Vermont Green FC and Juba Star FC came together on Wednesday for a community friendly, presented by Ben & Jerry’s. The two Burlington-based clubs battled hard for ninety minutes, showcasing the depth of Vermont’s soccer talent. The Green came out on top 4-0 in this year’s edition of the match, with goals from Ayoub Lahjar, Aidan Farwell, and Ernest Bawa.
In the 11th minute, Ayoub Lajhar headed Gerardo Castillo’s corner kick towards the back post, which deflected off of a Juba Star defender and into the back of the net.
Ten minutes later, Siad Haji received a ball from Yann Toualy, who made a darting run around the Somalia international. Haji wowed the crowd with some dazzling footwork before delivering the ball back to Toualy, who laid it perfectly into the path of Aidan Farwell. Farwell coolly hammered it into the back of the net, doubling the lead for the Green.
After the break, Vermont Green came out with a bit more aggression. Just one minute into the second half, Carlos Zambrano found Ayoub Lajhar, who smashed it into the top right corner. Lajhar—who was born in Libya and went to high school in southern Vermont—delighted the Virtue Field faithful with a two-goal debut.
Finally, in the 88th minute Sjur Drechsler made a direct run up the middle of the park, sending a perfectly weighted through ball to Ernest Bawa who finished his opportunity with ease.
Juba Star FC players, several of whom were familiar faces and former players for Vermont Green, showed their quality throughout the match. Riley Urie created chances going forward, and the Juba keeper Olivier Zagabe made numerous crucial stops.
The Vermont Maple Player of the Match was awarded to Aidan Farwell for Vermont Green FC, and to Juba Star’s keeper Olivier Zagabe.
The third annual Vermont Green FC and Juba Star FC friendly was a resounding success as 1,739 fans attended the Wednesday evening match. After the ninety minutes, both teams lined up for a joint photo, as has become tradition. The pitch on Virtue Field quickly transformed into a shared space for both clubs, friends, family, and fans to convene, share time together, and exchange respect and love. Vermont Green FC is incredibly grateful to Juba Star FC for another beautiful night of soccer in the Green Mountain State.
Vermont Green FC will now head to Albany on Saturday for an important road fixture against Albany Rush in USL League Two play. The Vermonters will need all three points to keep pace with Seacoast United and Western Mass Pioneers at the top of the table.
The Green return home on Saturday, June 15th at 7pm to face current table toppers Western Mass Pioneers. Tickets are available at tickets.vermontgreenfc.com.
Lineups
Vermont Green FC — Francesco Montali, Lucas Windschauer, Sam Layton, Gerardo Castillo, Bernardo Prego, Theo Drennan, Carlos Zambrano, Said Haji, Yann Toualy, Aidan Farwell, Ayoub Lajhar.
Subs — Jahiem Wickham, Sjur Drechsler, Sam Layton, Ernest Bawa, Mohammed Ibrahim.
Juba Star FC — Olivier Zagabe, Ramzi Kori, Ahmed Sharif, Ekrem Hadzic, Sharif Sharif, Amerlin Nemeye, Diallo Irakoze, Van Damme Ndayisenga, Issak Somow, Jake Manley, Jibril Abdullahi.
Subs —
Scoring Summary
VGFC: Ayoub Lajhar – 11′ (assist from Gerardo Castillo), Aidan Farwell – 22′ (assist from Yann Toualy), Ayoub Lajhar – 46′ (assist from Carlos Zambrano), Ernest Bawa – 88′ (assist from Sjur Drechsler).
Referees: Corey Cenate (R), Jay Vallieres (AR1), Mukhtar Abdulahi (AR2)
Weather: Sunny, 75°F
Attendance: 1,739
Postmatch Quotes
“Our annual match against our friends at Juba is always one of the highlights of our summer. We’re so honored to share the stage with their team and shine a light on the incredibly important work being done to expand access to soccer in Vermont. Everyone had a smile on their face from the supporters in the stands to the players on the pitch and we’re already looking forward to next summer’s match.” — Sam Glickman, co-founder.
Next Match
Vermont Green FC hit the road on Saturday June 8 to take on Albany Rush in a USL League Two clash. The match kicks off at 1pm at Union College in Schenectady, NY.
