By Dan Barile
Eagle Times Correspondent
LUDLOW, VT — After winning their semifinal matchups the previous weekend, Green Mountain and Otter Valley returned to Dorsey Park in Ludlow to face-off in the championship game of the Green Mountain Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 16.
After the starters were announced for both teams, Green Mountain came bursting through a banner which said, “Get your popcorn ready, we’re about to put on a show.”
However, it was Otter Valley who would get the show started when Mallee Richardson found the back of the net only 90 seconds into the game.
Richardson slipped past the defense on the right side of the field and received a lead pass for Allie Charbonneau. With the goalie protecting the right side of the net, Richardson blasted the ball into the left corner on what seemed like a nearly impossible angle.
Despite the early lead for Otter Valley, the Green Mountain student section continued to create a tournament atmosphere throughout the game with a combination of drumming, cowbell rattling and enthusiastic cheering.
The score would remain at 1-0 until Charbonneau fired the ball from the edge of the 18-foot box with just under four minutes remaining in the first half. GM’s goalie had the ball in her grasp momentarily until it fell out of her hands and crossed the line to give Otter Valley a 2-0 lead.
As halftime arrived, temperatures began to cool as the wind continued to whip through the surrounding trees.
One change Green Mountain made going in the second half was moving Donnia Blagrove from defense to goalie. Blagrove utilized an aggressive approach in net to minimize the number of shots in the penalty area from Otter Valley.
While Blagrove’s play in goal sparked GM defensively, they continued to struggle in the second half with maintaining possession and creating scoring opportunities.
“It was good to see Donnia come out strong in goal. She has been excellent on defense this year, but she did a good job last year as our goalkeeper on JV,” said Assistant Coach Angela Hutchins.
Neither team was able to score in the second half as Otter Valley held on for the 2-0 victory.
After the game, Green Mountain Athletic Director Todd Parah awarded the championship trophy to Otter Valley and the runner-up trophy to the hosts. Leland & Gray earned third place after defeating Proctor by a score of 5-0 in the consolation game.
GM is now 1-4 in the season. They hosted Springfield Sept. 18, and travel to Windsor on Sept. 21.
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