On Saturday, the finest high school soccer players from Vermont and New Hampshire will face off at Castleton University for their final games of their stellar high school careers before they enter the college world where all of our local players will continue to play the game they love.
The competition began in 1975 and is organized each year by the non-profit Lions Twin State Soccer Association, a joint venture between the Lions of New Hampshire and Vermont.
With no boys from our area on either team, our area will be represented by four soccer players representing the NH girls’ team. Allie Stoddart and Madison Parrot from Fall Mt, Kelsey Belisle from Stevens and Madeline Austin from Sunapee will all be on the pitch for NH to try and avenge last year’s 5-0 loss to Vermont.
Madison Parrot (Fall Mountain)
Parrot will be attending New Hampshire Technical Institute in the fall, studying dental hygiene and playing soccer. Parrot said, “My best memory from my soccer career so far, has to be winning the 2016 division 3 girls state championship. It was a perfect season with a perfect ending.”
“Playing soccer has impacted my life forever. Throughout the years I have met so many great players and watched them, as well as myself, achieve many accomplishments. I am so grateful to have the honor of playing in this years’ Lions Cup game.”
Madeline Austin (Sunapee)
Austin will be playing soccer at Southern New Hampshire University and majoring in mechanical engineering. “My most memorable career moment was winning the state championship my senior year and being able to score over 100 goals,” Austin said. “Playing soccer means so much to me, and it is something I will always love. This sport requires so much dedication and commitment and it is such a great feeling when all of the hard work pays off.”
Kelsey Belisle (Stevens)
Belisle will be attending Emmanuel College, majoring in Developmental Psychology and playing soccer. “My most memorable career moment was my freshman year when we made it to the final four,” Kelsey said. “…and before we left for the game, Patty Deschaine had us go down to our field and bring a little bit of our home field with us to Laconia. Then when we got there, before the starting whistle, we all dropped our little handfuls of grass onto the Lafont turf to help us remember where we came from. The whole town supporting us all the way in Laconia is something I’ll never forget.” “Sports have always been a part of my life and it is how I met the majority of my friends. The bonds I have with my teammates will last a lifetime and I am so thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to know what it means to be a part of a team and not always doing what’s best for myself but everyone, and whatever goal we are trying to achieve.”
Allie Stoddart (Fall Mountain)
Stoddart will be attending New England College this fall and playing on the Don Melander Turf Field. Stoddart has been a three-sport athlete in each year of her high school career, participating in basketball, softball and soccer. “She is the type of athlete you want on your team,” said her high school coach Bruce Ferland. “Whatever you tell her she can’t do she’ll prove that she can. A tenacious athlete that hates to be scored on and has no fear.”
Zoey Luopa had this to say about her friend and teammate Stoddart: “Allie is one of the most competitive, driven athletes I know. She was always the one I would talk to at half time when things were going wrong because she could keep me calm and she saw the field and court so well. She was intense and was always the most aggressive player on the field or court. She made me a better athlete and moving on, I don’t know what I will do without her.”
Funds raised from the charity event are divided evenly between the two states. The Vermont Lions donate their funds to operate the Green Mountain Lions Camp for deaf and hard of hearing children.
The New Hampshire funds go to the Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation, which supports vision and hearing projects throughout New Hampshire.
Game time is 4:00 p.mm for the women and 6:30 p.m. for the men.
Men’s Team Standing: New Hampshire 18, Vermont 17, Ties 8
Women’s team Standing: New Hampshire 17, Vermont 13, Ties 5
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