Wildcats Finish Week Strong
Hazen Wildcat Gavin Stratton (No. 3) traps the ball, closely followed by Sebastian Krueger of Lamoille during play September 30 on Hudson Field. Number 12 for Hazen is Morgan Michaud. The Wildcats beat the Lancers 3-0.
by Ken Brown
BARRE – The Hazen Union boys’ soccer team rebounded from a loss to high-powered U-32 earlier in the week with a pair of important league wins over Randolph and Lamoille to improve to 3-4-1 on the season.
Finn O’Donnell scored twice to lead the Raiders to a dominate 5-0 home win over Hazen last Monday. Shiloh Weiss, Cole Hayes, and Alex Keane also found the back of the net for a balanced U-32 attack. AJ Moore made two stops to earn his third shutout of the season as the Raiders improved to 7-1. Tyler Rivard made 16 saves in the loss for Hazen Union. The match was played in a heavy downpour and was called fourteen minutes into the second half.
“Tyler and Lincoln Michaud’s leadership on the field helped our younger players in a challenging situation as we were down several players and relied on a lot of our freshman and a couple of eighth graders. Tyler had another remarkable game in net and kept the match closer than it could have been,” said head coach Allison Paradee.
Cody Trudeau and Xavier Hill scored a goal apiece to lead the Wildcats to a hard-fought 2-1 road win over Randolph last Wednesday. Freshman Morgan Michaud and Tyler Rivard both recorded an assist. Jadon Baker kept the pressure on the Galloping Ghost defense with 10 shots on goal, with Trudeau close behind with six. Rivard was strong in net once again, making 15 stops on the day. The loss dropped Randolph to 3-5 on the season.
Hazen’s Jadon Baker (No. 4) drives toward the goal during action against a Lamoille player September 30. At left is Cody Trudeau for the Wildcats. Hazen won 3-0.
“We finally had our full bench and complement of players for the first time since the season opener and it allowed our midfield and front line to get into a nice rhythm. We did a nice job of possessing the ball and command play as we moved up the field. Jadon, Morgan, Lincoln, and Eliot Rosendahl all did a nice job of creating scoring opportunities and Cody earned our game ball for playing a great match with so much determination,” said Paradee.
Jadon Baker and Cody Trudeau each had a goal and an assist to lead Hazen to a 3-0 home win over Lamoille to cap off their week. Trudeau fed Baker to give the Wildcats a one goal advantage heading into the break and Trudeau converted a penalty kick 20 minutes into the second half to make it 2-0. Baker found Hill in the closing minutes off a booming kick from Rivard that went penalty box to penalty box, giving Rivard his second assisted goal in as many matches. Rivard recorded five stops on the day for his first shutout of the season. Matthew Brousseau made 10 saves for the Lancers in the loss.
“It was our fourth match in seven days, but once again we had a full roster, it was perfect soccer weather, and the boys took to the field with enthusiasm and determination. Jadon, Cody, and Xavier did a great job of putting pressure on their defensive third and Eliot earned the game ball for shutting down their stronger offensive players on the left defensive side. It was a great way to end the week and to feel like a full cohesive team again after a rocky several weeks,” said Paradee.
The Wildcats traveled to Paine Mountain (Northfield-Williamstown) on Tuesday and welcome high powered Spaulding to town on Saturday afternoon.
