SOUTH BURLINGTON – The teams in red drew first blood in the Division I high school soccer semifinals on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
And their opponents couldn’t strike back.
The Champlain Valley boys and girls stormed to two-goal halftime leads and cruised into their championship games, both aiming for repeat crowns. The third-seeded and two-time reigning champion Redhawk boys toppled No. 10 Burlington 3-0, while the No. 1 and defending champion Redhawk girls dropped fifth-seeded St. Johnsbury, also in a 3-0 result, at Munson Field.
The CVU girls will meet No. 7 Colchester in the D-I title game, and the CVU boys will take on No. 1 Burr and Burton in the other final at Virtue Field in a championship doubleheader on Saturday, Nov. 1. The girls game is set for 5 p.m., with the boys to follow at 7:30.
More: See how your favorite team fared during Vermont H.S. playoffs on Wednesday, Oct. 29
For more on CVU’s twin semifinal triumphs, read on below:
Gavin Prada scores with 1 second left before break for first-half brace
CVU coach Shane Bufano made a tactical change late in the first half. Bufano and his assistant coaches thought midfielder Gavin Prada might provide an impact at forward. After BHS made a late substitution, Bufano pulled the trigger.
Prada rewarded his coaches with a pair of goals in the final 8 minutes of the first half, the latter coming with 1 second on the clock for a 2-0 halftime margin.
“We saw something that we could exploit from direct play to possession-oriented play,” Bufano said.
On the first goal, Sebastian Bronk sent a restart deep into the box, where Will Wallace flipped over his shoulder — as he was falling to the turf — toward Prada. The senior pounced on the loose-ball chance, slotting inside the right post on a low shot for a 1-0 lead.
Then as the game neared halftime, Bronk booted the ball from midfield down the middle of the BHS defense. The pass took a deflection off a defender, freeing Prada for a breakaway. Prada beat BHS goalie Ben Koh and the halftime horn with a high toe poke.
“I had no idea,” how much time was left, Prada said. “I just knew I had to get to the ball and put it into the back of the net.”
Bufano on Prada’s second goal: “It totally changed the momentum of the game.”
In the second half, Wallace set up another goal. The senior midfielder sent an over-the-top ball for Lincoln Ricketts, who fended off a BHS defender and coolly scored on a low shot from a tight angle in the 44th minute for a 3-0 edge.
“We knew what we had in us and we went out there and showed them what we could do,” Prada said.
CVU (11-5-1) will play for a three-peat in its 36th championship-game appearance. But the Redhawks slumped down the stretch, losing to Mount Mansfield, BHS and Burr and Burton over a five-day stretch in the final week of the regular season.
“These guys just need to get a goal first to start believing. There was a lot of doubt, especially in that three-game (skid) when we could not score goals,” Bufano said.
The Seahorses, who close at 7-10, put together a surprise playoff run, highlighted by knocking off No. 2 Essex 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
“The boys have made me proud all season. This was the most fun I’ve had as a coach. Out of the last three semifinals we’ve lost, this one hurts the most,” fourth-year BHS coach Mukhtar Abdullahi said. “We were very grateful to be here. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t.”
No drama needed for CVU girls soccer in semifinal rout
A loss in the finale to Mount Mansfield halted a 56-game regular-season unbeaten streak and provided a “wake-up call,” according to star midfielder Elsa Klein. A near-unthinkable comeback against Essex in the quarterfinals — three goals over a two-minute span in the game’s final 5-plus minutes — turned what appeared to be nightmare finish to the season into a dreamy result.
“A lot of things have come to easy for us at times. It’s good to have some adversity,” first-year CVU coach Kelly Knudsen said.
But in the semifinals vs. St. Johnsbury, the Redhawks avoided the drama. They played their game, with their full-steam-ahead attack on complete display to book the program’s 31st title-game appearance and 14th since 2009.
Reese Kingsbury, the hero of the quarterfinals, opened the scoring with another long-range effort and Elsa Klein set up the second goal of the first half while completing the dominant 80-minute performance with a second-half strike to lead the Redhawks (14-1-1).
“Our (strategy) was to be a threat to this team. We wanted to go in with full intensity, to scare them a little bit,” Klein said. “We did that right away.
“I’m so proud of our girls. We’ve worked so hard this season to get here. I can’t wait for the (final) vs. Colchester.”
Kingsbury unloaded a 30-yard shot that skipped under SJA goalie Jayden Bunnell’s arms for a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute. From there, CVU worked the wings with Allie Barrett and Lilyanna Mittelstadt to create scoring chances. Center back Elliana Antonucci found a cutting Klein, who unloaded a through-ball down the left sideline for the sophomore Barrett.
Barrett used her speed to break free from a SJA defender, with only the goalie to beat. Bunnell charged off her line, but Barrett used the wider angle to pass the ball into the net for a 2-0 lead with 14:18 to play in the first half.
“I told (Barrett), ‘Those are the type of balls I’m looking for,’” Klein said. “That’s what we’ve been working on. She’s one of our fastest wings. I love playing with her.”
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Mittelstadt lifted a pass down the sideline for Klein, who pushed the ball into space for a clear break opportunity. Klein had options and elected for a cut-back in front of goal with a composed lefty finish for a 3-0 advantage.
Bunnell made eight saves for the Hilltoppers (10-5-1). Antonucci, Sierra Rainey and the CVU defense did not allow a SJA shot on target.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
