OV boys soccer bows out to MUHS, 7-0

BY ANDY KIRKALDY

MIDDLEBURY — Three days before Saturday’s Division II quarterfinal against No. 2 Middlebury, the young No. 10 Otter Valley boys’ soccer team upset No. 7 Mount Abraham, 1-0. It was the OV program’s first playoff win since 1999.

But the 12-2-1 Tigers, unbeaten since Sept. 14, did not allow the Otters to win their second postseason game in 23 years: They controlled play with purposeful work at midfield and launched 42 shots at goal in a 7-0 victory. Ronen Silberman, Zach Whitaker, and Ollie Anderson scored two goals apiece, and Trey Bosworth added one. 

MUHS moved onto a Wednesday semifinal against No. 3 Harwood (14-2), with No. 1 Montpelier (15-0-1) taking on No. 5 U-32 (13-3) in the other semi. The winners will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday at South Burlington High School for the title. Those games were played after the deadline for this week’s Independent print edition.

Looking at this past Saturday’s game, Tiger Coach Chris George was pleased with his team’s ball movement and work to create good looks on goal, and also credited the Otters’ effort.

“There were a couple of things we talked about to win, and we really did those things, like not just generating chances, but generating high-quality chances,” George said. “Full credit to Otter Valley for playing hard. What I appreciate about them is they just never gave up.”

The Otters finished at 8-8 in what was their best season in recent memory. In Wednesday’s first-round game vs. Mt. Abe, the winning strike came from Owen Thomas 12 minutes into the second half, with an assist from Lucas Politano. OV goalie Isaiah Wood made at least 20 saves as the Otters held off the Eagles, who finished at 5-8-2 and had earned a higher seed than OV due to their more challenging schedule. 

First-year OV Coach Brian Thomas said a lot went right this fall for the Otters, who will graduate only three seniors, Thomas Politano, Ryden Richardson, and Brian Stanley.

“The guys believed in themselves and believed in each other. And we built off (former) Coach (Dick) Williams’s foundation of defending the heck out of the ball, maintaining possession, and just trying to find the back of the net. We put a little more emphasis on that this year with set plays and just creating determination, energy and effort,” he said. “These kids just battled.”

Thomas also credited the talented Tigers for their work on Saturday.

“We were just outmatched here, which is OK. You get to a point in your season where that happens,” he said. “I wish them the best of luck. Bring it home local.”

The first Tiger goal came 11 minutes in from Bosworth, the Tiger all-star right back. Eliot Schneider dribbled down the left side and sent in a serve to Bosworth for one-timer in the box. Eight minutes later Silberman buried a penalty kick in the lower left corner, and it was 2-0. Silberman struck again 32 minutes in. Center-mid Ollie Choudhury carried down the left side and crossed to the far post, where Silberman finished.

George noted the Tigers used the width of the field effectively to stretch the OV defense.

“Our forward players did such a good job getting to the end line and getting the ball back across and getting us opportunities to finish,” the Tiger coach said.

Whitaker used his quickness to get past two defenders on the right side of the box and finish on the far side with five minutes left in the half and make it 4-0.

Then the Otters had their best chances of the day, only to see Tiger goalie Owen Lawton equal to the task. OV earned a free kick from 22 yards, and Lawton dove to his left to block Owen Thomas’s initial shot, and then he also used his body to smother Lucas Politano’s point-blank rebound bid. The Otters had one more chance as the half ended, but Tiger back Gus Hodde broke up a Politano rush. 

In the second half, Wood in the OV goal kept making stops, 23 in all, as the Tigers kept firing. Despite some fine saves by Wood, the Tigers added three more goals. 

In the seventh minute, Robinson made it 5-0. He headed in the rebound of a 28-yard bomb by defender Toby Wells-Spackman that bounced back off the crossbar. Robinson scored again 12 minutes in, blasting a shot from the top of the box. With 22 minutes gone in the half Robinson served from the left side, and a sliding Wilkerson one-timed it home at the far post.

Lawton did not have to make a save in the half but did well to come out and beat Thomas to a through ball midway through the period. At the other end, OV back Max Derby made a couple of good defensive plays.  

Afterward, Coach Thomas reflected on what he said had been a positive fall for the Otters. He said the team met its goals to bring more energy and excitement to the program. 

“We did that. We had some really nice games,” Thomas said. “They exceeded expectations this season.”

The Tigers reached the semifinal round for the fourth straight season, and George said they have the potential to win the program’s first title. 

“When we play our game, which we’ve really been able to do, we won’t get beaten,” he said. “It’s continue to do the simple things. It’s play short passes, we get into the box. We do all those things. And to beat another good team, we just have to play our game, do our thing, and continue to do it well and generate chances.”