Woodstock’s field hockey season came to a haunting end on Halloween, as a score from Montpelier senior Regan Walke in sudden death double overtime won the Solons the Vermont Principals’ Association Division III state championship.
The tilt took place at the University of Vermont’s Moulton Winder Field. Montpelier came into the game as the tournament’s number one seed after an undefeated regular season and a 2-1 victory over Fair Haven in the semi-final. For the Wasps, their season started slow but they came into the title match red hot, having ripped eight straight wins, including their 5-1 semifinal win over Stowe.
After a back-and-forth first period that saw great saves from both goalies, Woodstock junior Grace Perreault put stick on the ball and found the back of the net, putting her team ahead 1-0 with 2:59 left in the frame. “I think we came out with good energy,” said Woodstock head coach Leanne Tapley.
Montpelier applied more pressure on Woodstock’s senior goalkeeper Paige Stone in the second quarter, but the team leader stood strong, and the game went to halftime 1-0. Though the score would not remain for long. Three minutes into the second half, a pass from deep in the Solons defensive zone slipped past Woodstock and hit the Solons’ Emily Tringe in stride. Tringe’s shot beat Stone, giving the senior her 21st goal on the year, and tying the game at one. “They just got it into open space and beat us,” said Tapley.
The remainder of the third quarter saw both teams playing physical. With 1:44 remaining in the third, Woodstock saw their best scoring opportunity of the half. Senior Marley Olmstead streaked up the field, evading Montpelier defenders, and offered a picture-perfect centering pass to Perreault. One-on-one with the opposing goaltender, Perreault missed wide left, and the quarter ended tied.
Stone continued to impress, turning away shot after shot while freshman defender Gwen Boudreau hung tough against Montpelier’s high skilled offense. With seven minutes remaining, the Solons were given a corner try by the officials. The first pass went to Walke, who fired a missile-like shot at Stone. But the goalie wouldn’t give in, blocking the shot with her chest pad and keeping the game tied.
With a minute remaining, a Montpelier offensive break was stopped by a stunning defensive play by Woodstock senior Corrine White at midfield, who found sophomore Betta Cirovic with a head of steam towards the goal. Cirovic’s shot looked true but banged off the side of the cage. At the end of regulation, the game remained tied, and the state title game moved to sudden death overtime.
The crowd, who traveled to Burlington for the 3 p.m. start and sat through intermittent pouring rain, erupted with noise. Split down the middle, students and fans led dueling chants of “WE ARE WOODSTOCK” and “LETS GO SOLONS.” The two teams took the field for the seven-on-seven, five-minute overtime period and continued to play each other tough. Only Woodstock could muster a scoring chance, but they could not convert the two-on-one attempt. The Wasps and Solons remained tied after the first overtime period, sending it to a second.
If neither team scored in the second overtime, the game would have gone to penalty shots under the increasingly dark sky. But Montpelier had no interest in that scenario. After a save from Stone on a Walke shot, the Solons were rewarded with their second corner attempt of the game. The inbounds pass went to Walke, who passed it to Tringe, who then shipped it back to Walke. The future Connecticut College Camel took the pass, set her sights on Stone, and rifled the shot past her into the back of the net to secure the state title, 2-1.
With the win, Montpelier captured their third state title in four years and avenged a tight loss in last year’s title game.
The loss ends Woodstock’s season with a record of 12-4-1 and the runner-up crown. “This is a great group of girls, I had so much fun this season,” said Tapley. For Aleks Cirovic, she ends her time as a Woodstock field hockey player with fond memories. “Woodstock field hockey has always been my favorite sports team,” she said. “I also play high school lacrosse and club lacrosse, and I’ve always loved the field hockey season the most because of the community.” The teary-eyed senior continued, “We are such a big family, we have so much fun, we all love each other no matter what, and I think that’s so valuable to me. It taught me what a team really is, and what being a family really is.”
