Vermont Green FC defeated Western Mass Pioneers 2-0 on Tuesday night in front of 2,500 fans at Virtue Field. Joseph Picotto and Stephane Njike scored in the final minute of each half in a gritty victory over a talented opponent.
At the halfway point of the regular season, Chris Taylor’s men are now unbeaten through seven league matches—with 19 of an available 21 points—and sit atop the Northeast Division.
The Starting XI for the Green consisted of Niklas Herceg in goal with Amoni Thomas, Moussa Ndiaye, Brandon Marshall, and Luca Costabile across the backline. In the center of the park, Joseph Picotto and Julien Le Bourdoulous were paired together in the engine room, with Zach Zengue positioned in front of them. The Strasbourg Greens–Stephan Njike and Enzo Dovlo–manned the left and right wing respectively, and David Ajagbe started at the striker position.
It was a landmark start for Moussa Ndiaye, who made his 38th competitive appearance for the club, tying him with Daniel Pacella for the most all-time.
The match started with a particular fire from the Vermonters, who feasted on the energy of the 2,500 fans who packed the grandstand to support their club. There were a handful of early chances, most notably corner kicks that Picotto and Ndiaye came close to burying.
While Vermont took hold of the ball for much of the first half, the visitors showed their signature direct style, and levied a handful of crunching tackles in the opening minutes. Western Mass’ go-to man—former Norwich University player Mamadi Jiana—was particularly up for it, earning himself an early talking to from the referee, and making sure his voice was constantly in the ears of the Vermont defenders.
It was a battle fit for the occasion.
At the end of the first half, Stephane Njike received the ball on the left wing from Zach Zengue, and after beating his man, whipped a ball into the six yard box for Joseph Picotto to punch home on the volley. The Italian hard-man celebrated his goal by lifting the nearest ball boy into the air.
The half ended 1-0 to Vermont.
After the break, Vermont Green once again took to the front foot, maintaining their calm approach to possession and patiently waiting to pounce. In addition to creating a handful of corners and free kicks in the attack–including an agonizing smack off the crossbar by Picotto–the Green stayed defensively solid throughout. Ndiaye and Marshall were in lock step, and Herceg controlled everything in his area throughout the night.
Chris Taylor eventually showed the depth of his bench with his changes, bringing on Eskil Gjerde for Zach Zengue. Moments later, University of Vermont starboy Ryan Zellefrow made his home debut for the Green, replacing Enzo Dovlo. Ask Ekeland, the Green’s number 10, made his debut when he replaced Julien Le Bourdoulous.
In the 90th minute—while protecting a narrow lead—Ryan Zellefrow passed a short ball to Ask Ekeland who had predetermined his one touch to the streaking Amoni Thomas on the right wing. Thomas collected the ball and bulleted down the right flank, as the Pioneer defender was about to catch him, he crossed to a crashing Tyler Trimnal who collided head-on with the keeper. The ball popped out to Stephane Njike, who saw his opportunity to bury the match, rocketing the ball into the roof of the net. Njike performed multiple flips towards the Green Mountain Bhoys, and the celebrations commenced.
Vermont Green FC may be unbeaten, but the schedule is only at the halfway point, and many more challenges lie ahead. Up next, third place AC Connecticut will visit Virtue Field on Saturday night. The boys will need to keep the focus, and the supporters will need to keep ramping up their enormous, unrivaled support.
Lineups
Vermont Green FC — Niklas Herceg, Amoni Thomas, Brandon Marshall, Moussa Ndiaye, Luca Constabile, Julien Le Bourdoulous, Joseph Picotto, Zach Zengue, Stephane Njike, Enzo Dovlo, David Ajagbe.
Subs — Judewellin Michel, Tyler Trimnal, Owen O’Malley, Eskil Gjerde, Gabe Fernandez, Marcell Papp, Ryan Zellefrow, Diego Rived, Ask Ekeland.
Western Mass Pioneers — Cameron Hall, Gustavo Barbosa, Aidan Kelly, Jorge Martinez, Juan Hermoso, Oskar Kaufmann, Santiago Gomez, Augustine Boadi, Robert Lyons, Jaiden Willems, Mamdi Jiana.
Subs — Jaren Smith, Jose Bustamante, Alan Horrocks, Kwane Adu-Gyamfi, Israel Neto, Matt Cence, Austin Rocke, Luke Hanchar.
Scoring Summary
VGFC: Joseph Picotto — 44′ (assist from Stephane Njike), Stephane Njike — 90′
WMP: No goals.
Referees: Elvis Jandric (R), Jace Lacquerre (AR1), Matthew Sjoblom (AR2), Jay Vallieres (4th)
Weather: Cloudy and windy, 72°F
Attendance: 2,500 (sold out)
Maple Man of the Match: Joseph Picotto
Credit: Patrick McCormack