Vermont Green FC had to settle for a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon against Pathfinder FC in front of a sold out crowd of 2,500 at Virtue Field. Yaniv Bazini opened the scoring in the 33rd minute for the Green, but Pathfinder spoiled the party, scoring late after a defensive mishap. Vermont are unbeaten through the first three matches of the USL League Two season.
The Green started the match with some rotation in the roster, as Carlos Zambrano, Jackson Castro, and Yaniv Bazini made their first starts of the season. It was a full debut for Creighton’s Jackson Castro.
The home team controlled much of the match early on, but the sturdy Pathfinder defense proved difficult to unlock. Bawa had a pair of shots on goal and looked dangerous on the left flank. In the 33rd minute, Zach Zengue swung in a corner kick to the back post, where Reid Fisher headed the ball across the face of goal for Yaniv Bazini to volley home from close range. 1-0 Vermont.
Manager Adam Pfeifer made a handful of changes at the half, with Siad Haji and Moussa Ndiaye entering the match for Zambrano and Bawa. More changes would come in the second half when Jacob Labovitz and Sam Layton replaced Yaniv Bazini and Daniel Pacella.
As the game advanced, the Green narrowly missed a handful of chances that would leave them frustrated late on. In the 83rd minute, Pathfinder FC took advantage of a defensive miscommunication, leveling the match at 1-1.
The final ten minutes of the match were spent chasing a winner, but the Pathfinder defense were up for the challenge, and more than happy to dig in for a point at Virtue Field. The final whistle blew 1-1, and Vermont Green FC would have to settle for a point.
While the result was frustrating, the task at hand remains the same, and the Vermonters will be hungry for three points as they face Black Rock FC on Tuesday, May 28th at 7:00pm.
Lineup
Vermont Green FC — Lute Lillo, Gabe Threadgold, Sjur Drechsler, Reid Fisher, Gerardo Castillo, Daniel Pacella, Carlos Zambrano, Jackson Castro, Zach Zengue, Ernest Bawa, Yaniv Bazini.
Subs — Jahiem Wickham, Ryan Combe, Sam Layton, Moussa Ndiaye, Andrey ‘Gato’ Salmeron, Jacob Labovitz, Siad Haji.
Scoring Summary
VGFC: Yaniv Bazini – 33′ (assist from Reid Fisher).
PFC: Titouan Fraslin – 83′
Referees: Luis Reis (R), Jace Laquerre (AR1), Jason Weischedel (AR2), Anando Dubo (4th)
Weather: Sunny, 70°F
Attendance: 2,500 (sell out)
Postmatch Quotes
“We’ll take the point of course, but we wanted to be able to reward this crowd with a win. We had the opportunities to go up by multiple goals, so it’s a matter of just getting more clinical with our finishing. We know where we need to improve as a group and I’m happy we have a quick turnaround to get back out here with the fans on Tuesday night. They deserve a big performance.” – Adam Pfeifer, Manager and Sporting Director
Next Match
It’s a quick turnaround for Vermont Green FC, who welcome Black Rock FC to Virtue Field for another USL League Two clash on Tuesday May 28 at 7pm. Tickets are available at tickets.vermontgreenfc.com. The match will be streamed on vermontgreenfc.com/streaming.
