It doesn't matter what the sport is, if you don't score, you don't win.
Against Windsor last Thursday, the Brattleboro Colonels' field hockey team had trouble putting the ball into the cage.
In a game they lost 4-1 at Tenney Field, the Colonels were outshot 21-13, and Windsor had a 15-5 edge in penalty corners. But the Colonels controlled play for most of the first half, and had their moments in the second half.
“It's just frustrating,” said Colonels coach Deb Valliere. “You play your hearts out and keep getting the ball into the circle, but we just couldn't score.”
Windsor got both its first-half goals off penalty corners as Ashley Wilcox scored seven minutes into the game, and teammate Kristen Holt scored with seven minutes left in the first half. That sandwiched a goal by Brattleboro's Katie Damian with 13:47 left in the half.
Though the Colonels tried and tried, they couldn't nail that tying goal in the second half. Windsor's Ashleigh Creighton put the game away with a pair of goals with 7:09 and 2:42 remaining in the game.
Brattleboro went up to Springfield on Sept. 23 and came away with a 1-1 tie. Damian scored off a rebound midway through the first half to give the Colonels a 1-0 lead. The Cosmos got the equalizer a few minutes later.
The Colonels finished the week with a 1-5-1 record. Valliere noted Damian remains the only Brattleboro player to have scored a goal so far this season.
Football
• Quarterback Kyle Patno ran for three touchdowns, but it wasn't enough as Brattleboro lost 26-22 to St. Johnsbury last Saturday on the road.
St. Johnsbury's Dylan Shattuck ran 84 yards for the winning touchdown with shy of three minutes left in the game. Shattuck finished with 121 yards on nine carries and threw a 74-yard pass to Andrew Graciano for a score.
Colton Hudson ran for a 10-yard touchdown, and Bill Brink returned a blocked punt 36 yards for a TD for the 1-4 Hilltoppers.
Patno scored on touchdown runs of 1, 3, and 34 yards. He led the Colonels with 90 yards rushing and 73 yards passing. Ryan Fontaine kicked a 24-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter to give the Colonels the lead until Shattuck's winning touchdown run moments later.
The 1-4 Colonels host Rutland Friday night at 7 at Natowich Field.
• Bellows Falls showed it was capable of scoring points through the air as quarterback Ethan Illingworth and wideout David Dunbar hooked up for a pair of 18-yard touchdowns in a 26-14 win over the Burr & Burton Bulldogs last Saturday.
Carson Fullam and Kyle O'Rourke had rushing touchdowns for the Terriers, who led 12-0 at halftime. Bulldog quarterback Griffin Stalcup threw a 80-yard touchdown to Dalton Blackwell. The duo also hooked up for the Bulldogs' first touchdown.
BF is now 3-2, and travels to Barre to play Spaulding on Saturday.
Boys' soccer
• Twin Valley took the annual John Werner Tournament in Arlington with a 3-0 victory over Springfield last Friday night. Dal Nesbitt, Colin Lozito, and Troy Felisko did the scoring for the Wildcats, with Nick Nilsen and Felisko each credited with an assist.
Lozito was named the tournament MVP. Dal Nesbitt had a team-high four goals in the two tourney games, and goalkeeper Sam Molner picked up his sixth shutout as Twin Valley improved to 6-0.
• Marcus LaFlam and Jacob Ranzona each scored for Mount Anthony in a 2-0 victory over Brattleboro in Bennington on Tuesday. The Colonels are 3-2-1 so far this season.
• Leland & Gray crushed Hinsdale, N.H., 9-1, on Sept. 23 in Townshend. Bryce Karg, Jake Sherman, Sergei Brower, and Olin Ruppert-Bousquet each scored two goals, while Joshua Donna added a goal and an assist.
On the 26th, the tables were turned on the Rebels as they lost 4-1 to unbeaten Woodstock. Sherman had the lone goal in the second half as the Rebels ended the week at 2-4.
• Bellows Falls had many chances to score at West Rutland, but Liam Shaw was the only Terrier to find the back of the net in a 2-1 loss on Sept. 26. They finished the week at 3-5-1.
Girls' soccer
• Brattleboro traveled to St. Johnsbury on Sept. 23, and left town with a 2-2 tie. Maddy Derosia and Molly Gurney scored in the first half for the Colonels, but the Hilltoppers forced overtime with a pair of goals in the second half. The Colonels put plenty of shots on goal, and goalkeeper Amiee Johnson made six saves.
Next up for the Colonels was Mount Anthony in Bennington, and for the second time this season, the Patriots prevailed in a 1-0 game. MAU got its lone goal in the second minute of play, and Brattleboro, despite outshooting the Patriots, couldn't get the equalizer. Johnson made 13 saves to keep it close at 22-19.
• Aliza Stichler scored three goals as Stratton Mountain School beat Leland & Gray, 3-1, in Townshend on Sept. 24. The Rebels put 18 shots on goal, six of them from Giannina Gaspero-Beckstrom, but only got a goal to show for it. That lone goal came from Casey Williams.
• Twin Valley shut out Arlington, 6-0, in the annual John Werner Tournament last Thursday. Savannah Nesbitt and Kaitlyn Hunt scored two goals each. Kirsten Halbur and Sammy Cunningham each added a goal, and Jordan Niles had three assists as the Wildcats improved to 4-2.
• Morgan Kathan scored three goals in the second half as Black River whipped Bellows Falls, 7-1, last Friday. Chelsea Wilder scored the lone goal for the Terriers, who fell to 1-7 overall.
Cross-country
• Ryan Gilligan finished sixth overall in 19 minutes, 8 seconds to lead the Brattleboro boys to a second place finish in a seven-team meet in Woodstock on Sept. 24.
It was the Colonel boys' best result as a team this season. Woodstock won the meet, while Bellows Falls finished seventh. Tyler Clement finished 16th in 20:40 for the Colonels, followed by teammates Jon Burdo (20th in 21:31), Oliver Pomazi (22nd in 21:42), and Eduardo Rodriguez (25th in 21:59).
The Brattleboro girls team, without their two top runners, finished fourth behind Woodstock, Burr and Burton, and Springfield. Catey Yost placed seventh in 24:24 to lead the Colonel girls, followed by Gwen Harris (13th in 25:30) and Eve Pomazi (22nd in 26:29).
Lawton's wins kickball tournament
• Lawton Floor Design won Youth Services' Kickin' It Home Kickball tournament Sept. 28 at West River Park in Brattleboro. Vintage Steele came in a close second.
Organizers said 17 teams competed, ranging from businesses such as Cultural Intrigue to nonprofits such as Families First; youth teams from institutions such as Greenwood and Academy schools and Kindle Farm; and groups of friends bringing their A-game.
Chroma Technology, which brought in more than $700 for the cause, claimed the award for top fundraiser. Bustin' Ballstarz took home the prize for best uniform.
More than $5,000 was raised through a combination of corporate sponsors, registration fees, and money donated above and beyond the $200 required. All contributions will help fund Youth Services, which provides short-term emergency housing and follow-up counseling for youth who threaten to run away, have run, or are pushed out of the home. For more information, visit youthservicesinc.org.