scoring inside two minutes.
Burr and Burton Academy’s Bodie Smith also brought fire to Vermont’s attack and had a couple of strong scoring bids late in the half. Smith did some good stuff to start the second half as well. That included a nice feed to CVU’s Julian Olin, who nearly scored.
Bronk nearly cashed in on Smith’s dangerous looking corner kick. But New Hampshire was awarded a penalty kick, and Mouad Yzzogh drilled it for a 3-0 lead.
Vermont got some new life when Curtis scored with 28 minutes left. That is why the next goal, by Londonderry’s Leo Sochanek, was a back-breaker.
The outcome was well decided when Walker scored the game’s final goal with 13:25 to play.