Even before kickoff, the final of the NCAA men’s soccer championship was special as a meeting between two underdogs. Marshall, which won its first title in the 2020 season as an unseeded team, was the 13th seed this year and reached the final by defeating No. 1 Ohio State. Meanwhile, unseeded Vermont beat two-seed Pitt and three-seed Denver on its way to the title game. The Thundering Herd and Catamounts put together a real thriller Monday night, as Vermont won its first championship in program history on a sudden-death goal in overtime.

That goal is at the 7:56 mark of the highlight reel below, though the entire second half of the match was very dramatic. Marshall took a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute after Vermont keeper Niklas Herceg mishandled a tough cross right into the path of Tarik Pannholzer. Herceg kept his team in it with a beautiful save minutes later, and in the 81st minute, Marcell Papp took advantage of a poor clearance from Marshall keeper Aleksa Janjic to start and finish a one-two with a shot from just inside the box. You’re here for the winner, though. In overtime, centerback Zach Barrett intercepted a pass in the Vermont half and smacked a speculative longball for Maximilian Kissel. The forward shrugged off his defender, then dribbled around Janjic and scored.

This is the University of Vermont’s first national championship in a sport outside of skiing; when the school reached the final, it became the first team from the America East conference to do so. The Catamounts are unlikely winners, although this title follows strong runs in recent seasons: They lost in the quarterfinals in 2022 and in the third round last year. Scoring late is also somewhat of a trademark for Vermont, as they recorded 22 goals in the 76th minute or later this season. The Catamounts also became, by my unscientific reckoning, the team with the coolest-named mascot to win an NCAA title this year—an equally prestigious honor, no doubt.

Do the Locomotion

Saturday 21 & Sunday 22

All aboard! Families hop on the Okemo Valley Holiday Express at Chester Depot for an hourlong adventure through bucolic landscapes. As winter wonderland scenes zip by, passengers enjoy hot cocoa and cookies, caroling, coloring — and maybe evena visit from that certain special someone with a big, white beard.

Lilies of the Valley

Friday 20

Brattleboro roots band Low Lily bring their winter solstice concert to Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater for a warm, joyful ushering in of the year’s shortest day. The performance showcases the trio’s talents in mandolin, guitar, fiddle and banjo, as well as its infectious, high-energy stage presence — sure to brighten up even the darkest of December nights.

Spinning Yarns

Thursday 19

Local “social entrepreneur” Samara Anderson hosts Vermont Library Storytelling: Best of 2024 at the South Burlington Public Library auditorium — where neighbors step into the spotlight à la “The Moth” to share true, vulnerable narratives. The event is part of Anderson’s much larger statewide effort to bring a community storytelling platform to all 185 public libraries.

Pride and Presents

Through Sunday 22

Shaker Bridge Theatre’s charming production of The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, at Briggs Opera House in White River Junction, is a yuletide sequel to Jane Austen’s novel of manners Pride and Prejudice. Audiences can expect to encounter Mr. and Mrs. Darcy — as well as fresh faces such as Cassie, the eager maid, and Brian, the lovesick footman.

Horsing Around

Friday 20

The Opera House at Enosburg Falls rolls out the red carpet for an exclusive screening of Khoa Le’s freshly released romance dramedy, Christmas Cowboy. The movie’s cast and crew sit side by side with excited locals to take in the Hallmarkesque flick that was filmed right here in Vermont — including a few scenes shot at the historic opera house itself.

Flurry of Fun

Friday 20

BarnArts’ original concert “Winter Carols” at First Universalist Church and Society in Barnard summons magic and wonder through music. In keeping with the org’s mission to enrich rural communities through participatory arts, Michael Zsoldos directs local talent of all ages in works centered on the season of solstice — including some festive audience sing-alongs.

Gifts From the Art

Ongoing

The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery’s annual “Small and Large Works” exhibition in Burlington boosts the holiday shopping experience by showcasing gift-size artworks by 130 local artisans. All pieces are either smaller than 12 inches or larger than 24 inches and come ready to wrap — with prices to suit all budgets.

Last Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch that set off a cascade of preparations across Vermont. 

On that same day, Vermont Department of Mental Health announced that it had received an extension of funding for its Starting Over Strong program to support the mental health of flood-affected Vermonters.

Two days later, reports revealed that the rain and snowmelt had caused little damage to Vermont homes and infrastructure. But the mental health department’s deputy commissioner, Samantha Sweet, said it is exactly these repeat flooding events that could cause continuing struggles for Vermonters who have been hit hard by previous storms. 

“The rain hitting their roof in years past used to be soothing and comforting to people, and they enjoyed hearing (the) sound, and now it causes them incredible anxiety,” Sweet said. 

The state’s repeat flooding disasters was also part of the reason the program has been extended. The department initially received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration after the July 2023 flood to operate the program through October 2024. But after the July 2024 flood, the program’s funding was extended through July 2025. 

The core purpose of the program is to provide outreach and connect flood-affected Vermonters to a variety of mental health services from regional providers. The program operates a hotline at 802-651-1767 and has reached out to Vermonters in a variety of other ways — from door-to-door knocking to booths at local farmers markets, Sweet said. 

The program has interacted with 14,000 Vermonters so far. That includes Vermonters who have reached out on behalf of a loved one or friend, Sweet said. 

“As these services are going door to door and just telling people about the service, they’re hearing a lot, ‘well, I’m okay, but my neighbor three doors down is really struggling,’” she said. “It’s truly a Vermont way.”

Sweet added via email that of those 14,000 Vermonters, about 1,150 have had more in-depth visits from the program and 1,000 have attended support groups run by some regional providers. 

Program staffers can also connect Vermonters to more long-term mental health support and other community resources like their local food shelf, Sweet said. 

However, the program does not provide mental health crisis support. Sweet urged Vermonters in crisis to call the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 

The program is completely free, Sweet said. The sole eligibility criteria is location: You must be in one of the counties that had a declared disaster, which includes Chittenden, Washington, Addison, Lamoille, Essex, Caledonia and Orleans counties. 

The level of support someone receives from the program is up to them, she said. 

“It can be just touching base with someone and connecting and sharing their story and having someone listen to how things have been for them,” she said. “All the way up to, visiting with them three or four (times), and they’re having that short term support to kind of get their story out and and receive the support that they need.”