Sports Report – Sept. 5, 2019
Fall sports get underway with a bang
Whether the soccer pitch, the cross-country trails, the football field, field hockey field or the volleyball court, there have been Redhawks all over them in the last week. Fall sports have finished preseason warm ups and are into league games. Last weekend gave spectators some insight into what to expect this year.
With 11 runners from Charlotte on men’s and women’s cross-country teams, CVU carried Saturday’s Essex Invitational at both junior varsity and varsity levels.
For the JV girls four of the top five finishers were Redhawks, with Julia Hillier, Katherine Veronneau and Grace Thorburn placing first, second and third, and Maddie Connery, fifth.
At the varsity level, Alicia Veranneau won the race with Alice Larson in third. Charlotte’s Mittelstadt sisters also ran; Finn finished fifth and Isabelle 31st, with other Charlotters Lila Taylor and Sadie Holmes coming in among the top 30 runners. The CVU women’s team won the 19-school event.
The CVU varsity men finished third behind Essex and U-32. Charlotte freshman Mathew Servin was the top Redhawk finisher, in 12th, only 40 seconds behind the Essex winner. Skyler Heininger, another Charlotte product, crossed the finish line in 23rd. JV men had several Charlotters. Khoumani Clemmons just missed the top 50, running in 51st, and Sam Zinner placed 69th. Malcom Ziter is another Charlotte cross-country runner.
CVU soccer does not, at this point, have to worry about giving away its fall fiefdom to football, as the men blanked Burr and Burton 6-0. The Hawks passed the scoring among five players and outshot their rivals 22-5. Jack Sinopoli was the two-goal hitter.
On the men’s volleyball court, CVU spiked down Vermont Commons by set scores of 25-17, 25-19 and again, 25-17.
Rahn Fleming, new head football coach, met his challenge against Rutland. Whether the Hawks became over-confident after scoring the game’s opening points, we won’t know. However, the mid-staters came back with a vengeance, routing CVU 64-6. Rahn said it was a learning experience. After a one-win season last year, Fleming said, as the new head coach, “We’ve added a lot to the curriculum.” CVU carried only one possession in the second quarter, and Rutland used its advantage to turn the game into no contest by halftime.
Field hockey came closer than football, but still walked away one goal short against Rutland, 3-2. Charlotte’s Hailey Chase scored both goals for the Redhawks, and Flynn Hall assisted once while Camie Cuttitta made eight saves.
Ex-CVU women’s soccer star carries on at UVM
A sophomore on the Catamount soccer team, Natalie Durieux moved from defense to striker and scored her first college goal. A Williston native, Natalie was the Gatorade Player of the Year while at CVU and was recruited highly by UVM. Her first goal came against Sacred Heart and held up for the Cats’ 1-0 win. According to the Aug. 25 Free Press, she chipped in a short cross from the near post with her right foot. Shots in the game were 15-14 in favor of Sacred Heart, so Natalie’s goal came in a very close contest.