Holley MacLellan, already one of Vermont’s best players and a state champion, refused to settle on her past success.

Hannah Smiley, who missed the entire 2023 season due to an ACL injury, returned to the pitch, ready to prove her worth.

One Milton star refined her game, the other regained her swagger. And the Yellowjackets program reaped the benefits during another title run.

Behind MacLellan’s long-distance strikes and Smiley serving as an instrumental figure on the defense’s 11th shutout this fall, top-seeded Milton dispatched No. 7 Mount Abraham 2-0 to retain the Division II high school girls soccer championship at Burlington’s Buck Hard Field on Friday night.

With the win, Milton (17-1) now owns 18 crowns out of 21 championship-game appearances.

“Last year was a hard season to beat. I’ve been a part of four (titles) and I’m happy to say that,” said second-year coach Cait Fogel, a program alum and former Yellowjacket star. “I told them, ‘You are not just the state champs this year, Milton is the CVU of Division II.’ Nobody can argue that.”

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And senior co-captains MacLellan and Smiley were at the center of Milton’s 18th banner. A technically gifted and strong-willed midfielder, MacLellan trusted her shot from deep, resulting in a career-high 27 tallies and leading an offense that fired in 90 team goals in 2024. Friday’s efforts arrived in the 15th minute via Savannah Monahan’s directed loose ball and then with 17:36 to play on Cianna Tomasi’s simple, but effective square pass to put away a gritty Mount Abraham side.

“It’s hard to speak about such a talented player and say she’s grown, but she has grown, surprisingly,” Fogel said of MacLellan. “She’s seen what’s working and what’s not. The 40-yard shots that weren’t going in and she finally adjusted and let them rip with a purpose. It obviously paid off and couldn’t have asked for a better night to finally dial it in.”

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Smiley solidified Milton’s back line with Marlie Bushey, Taylor Shappy and Avery Turner. Smiley’s return allowed Fogel to put Lila Martin back in net. The group conceded just 12 times in their 18 games.

In Friday’s final, Martin turned back five shots to finish with 73 saves this fall.

“Just having (Smiley) there was the final piece of the puzzle that we were missing a little bit from last year,” Fogel said. “Just that sense of peace to have (Smiley) on the back line right next to (Bushey). It was just indescribable.”

Said MacLellan of Smiley and Bushey: “They were fantastic. They were perfect, a crazy duo back there.”

MacLellan’s opening salvo gave Milton control against Mount Abraham in the teams’ third meeting this season (Milton won the first matchups, 1-0 in overtime in Bristol and then 4-0 at home). Monahan fought off a Mount Abraham defender on a 50-50 ball to spin a pass into inviting space for MacLellan. From there, MacLellan took several dribbles before unloading from 20 yards high into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.

“A lot of my goals this season have been from distance. I find some space at the top of the box and just look for the net,” MacLellan said. “I know that I can (score) and I like to take them any time I get them.”

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MacLellan’s insurance tally was even more impressive. Tomasi, the other senior co-captain, set up MacLellan from about 25 yards away. MacLellan uncorked a blast that took a short-hop right in front of Mount Abraham goalie Rosemary Behounek (four saves), skipping into the net for the 2-0 margin.

“Those shots that Holley hit, those were bangers,” Mount Abraham coach Dustin Corrigan said. “It wasn’t an unwinnable game. We came here to win and we knew it was going to be a difficult task. Credit to Milton, credit to Holley — those are some incredible finishes.”

The Eagles (12-6) reached their first final in 10 years following their penalty shootout win over Harwood in the semifinals on Wednesday.

“We came into this match with a lot of miles on our legs, but I’m not going to make any excuses. We were excited to play and Milton played a heck of a good game,” Corrigan said. “I’m very proud of the effort our girls put out there. They stuck together and they didn’t quit.”

Although Milton graduates nine seniors, Fogel casted warning for all challengers for the 2025 season: The Yellowjackets are the queens of D-II girls soccer in Vermont until someone else says otherwise.

“People need to recognize that and respecting that instead of overlooking us every season,” Fogel said. “Because we have quite a program that won’t go anywhere anytime soon.”

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.