Final Match Report: Vermont Green FC 2-1 Ballard FC

Vermont Green FC are undefeated National Champions.

The Boys in Green completed the dream season, winning the national title without losing a single match. They will forever be The Invincibles.

Our heroes defeated Ballard FC 2-1 at Virtue Field on Saturday night in front of over 5,000 adoring fans. A penalty from Final MVP Julien Le Bourdoulous and a stoppage time winner from Maximilian Kissel will enshrine this team in legend.

The match started with Chris Taylor’s 19th unique Starting XI of the season. Niklas Herceg started as the netminder. Moussa Ndiaye—making his record 50th appearance in Green—partnered with his always-reliable protégé Brandon Marshall at center back. Nathan Simeon and Victor Akoum were the right and left backs tasked with maintaining Ballard’s dangerous wingers. In the middle of the park, Julien Le Bourdoulous started alongside the stoic and sturdy Diego Rived. In the attacking midfield position, Zach Zengue made his 46th and likely final appearance. Ian Abbey and Alexander Hall were the wingers, and Arnaud Tattevin led the line.

The match had a different, more special, feel. Ticketless fans arrived as early as 8am to reserve spots behind both goals. The buildup, the walk outs, the fan displays, the noise, and the love all reached new heights. The quality on the pitch was exceptional too, as both sides came out flying from the first whistle. This match was a testament to the quality of USL League Two and was a deserving showcase of two of its top clubs.

After an opening 20 minutes of back-and-forth movement and a handful of half-chances, Tattevin put the ball into the back of the Ballard net, but the celebration was abruptly halted as he was ruled offside. The match remained 0-0.

The matchup-to-watch in the opening salvo was Ballard’s New Hampshire-born winger Richie Aman against the Green’s Nathan Simeon. Aman’s pace and dribbling ability was breathtaking, but it was a masterclass in one-on-one defending by Simeon that kept the dangerous winger in check. Simeon, part of UVM’s national championship winning team in 2024, has always kept a cool head in big matchups and did not look fazed by the assignment. Aman, who came through the Seacoast United academy, was able to glide up the wing with ease, but was rarely able to beat Simeon in one-on-one situations around the box.

In the 38th minute, Herceg and Ndiaye combined for an incredible double-stop on the goal line, which saw the captain cushion the ball between his thighs and launch it out of danger. It was a moment of defensive brilliance from two of the league’s top defensive players. The crowd roared as adrenaline rushed through the veins of the 5,000+ spectators, and surely the nearly 50,000 watching from living rooms, bars, and theaters around the world.

The first half ended 0-0. 

After the break, Chris Taylor made one change: replacing Tattevin with Maximilan Kissel.

Kissel became a household name in Vermont after he scored the extra time winner for UVM in the NCAA National Championship game 229 days prior. Around the venue, Vermonters could be heard asking one another: could he do it…again?

The Green came out of the gate with energy in the second half. In the 50th minute, it paid off. Le Bourdoulous slotted a through ball to Abbey, who attacked the box and was clipped from behind. Penalty. 

Julien Le Bourdoulous stepped up to the spot and slotted it in-off-the-post. 1-0 to the Green. Virtue Field erupts.

The lead felt deserved, but it never felt like one goal was going to be enough to win the title. Ballard got up off the mat looking to land a haymaker of their own.

In the 62nd minute, the goal came for the Western Conference Champions. Omar Yehya, with his first touch off the bench, sent a perfect cross to Charlie Kosakoff, whose glancing header beat Herceg from close range. 1-1. Game on.

Taylor’s next substitutions were David Ajagbe, Gabriel Fernandez, and Ryan Zellefrow, who replaced Abbey, Akoum, and Rived. 

As the match continued, the fresh legs of Vermont’s reinforcements made their intended impact, running directly at the Ballard defense, exposing the tiring legs of the defensive starters.

As the clock ticked towards full-time, with the score deadlocked at 1-1, the spectators prepared for a third consecutive extra time match. But in the 90th minute, the Green Mountain Magic emerged for one final act of this fairytale summer.

Le Bourdoulous struck his corner kick over the intended area, where Zengue collected it before sending it back across the face of goal. The co-captain’s cross snuck through Ballard’s defenders and fell right to the feet of Kissel, who smashed it past the keeper from close range. 

Pandemonium. Joy. Bedlam. Tears. Absolute limbs.

Virtue Field erupts. Maxi Kissel had done it again. The man who had already delivered a lifetime of joy to Vermont soccer fans in the NCAA National Championship had just done it again. Lightning truly does strike twice.

He ran behind the net towards the Virtue Field faithful, pointing at the badge as if to say: this one was for you.

The final moments wound down. The final whistle blew.

Vermont Green Football Club. National Champions. Invincibles. 

It’s hard to process just how much this means to our club. There are one million reasons that winning matters. The way it affects careers, the way it unlocks new competitions, the memories it creates for fans young and old.

But the most important thing about winning is that it is the ultimate reward for our fans, our teammates, our staff, and our community. Every Vermonter proved week in, week out, that the trophy belongs here, and that Vermont is a soccer state like no other. Winning the national title was the perfect conclusion to this dream summer.

To everyone on this journey with us: thank you. We’ll need a bit more time to try and find the words to express just how much this means to us.

We won the National Championship, on 8/02 no less.

Scoring Summary

VGFC: Julien Le Bourdoulous — 50′ (penalty), Maxi Kissel — 90+1 (assist from Zach Zengue).

BFC: Charlie Kosakoff — 62′ (assist from Omar Yehya).

USL League Two Final MVP: Julien Le Bourdoulous

Referees: Mario Maric (R), Justen Lopez (AR1), Sam Conroy (AR2), Johnathan Luk (4th)

Weather: Perfect summer night, 78°F

Attendance: ~5,000

Post Match Quotes

“Each year we did better to keep growing, and today was the reward that we deserved and this community deserved as well…It’s a dream come true.” — #5 Captain Moussa Ndiaye.

“It means a lot to me because we are really close to the fans, owners and everyone in Vermont. We can feel the atmosphere, it’s crazy.” — #6 Julien Le Bourdoulous.

“It’s just the right mentality from the players. We’ve got big-game players and they’re not rattled by anything. And the crowd helps with that. When you’re down, they pick you up. And when you’re on top, they make the other team sink. And you’ve got to give all the credit to the players in those moments – they can’t hear me on the sideline. It’s them playing and we try to prepare them. But we try to bring the best players possible and they showed up in the biggest moments, so there’s so much credit that goes to them.” — Head Coach Chris Taylor.