Match Report: Vermont Green FC 5-0 Boston City FC

Vermont Green FC won 5-0 over Boston City FC on Wednesday night in front of the third consecutive sell out crowd in Burlington. Highlight reel goals from Yaniv Bazini (2) and Jackson Castro (2) awed the Virtue Field faithful. Yann Toualy scored the fifth, putting the cherry on top of a complete performance. 

Adam Pfeifer called upon an experienced starting eleven, with Francesco Montali starting between the sticks. Moussa Ndiaye, the captain, was joined on his backline by center-back partner Reid Fisher as well as Bernardo Prego and Gerardo Castillo in the wide back positions. In the center of the park, Rodri and Sam Layton paired up to set the pace and tone, delivering balls forward to Xavi O’Neil, Jackson Castro, and Gabe Threadgold. The point of the attack was, unsurprisingly, Yaniv Bazini. The striker has been in red hot form all season, leading the nation in goals scored.

The match was lively from the very start, with Gabe Threadgold hitting the post only 90 seconds in. The Green’s initial attack was heavy, but the Boston City defense held firm, keeping the Vermonters out for nearly a half-hour. But in the 25th minute, Yaniv Bazini broke the deadlock with an unforgettable bicycle kick goal that sent Virtue Field into a frenzy. The goal would later be recognized by SportsCenter Top10 as the #1 play of the evening.

Just three minutes later, Jackson Castro rocketed a curling shot from the corner of the 18-yard box into the top corner of the goal. Before the half hour mark had struck, the packed stands had witnessed two of the best goals they’ll see this summer.

Vermont went into the half with a comfortable 2-0 lead, but it was clear they would not settle at that.

After the break, Yaniv Bazini doubled his tally, putting a head onto a perfectly placed cross from Gabe Threadgold. Xavi O’Neil tallied two assists on the night, his second coming in the 57th minute, when he beat his man and poked the ball into the path of the crashing Castro. The Texas-native made no mistake, banging in his second goal home from close range. 

Yann Toualy, Siad Haji, Mohammed Ibrahim, Jacob Labovitz, and Nick Lockermann entered the match after a four-goal lead was secured. Toualy’s impact was felt instantly, nearly scoring on just minutes after entering the fray. In the 66th minute the man from Montreal buried a low shot from distance for the Green’s final goal of the night. The winger ran to the crowd, backflipping and pointing to the 64 on the back of his jersey, an homage to his home neighborhood of Saint-Laurent.

The Green completed their rout to the joyous cheer of the Wednesday night crowd.

Vermont Green FC now look ahead to Sunday as they take the long trip to Pleasant Valley, NY to face Pathfinder FC. With the playoff push on, they’ll hope to secure max points from the final four league games to secure a spot in the postseason.

The Boys in Green return to Virtue Field on July 3rd to compete for the Maple Cup against Ligue1 Quebec Champions CS Saint-Laurent. 

Get tickets to the final three home matches of the regular season: tickets.vermontgreenfc.com.