Most field hockey coaches wouldn't complain about their team winning a game by a 5-0 margin.
But Bellows Falls field hockey coach Bethany Coursen is not like most coaches.
Not that Coursen objected to the Terriers shutting out Brattleboro, 5-0, on Sept. 26 at Tenney Field. She said she was happy with the first half that her team turned in, scoring four goals and smothering the Brattleboro offense. However, she was very unhappy with the second half.
“Being 7-0 is awesome, but I'd rather have a loss and play a good game than win big and not play well,” she said.
That was why Coursen called a time out with about 11 minutes to play in the second, not long after an Abbe Cravinho penalty stroke was deflected by Brattleboro goalie Natalya Forkin.
“I told them they needed to step it up,” she said. “We were doing too much standing and watching.”
BF was standing and watching the first half as the Terriers found the net four times. Cravinho scored first, just 3:10 into the game, set up by Molly Kelly and Madison Streeter.
Reaghan Baldasaro got the next two BF goals. The first came at the 5 minute mark from Kelly, the second came off a rebound eight minutes later. Paxton Santorelli then made 4-0 off a penalty corner midway through the first half.
Not long after the fourth goal, Brattleboro's starting goalie Olivia Weeks,was lifted in favor of Forkin. Brattleboro tried to generate some offense after that, but got few chances. BF goalies Emma Lober and Brigid Hodsdon each played a half to combine on the shutout. Sophia Hyslop got BF's last goal with 4:10 left to play.
Coursen said she expected her team to play much better against Woodstock, and she was right.
Two second-half goals gave the Terriers a 2-0 win over the Wasps last Friday to improve BF's record to 8-0. Cravinho scored off a pass from Kelly for the first BF goal nearly 8 minutes into the second half. Baldasaro later passed to Kelly for the second goal with eight minutes to go.
You don't get to be the undefeated defending state champion without having to deal with the weight of expectations. Coursen and the Terriers are driven to be the best and know what it takes to be the best. They are skilled, speedy, and relentless on offense, totally disciplined on defense, and rarely make mistakes.
That's the standard Coursen has set, and that's what her players strive to meet. That's why the Terriers are so good.
Football
• Quarterback Alex O'Connell's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:20 left to play gave the Colchester Lakers a 25-22 win over visiting Brattleboro in a nail-biter of a game last Friday night.
The game looked like it was going to be a blowout for the Lakers. On the opening kickoff, Bailey Olson had a 73-yard return for a 7-0 lead just 15 seconds into the game.
Brattleboro responded with a long drive, but penalties derailed that scoring chance. Colchester then responded with a 54-yard touchdown run by Matt Hesford for a 13-0 lead with 4:12 left in the first.
The Lakers were driving for a third touchdown in the opening quarter when the Colonels defense stepped up and turned the game around.
Seth Rhodes intercepted an O'Connell pass near the goal line with 11 seconds, and the Colonels drove down the field 96 yards behind the 1-2 running punch of tailback Cheick Diakite and fullback Kolton Ravenna. Diakite finished the drive with a 7-yard TD run to cut the lead to 13-7 with 6 minutes left in the second quarter.
The Colonels again stopped the Lakers on their next possession, and when Brattleboro got the ball back, Diakite ran for a 77-yard touchdown to give them a 14-13 lead with 2:57 left.
Brattleboro had another long drive to start the third quarter, but stalled at the Colchester 1-yard line. The Colonel defense, however, made sure that drive didn't go to waste as they tackled O'Connell in the end zone for a safety near the end of the quarter.
Armed with a 16-13 lead, the Colonels then scored in the ensuing possession as Ravenna started the fourth quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run for 22-13 lead.
But scoring 22 unanswered points was not enough to ensure a victory, as it was Colchester's turn to stage a big rally. Jerett Schnabel scored on a 3-yard run that cut the Colonel lead to 22-19 with 10:07 left. The Laker defense bottled up the Colonels, and they got the ball back with 3:50 to play.
Olson caught a 19-yard pass from O'Donnell on a fourth-and-5 to keep the drive going and set up O'Donnell's game-winning plunge. Olson finished with 100 receiving yards, while Hesford had 99 yards of rushing.
Diakite finished the night with 220 rushing yards on 34 carries. Ravenna added 56 yards of rushing.
The 2-3 Colonels travel to Rutland this Friday for a 7 p.m. game.
• Bellows Falls stayed undefeated with a 33-8 win at Milton last Friday night in a game that was closer than the final score would indicate.
Milton had several chances to score, but were derailed by penalties and turnovers, including a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown by BF defensive back Brendan Kendall.
That capped off a three touchdown first half for the Terriers. Tailback Jahyde Bullard opened the scoring with a 24-yard TD run on BF's first possession. Jacob Lober later scored on a 1-yard run to make it 14-0 with 6:21 left in the second quarter.
Milton was driving for a touchdown as the first half was winding down when Kendall stepped in front of a Nick Leware pass and sped downfield for a backbreaking touchdown and a 20-0 lead with 2:32 to play.
The Yellowjackets tried to get back in it. They scored on their first possession of the second half when Cam Bushey scored on a 1-yard run to finish a 12-play drive that cut the lead to 20-8 with 6:43 remaining in the third.
BF quickly responded with a score. It took only five plays to Lober to find the end zone with a 15-yard touchdown for a 27-8 lead with 4:12 left.
Both teams battled to a stalemate the rest of the way as penalties and four sacks by the BF defense kept Milton out of the end zone. Lober got his third touchdown of the night on a 1-yard run with 3.3 seconds left in the game.
BF finished with 306 yards of rushing as Bullard ran for 80 yards and Lober ran for 90.
The 5-0 Terriers travel to Lyndon this Saturday for a 1 p.m. game.
Girls' soccer
• Woodstock's Anna Dieffenbach scored two unassisted goals to help lead the Wasps to a 3-1 win over Brattleboro on Sept. 27.
Olivia Marsicovetere got Woodstock's third goal, with the assist going to Claire Saunders. Brattleboro's lone score came from Kai Boyd. Woodstock goalkeeper Brittany Poljacik made 18 saves, Megyn Ayotte had 12 saves for the Colonels.
The Colonels also lost a 3-1 match to Stratton Mountain School on Sept. 29 and a 1-0 decision to Rutland last Saturday to finish the week at 2-6. Brattleboro went into the Rutland match shorthanded with injuries to several key players, but gamely hung on and made the Raiders work for their victory.
• Bellows Falls is still looking for their first win. They came close against Springfield on Sept. 27, but fell short, 5-4.
Springfield held a 4-2 lead in the second half but a pair of goals from BF's Keri Ticino tied the game. Unfortunately, with five minutes to play, the Cosmos pounced on a defensive mistake by the Terriers and Kim Phan scored the game-winning goal. Ticino finished with three goals, Zoe Schemm also scored for the Terriers.
The Terriers finished their week with a 3-0 to Black River in Ludlow. Alice Fienza scored twice and assisted on a goal by Morgan Barton to lead the Presidents. BF is 0-9 on the season.
• Twin Valley lost a 4-0 match to Mount St. Joseph on Sept. 26 and played Arlington to a 1-1 tie on Sept. 29. In the Arlington match, Brianna O'Hearn got the only goal for the Wildcats in the second half, while goalkeeper Celia Betit made 21 saves in a defensive battle.
Boys' soccer
• Logan Park scored in overtime to give undefeated Twin Valley a 2-1 win over Otter Valley last Friday to win the John Werner Tournament in Arlington for the fourth straight year.
Twin Valley midfielder Skyler Boyd was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Against Otter Valley, he set up Troy Felisko for the Wildcats' first goal in the 22nd minute and dominated in the midfield. Logan Boyd made three saves for the 8-0 Wildcats.
• Brattleboro overpowered Leland & Gray in a 5-1 win in Townshend last Friday. Anthony Piergentili had three goals, while Luke Williams and Tanner Bell had the others.
It was the third straight win for the 4-3-1 Colonels, who also beat Woodstock, 2-1, on Sept. 28.
Jake Wilkins got the only goal for the 2-5-1 Rebels, who beat Stratton Mountain School, 5-1, on Sept. 28.
• Bellows Falls continues to struggle. They lost to West Rutland, 12-0, last Saturday for their third consecutive loss by 10 goals or more. Now 0-5, they have been outscored by a 52-3 margin this season and have been shut out four times.
Cross-country
• The Bellows Falls boys placed three runners in the top 10, but a strong Brattleboro team had four top 10 runners, led by race winner Isaac Freitas-Eagan, to give the Colonels a win in a four-team meet last week.
Freitas-Eagan was the only runner to break 18 minutes, finishing in 17 minutes, 54 seconds, as Brattleboro won the meet with a score of 35, followed by Bellows Falls (54), Woodstock (85), and Burr & Burton (95).
Cody Tallent was the top finisher for BF, placing eighth with a time of 20:01. Nicolas Potter took ninth in 20:03 and Ian Wallace followed in 20:23. Rounding out the pack were Tim Salter-Roy (13th in 20:57), Jackson Purdy (14th in 21:02), and Cam Joy (15th in 21:08).
• The Brattleboro girls turned in a solid performance at last Saturday's Thetford Woods Trail run, finishing 11th out of 48 teams. Sarah Gallagher (42nd), Elery Loggia (80th), Annie Takacs (96th), Liz Morse (100th) and Alexandra Miskovich (103rd) were the top five runners for the Colonel girls.
Brattleboro finished 34th out of 55 teams in the boys' race. Freitas-Eagan (18th), Colin Costa-Walsh (91st), Trevor Kipp (183rd), Logan Makay (591st), and Paul Aquadro (693rd) were the top five for the Colonel boys. Stephen Borst of St. Michael's, finished 509th overall.
Let's be careful out there...
• Fall weather in Vermont can be highly variable - with temperatures that range from the 20s to the 80s, sometimes in the same day. That's why if you are going out hiking, especially at higher elevations, you need to pay attention to the weather.
The Vermont State Police and Department of Public Safety would like to remind hikers that it's not unusual to find yourself hiking in cold conditions near a summit despite warmer weather at the trailhead. Fall rain at lower elevations can turn into the all-too-familiar wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain in the hills. Conditions on the trails above are often much colder and windy than below, raising the potential for hypothermia if you are unprepared.
If you plan on hiking at higher elevations, be prepared for potential winter-like conditions. Waterproof boots (not sneakers) with traction devices, extra layers of warm clothes, a headlamp or flashlight, and a map and compass are necessities. If you are not properly equipped, and wintry weather makes travel and route finding difficult, turn around and head back to the trailhead.
Even if the weather is fair, having a headlamp or flashlight can be critical if you find yourself still on the trail as darkness falls. Get an early start and allow plenty of time for your hike, as the days are getting shorter.
Also, don't count on your cell phone or GPS to save you, for batteries and cell signals aren't always reliable. Use common sense, be prepared, and enjoy Vermont's hiking trails safely.
Senior bowling roundup
• Team 3 (18-7) held on to first place in Week 5 of the fall season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League. Team 5 (17-8) moved into second place. with a three-way tie for third with Team 6, Team 1, and Team 10 all with 15-10 records. Team 7 (13-12) dropped to fourth, followed by Team 4 (10-15), Team 2 (8-17), and Team 8 and Team 9 (both 7-18).
Team 6 again had the high handicap game (945) and series (2,638). Sandy Ladd had the women's high handicap game (265), while DeEtt Farnham had the high handicap series (710). Charlie Marchant had the men's high handicap game (224) and high handicap series (678).
Marchant (224), Jerry Dunham (200), and Warren Corriveau Sr. (227) all had 200-plus games.
Sonya Shippee (534) and Sally Perry (514) rolled 500-plus series, as did Marchant (573), Dunham (521), Corriveau (548), Tom Johnson (535), Fred Ashworth (598), Peter Gilbert (509), and Marty Adams (509).
Men's Basketball League plans upcoming season
• There will be a Brattleboro Men's Basketball League organizational meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 5:30 p.m., at the Gibson-Aiken Center on Main Street. A representative from each team must attend the meeting.
The league is still looking for new board members. If there are any questions or concerns, call the Recreation & Parks Department Office at 802-254-5808.