It was a special occasion at Virtue Field as Vermont Green FC welcomed Kingston Stockade FC to Burlington for a friendly match. The Hudson Valley-based club, founded by Dennis Crowley in 2015, served as inspiration for the founding of Vermont Green FC and the match was a collaborative celebration of grassroots soccer. Goals from Jordan Saint-Louis, Nacho Lerech, Federico Tellez, and Bilal Kamal would see the Vermonters win 5-0 on a cold, wet evening.
Vermont Green FC featured a strong starting lineup, with a few players making their club debuts on the night.
The first goal came in the 33rd minute through Jordan Saint-Louis, his shot banging the right post and bouncing in. The Middlebury College man was eager to get on the scoresheet after he was denied by a pair of miraculous saves minutes earlier.
Charlie Adams and Jack Cloherty each had their own chances on goal, but the Green went into the break with a one goal lead.
In the second half, the Vermonters would prove to be too much for Kingston, as Nacho Lerech pounced on his opportunity in the 48th minute, doubling the lead.
Moments later, Federico Tellez, returning from injury, weaved his way through a couple of defenders to add a third in the 55th minute. Just five minutes later, the Inter Miami product would score again to make it 4-0.
In the 81st minute, Bilal Kamal showed his class by dribbling through defenders and scoring his first goal for the Green. The #10 was bamboozling defenders all evening with his quick feet and decisiveness in the final third.
Alonzo Clarke was awarded the Maple Man of the Match for his stalwart performance in the center of the park. The big midfielder commanded the tempo, showing the rain-soaked crowd his abilities both in attack and defense.
The impressive scoreline shouldn’t hide the fact that this friendly was a valuable test match for Vermont Green and Kingston Stockade alike. Vermont Green currently sit in second place in the USL League Two Northeast Division with their sights set on regaining the driver’s seat in the division. Kingston Stockade sit atop their NPSL division and currently are ranked third in the country.
Vermont Green FC head to Boston this Saturday to take on Boston City FC in USL League Two action. The club will play its next home match at Virtue Field on June 17 at 7:00pm against table-toppers Western Mass Pioneers. Get tickets at tickets.vermontgreenfc.com
