Vermont Green FC and Juba Star FC competed for an entertaining 90 minutes on Monday night in front of a near-capacity crowd. The fourth annual friendly match was a celebration of local soccer and the strong bond between the two clubs. Rommee Jaridly’s headed goal in the 53rd minute was the difference as the match ended 1-0 to the Green. Leon Brody–the 19-year-old Middlebury College keeper and Vermont Green intern–kept a clean sheet in his debut.
Jed Sass, who stood in as head coach for Chris Taylor for the night, called upon a mix of regulars and local call-ups for the match. His Starting XI began with Leon Brody in net and Ioannis Vassiliou, Brandon Marshall, Cullen Sweat, and Ayoub Lajhar across the backline. The midfield featured Sumner Nenninger, Ben Collier, and returning veteran Ryan Combe. Will Sawin and Rommee Jaridly held down the wings and Jacob Labovitz led the line.
The Young Greens fired up the engine early, and tested the Juba Star defense. The most notable sequence of the first half came when Brandon Marshall stung the crossbar, and a scramble of multiple attempts were eventually thwarted. The Juba Star keeper Olivier Zagabe–2024’s Man of the Match in this fixture–once again showed his prowess.
Just seconds before the half-time whistle, Juba Star’s Ramzi Kori sprung through the Green defense and went one-on-one with goalkeeper Leon Brody, who made himself big and knocked away the chance with his right hand. A big moment for the young player, and the highlight of the first half.
After the break, the tempo continued at its rapid pace. In the 53rd minute, Will Sawin dished a ball to the back post, where Cullen Swett headed the ball back across the face of goal for Rommee Jaridly to head home from close range.
The match ended 1-0 to the Green, but once again the annual Juba Star FC and Vermont Green FC friendly, alongside presenting partner Ben & Jerry’s, was a success beyond goals, saves, or final score.
Lineups
Vermont Green FC — Leon Brody, Ioannis Vassiliou, Brandon Marshall, Cullen Swett, Ayoub Lajhar, Ryan Combe, Ben Collier, Sumner Nenninger, Rommee Jaridly, Will Sawin, Jacob Labovitz.
Subs — Conrad Sweatman, Connor Watson, Mason Brown, Tristan Laundree, Demunga Alfani, Shafi Ibrahim, Matteo Paganini.
Juba Star FC — Olivier Zagabe, Ramzi Kori, Andrew Kolombo, Ali Abdullahi, Sharif Shoble, VanDamme Ndayisenga, Nicholas Lovoulos, Diallo Irakoze, Amerlin Nemeye, Jibril Abdullahi, Riley Urie.
Subs — Aaron DaCosta, Hussien Abdulaziz, Parker Spaulding, Omar Alers, Sharmarke Hassan, Abdikarim Mohamed, Abdullahi Abdullahi, Jonathan Ashimwe, Awil Hussein, Hamza Abass, Dash Vermilya, Ahmed Sharif, Alessandro Pescina Liberale.
Scoring Summary
VGFC: Rommee Jaridly — 53′ (assist from Cullen Swett)
Referees: Elvir Jandric (R), Elvis Jandric (AR1), Mukhtar Abdulahi (AR2), Jace Laquerre (4th)
Weather: Sunny, 62°F
Maple Man of the Match: Andrew Kolombo (JSFC) and Will Sawin (VGFC)
Postmatch Quotes
“The energy teeming through Virtue Field tonight was remarkable, it went beyond even just a love for the game, it was a love of community and a shared vision for the world we want to live in. We’re so grateful for this match with Juba Star and the entire community that came out to support both teams, it encapsulates the true purpose of Vermont Green and it fills our entire organization with immense pride” —Vermont Green FC co-founder Patrick Infurna
Next Match
The league-leading Green will hit the road for an away fixture against Albany Rush on Wednesday, June 4th. The match will kickoff at 7pm at Union College in Schenectady, NY.
The next home match will be on June 7 at 7pm against Boston Bolts. Tickets are available!
