2017-2018 Season
Fourth Place Finish in the Defi Sportif
In one of their favorite events of the entire season, your Vermont Chargers took their game north of the border one last time for the 2017-2018 season to compete in the three-day Defi Sportif from April 27-29, 2018.
After dropping their opening game against Juni Elite 5-0 on Friday night, the Chargers woke up Saturday morning with a mission. What followed was perhaps their best complete day of soccer for the entire 2018 season. Their first opponent that morning were the Edmonton Assassins. After falling behind 1-0, the Chargers took advantage of a set play from the top of the box in the final two minutes to even the score at 1-1. The Assassins ended up with the silver medal, so this draw was a very positive result.
In Saturday's second contest, the Chargers faced a resurgent Juni 2. The Canadians jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, and Vermont fought back to even the score. However, in order to ensure a spot in a medal game, the Chargers needed a victory, and in the final minute, Nicole Brown delivered to finish off the 2-1 victory. These two last-minute goals turned a defeat and a tie into a tie and a victory.
Unfortunately, the last-minute heroics did not last into Sunday. After dropping the morning contest 1-0 to CIVA, the Chargers unfortunately fell to CIVA again 2-02 finish in fourth place, just off the podium.
Nevertheless, this was an amazing weekend. We were competitive in every game we played, and this provided us with even more development as we strive to get better every ornament. The foundation is set, and the 2018-2019 season is going to be our best yet. We thank you all for your support throughout this entire year. We couldn't do it without our fans and sponsors!
A Challenging Day to Finish out the 2018 NEPSL League Season
Your Vermont Chargers finished the final leg of their three tournaments in four weekends, marathon spring schedule with a road trip to Canton, Massachusetts for a series of three games on April 7, 2018. Although we failed to come away with a victory, there were some very positive signs from today's performance that we can build on for the remainder of the season.
We dropped our first game to the eventual champion PRHC Chariots 8-0 before we squared off with our most familiar rivals, Juni Sport of Montréal. They jumped ahead of us 3-0 before halftime, but in the second half we held them to only one goal. A very similar story emerged in our final game of the day against the Boston Brakers. Despite being down 4-0 at halftime, the Chargers refused to give up and battled to a 2-2 draw in the second half.
We had moments of great play today, and despite coming up short in the final tally, we showed that not only do we fight to the end, but we were very competitive for substantial periods of time, especially in the second half. These periods of time are continually getting longer, and very soon the results are going to follow on the scoreboard.
Thank you to the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children for their tremendous hospitality today, and it was great to see our friends from all over the Northeast. The Chargers now have a few weeks without a tournament before we travel to Montréal again to compete in the Defi Sportif from April 27-29.
Three Thrilling Contests North of the Border
On March 24, the Vermont Chargers headed to Montréal for a series of three games. The Chargers controlled the first game against CIVA in large part from beginning to end. Although we did ultimately fall 2-0, in terms of goal-scoring opportunities and time of possession, we clearly controlled the game. That game could have very easily gone the other way with a few lucky bounces in the other direction. In fact, the second half was a 0-0 draw. Our team played perhaps one of our best games of the season, and, despite the loss, we were feeling very good after that performance.
After that, we challenged Juni Elite, the squad we hosted at home last fall. Although we ultimately fell 4-1, again, we gave them a solid game. It was a strong team effort, and our defense was able to hold the hard-hitting Montréal team at bay.
Finally, to wrap up the day, we took on Juni 2. Our teamwork ultimately won the game for us. We brought four players to Montréal, and we ended up winning 4-1 with each player contributing one goal. Our passing helped us take advantage of key penalties on our set plays, and again, our defense held up to help us control the game in our opponent's zone.
Although we certainly were looking to put a few more in the wins column, this was a very encouraging day to say the least. We played hard, fought the entire day without a bench and saw some definite positive signs that we will be able to carry into the remainder of our spring season.
We want to thank our hosts in Canada for their hospitality. We love coming to play with you guys, and we all commented what a great time we had with you.
Our next competition will be April 7 in Canton, Massachusetts as we compete in the final NEPSL league day of the season!
7th Annual Zach Stamatis Memorial Cup
What an amazing day at the 7th Annual Zach Stamatis Memorial Cup on March 18, 2018! First of all, we want to thank the great teams from around New England and Quebec who made the journey to Burlington on a frigid day to join us. We also want to thank all of the referees and volunteers who made this day flow smoothly. We couldn't have this event without their support. We appreciate the University of Vermont for allowing us to use Patrick Gymnasium as well.
Some congratulations are in order as well! The PRHC Chariots had an undefeated day and did not surrender a goal over three contests to take home first place. The Northeast Passage Wildcats put together a strong showing as well to finish in second while Juni Sport rounded out the podium.
The Boston Brakers came in fourth, your Vermont Chargers finished in fifth and the Northeast Passage Power Cats came in sixth.
Individual hardware was handed out as well. The Chariots' Troy Chauppetta took home the MVP while the Wildcats' Lucas Currier took home the sportsmanship award.
The Chargers specifically started out the day with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Wildcats and a 5-0 loss to the Brakers before finishing off the day on a high note with a 5-1 victory over the Power Cats.
This was a wonderful event, we had an amazing time, and we're looking forward to doing it next year!
Team Effort Propels a Pair of Vermont Victories
The Vermont Chargers put two more tallies in the win column by defeating the Upper Valley Wheelers in a pair of matches in Lebanon, New Hampshire on February 11, 2018. Each game ended with the Chargers on top 6-0, and each of the four athletes who made the trip put at least one goal in the net. Of special note is the first career goal for first-year Charger Kim Salzmann and a career-high four goals for Nikki Brown in the first game.
We want to thank the Wheelers for being such welcoming hosts, and we appreciate all of their hospitality.
2018 Begins with a Pair of Narrow Defeats Against Puissance 4
On January 27, 2018, the Vermont Chargers hosted Québec's Puissance 4. Despite jumping out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first game, they ultimately fell 3-1. In the second game, despite a determined team effort, the score was very similar to the first game with the Chargers losing 3-0. We appreciate our friends from north of the border coming to join us for the day, and we thank all of our fans for coming out to watch us and support us.
The Chargers have a very busy 2018 schedule, so this set of matches will serve as an excellent tuneup prior to reentering NEPSL competition on March 18 at Patrick Gymnasium on the University of Vermont campus for the 7th Annual Zach Stamatis Memorial Cup. Be sure to check that event out!
Chargers Finish 1-2 on First Day of NEPSL Competition
On November 5, 2017, your Vermont Chargers finished a highly competitive Northeast Power Soccer League day with a record of 1-2. After dropping their opening game to the Northeast Passage Wildcats 6-0, the Chargers regrouped and rebounded to take down the Northeast Passage Power Cats 4-1. In the final game of the day against the Boston Brakers, the Chargers found themselves in a 3-0 hole at halftime, but they battled back to play a very competitive second half and ultimately ended up with a 5-1 defeat.
Special thanks goes to Northeast Passage for hosting, all the referees for the important job that they do and all of our opponents for a great day of competition!
The Chargers' Zak Schmoll wrote a recap of the event for the United States Power Soccer Association website. Check it out here!
Chargers with the Goal!
After the excellent cross by Nate Besio, Kyle Grant muscles the ball over the goal line as the Vermont Chargers extended their lead over the Northeast Passage PowerCats.
Vermont Chargers Host Power Soccer Demonstration and Clinic
A great day was had by all on October 14, 2017 as the Vermont Chargers came together with the North Country Storm for some power soccer in Barre. It was a long day of drills and scrimmaging, and a great time was had by all! Special thanks goes out to the Barre Town Elementary and Middle School for hosting us, Domino's Pizza for providing pizza for lunch and Kohl's for providing volunteers to help make the day a success. Besides our usual practices, our next event is going to be on the road, Sunday, November 5 in Durham, New Hampshire with several teams from around New England and Québec.
Vermont Chargers Open 2017-2018 Season with a Pair of Narrow Defeats
The Vermont Chargers opened the 2017-2018 season on September 23, 2017 squaring off with Juni Sport from Montréal, Québec. In game one, two nearly back-to-back goals in the first half powered Juni Sport to a 2-0 victory over the Chargers while in the second game, Juni Sport held to a narrow 1-0 lead until the final minute when they put away the insurance goal to also finish that contest with a 2-0 victory.
We thank Juni Sport for joining us today, and we look forward to preparing for our next tournament!
Chargers Host Team Barbecue to Kick off a New Season
On August 28, 2017, two weeks before the first practice of the season, the Vermont Chargers got together at Oakledge Park in Burlington, Vermont for a celebration (complete with an excellent spread of food naturally) of both the past and future. The team honored former player and head coach Scott Goyette and former player Zeb Carlson for their years of service to our team both on and off the court. We appreciate everything they've done for and meant to us. The team also celebrated and looks forward to our future getting back on the court and competing in the upcoming 2017-2018 season!
Team USA Takes Silver in the 2017 FIPFA World Cup
In Kissimmee, Florida, ten countries assembled from July 5, 2017 through July 9, 2017 to compete for the 2017 FIPFA World Cup. After fighting their way through the pool stage with an undefeated record, Team USA continued their winning ways all the way to the championship match where they fell 4-2 to France.
The Vermont Chargers Power Soccer Club congratulates Team USA on an excellent display at the highest level of power soccer.
If you missed any of the action, please follow the links to the video archive courtesy of Power Soccer Shop for each court during the duration of the competition.
The Impact of Power Soccer
Immediately after returning from the USPSA Presidents Cup in Westfield, Indiana, Vermont Chargers co-captain Zak Schmoll wrote a series of three posts on his website about the impact that power soccer has had on his life. Please check out the links below for his story.
