Vermont Green FC will move on to the next round of the USL League Two Playoffs after toppling the undefeated Lionsbridge FC. Coming into the match, Adam Pfeifer’s men were considered underdogs, and that became especially true when Jack Cloherty was sent off in the 59th minute after receiving a second yellow card. But a rock solid defensive performance from the back line and goalkeeper Nate Silveira, along with two goals of the highest quality saw David stand tall in the face of Goliath in the blazing Virginia heat.
The first half did not start well for the Vermonters. Pfeifer’s side barely touched the ball in the opening 15, and the opposition looked as good as their record. The only chances to score for the Green would come through industrious pressing from the likes of Diba Nwegbo and Joe Morrison, in particular.
As time ticked on, though, the playoff debutants started to grow into the match and Lionsbridge’s nerves appeared to grow. At the 38 minute mark, Morrison embarked on a robust sprint down the right flank and slashed the ball through the legs of a defender and onto the grateful foot of the Vermont-born Charlie Adams. Even he couldn’t have dreamed of such a script. Adams wheeled away to celebrate the go-ahead goal.
The smiles were short lived. Nathan Messer conceded a penalty in the 43rd minute, and Lionsbridge’s Sam Hall converted the spot kick, slotting the ball just past a diving Silveira’s fingertips.
The two sides re-entered the pitch for what would be a much more calculated second half. Each side attacked less aggressively, and felt each other’s tactics out. Morrison and Nwegbo continued to look dangerous in the second 45, just as they did in the first. Lionsbridge had a few chances of their own, but those efforts were thwarted by Silveira and his ice cold back line. That refreshing coolness of the match would only last until the red card at the hour mark. Tempers flared, and Pfeifer was shown a yellow for disagreeing in a verbally passionate fashion. Yet the Green still managed. The tactics shifted and soon after the red, the score followed suit.
Dynamic defender Owen O’Malley fired a hopeful cross into the box in the 63rd minute, which slipped beneath the Lionsbridge defender Davide Materazzi (son of Italian World Cup winning defender Marco Materazzi) and fell to Sam McCann. McCann seized the opportunity, coolly slotting the ball into the back of the net, his reward for tireless attacking pressure and smart positioning.
Then on, Vermont played in the way one would expect a side with 10 men to play. The Green’s only attacks came through quick counter attacks carried out predominantly by Nwegbo. The star forward had some chances, which he carved out for himself on most occasions, and his eco-friendly fuel tank appeared bottomless.
The Boys in Green now move to the round of sixteen with bags of confidence. A sturdy performance mentally and physically showed that Vermont Green FC stands tall like an oak in the face of even the strongest opponents in the nation.