Vermont Green FC defeated the Boston Bolts 2-0 on a chilly Wednesday evening in Waltham, taking three points from Boston for the second time this week. Arnaud Tattevin (27’) and Stephane Njike (50’) found the back of the net for Vermont, and Bolts ended the match with just nine men after two men were red carded. Green goalie Judewellin Michel kept another clean sheet.
Chris Taylor made a handful of changes from Sunday’s match. Judewellin Michel–who turned 21 on Tuesday–started in goal, protected by Moussa Ndiaye and paired alongside UVM-commit Rui Aoko at centerback. Daniel Lang started at left back, and Amoni Thomas made his debut at right back. In the middle of the park, Taylor called upon the same duo of Eskil Gjerde and Julien Le Bourdoulous. Zach Zengue was flanked by Enzo Dovlo and Mohammed Ibrahim in the attacking midfield and winger positions, with Arnaud Tattevin getting the call up top.
The Vermonters again dominated in possession, but a sturdy Bolts defense kept the Green stifled for nearly half an hour. In the 27th minute, Enzo Dovlo flicked a ball through to his countryman Arnaud Tattevin, who tucked the ball into the far corner at an acute angle.
Shortly after the opening goal, the Bolts keeper Mateo Buyu took a heavy touch and Tattevin pounced. With the Frenchman through on goal, Buyu had no choice but to take the striker down, and was issued a straight red card with little protest.
At half-time, Chris Taylor replaced Mohammed Ibrahim with Stephane Njike, confident in the winger’s ability to be a game changer. Five minutes into the second half, Taylor’s decision paid dividends when Tattevin’s perfectly-weighted ball found Njike, who finished with ease.
The Green continued to control the match, enjoying multiple chances, but the 10-man Bostonians were able to play defensively until the final whistle, thwarting any extra barrage of goals from the Vermonters, even after a second red card in the final moments.
With his 90 minute performance, Moussa Ndiaye moved into second all-time in club appearances with 34. The Senegalese defender passed Rodrigo Vaza (33), and only trails Daniel Pacella (38).
Vermont Green FC will take the three points back to the Green Mountains as they begin preparations for the Maple Cup, which will take place this Saturday at 2pm at Virtue Field against FC Laval. The club will then host Providence City FC in a friendly match on Tuesday, May 27th before returning to USL League Two action on May 31st, for the Twin-State Derby against defending League Two Champions Seacoast United Phantoms.
Lineups
Vermont Green FC — Judewellin Michel, Amoni Thomas, Moussa Ndiaye, Rui Aoki, Daniel Lang, Eskil Gjerde, Julien Le Bourdoulous, Envo Dovlo, Zach Zengue, Mohammed Ibrahim, Arnaud Tattevin.
Subs — Ben Woelfinger, Stephane Njike, Tyler Trimnal, Bruno Rosa, Owen O’Malley, Diego Rived, Jacob Labovitz, Ioannis Vassiliou.
Boston Bolts — Mateo Buyu, Josiah Odhiambo, Dylan Walsh, Abdel Talabi, Matthew Gardner, Rainer Osselmann-Chai, Felipe De Andrade, Morris Matthew, Fraser Brown, Alexi Karalis, Jason Zacarias.
Subs — Denis Petro, Nikola Antic, Jacob Coates, Dylan Barreira, Jyle Ryan, Ryan Lima, Ben Kelly.
Scoring Summary
VGFC: Arnaud Tattevin – 27’ (assist from Enzo Dovlo), Stephane Njike — 50′ (assist from Arnaud Tattevin).
Referees: Kevin Averill (R), Jamie Marshall (AR1), Michael Ring (AR2), Stephanie McFarland (4th)
Weather: Overcast with light drizzle, 43°F
Attendance: 116
Postmatch Quotes
“It’s only the beginning. We’ve been training less than 10 days, we still have some settings to see, but I think we are already in good shape and it’s going to get better everyday.”
— #26 Arnaud Tattevin
Next Match
It’s the 2025 home opener! Vermont Green FC will welcome Quebec’s FC Laval at 2pm on Saturday, May 24th in the second annual Maple Cup. Tickets to the match are sold out, but fans can watch the match for free from the grassy hill behind the north end goal.
