Vermont Green FC started the season strong with a 3-0 victory on the road against Boston City FC. Goals from Jacob Labovitz (2) and Zach Zengue were enough to see the Green take all three points back to Burlington.
Adam Pfeifer’s side, which featured the debuts of four new players in the starting eleven, enjoyed the vast majority of the possession through the entire 90 minutes of the match, but it wasn’t until just after the half-hour mark that the Green would land the first blow. Gabe Threadgold left Boston City in the dust with his blistering pace before unleashing Ryan Combe down the right flank, who delivered a pinpoint cross to a crashing Jacob Labovitz who knocked home the first goal of the 2024 league campaign.
The Vermonters spent the rest of the first half applying the pressure. Just before the halftime whistle, Labovitz’s relentless pressure on the Boston backline paid dividends: he dispossessed a defender and laid the ball off to Zach Zengue in wide open space, who struck it cleanly into the back of the net. The Green went into the half with a 2-0 lead.
After the half, Vermont continued to control the game. Jacob Labovitz completed a brace in the 59th minute with an acrobatic goal inside the opposition’s box. With a third goal secured, the Green were in the driver’s seat.
Four more players made their debuts as Siad Haji, Sam Layton, and Carlos Zambrano entered the match at the hour mark, followed shortly thereafter by Reid Fisher. Zambrano and Haji were both active on the wings, and both had shots narrowly miss the goal frame.
The Green saw out the match with confidence, opening the season in the win column.
Vermont Green FC will stay on the road this week as the club heads to New London, NH on Wednesday to face Black Rock FC.
The Green will open the season at home on Saturday, May 25th, 2:00pm at Virtue Field. Tickets are on sale now: tickets.vermontgreenfc.com
Lineups
Vermont Green FC — Lute Lillo; Gabe Threadgold, Moussa Ndiaye, Sjur Drechsler (Reid Fisher – 77’), Gerardo Castillo, Daniel Pacella, Ryan Combe (Carlos Zambrano – 60’), Andrey ‘Gato’ Salmeron (Sam Layton – 60′) , Zach Zengue, Ernest Bawa (Said Haji – 60′), Jacob Labovitz.
Subs not used — Jahiem Wickham, Lucas Windschauer, Nathan Siméon
Boston City FC — Cameron Hall, Sergio Nycollas Da Silva, Dilmurodjon Melikuziev, Alister Cutler, Thiago Goes, Joao Barboza Filho, Felipe Cypriano, Pablo Gomes, Diego Gisholt, Maxim Chriss, Logan Potter.
Subs not used — Lucas Almeida, Nicolas Vagujhelyi, Surya Mani, Victor Albuquerque, Jiwoo Lee, Kostandinos Papjani, Jhonny Zamor.
Scoring Summary
VGFC: Jacob Labovitz – 31’ (assist from Ryan Combe), Zach Zengue – 45′ (assist from Jacob Labovitz), Jacob Labovitz – 59’ (assist from Zach Zengue).
Misconduct Summary
BCFC: Felipe Cypriano 🟨 – 86’
Referees: Naoufal Hmiddouche (R), Edy Pineda Solorzano (AR1), Cooper Dean (AR2), Taha Nasser (4th)
Weather: Cloudy, 56°F
Attendance: 162
Postmatch Quotes
“We’re really pleased with the result to start off the season. We still have a lot of work to do with the group, who only had five training sessions before the match, but we’re very happy to get the first win.” – Adam Pfeifer, Manager and Sporting Director
Next Match
The USL League Two season continues midweek as Vermont Green FC head to New Hampshire to take on Black Rock FC on Wednesday, May 22 at 4pm. Follow @vermontgreenfc on social media for streaming information.
