In 1st Ever U.S. Open Cup Match, Green Deliver Cupset
Imagine not wanting to participate in this tournament.
It was a chilly night in Vermont for the first-ever U.S. Open Cup match to take place in the Green Mountain State but a sold-out crowd left Virtue Field happy.
Head coach Adam Pfeifer deployed a 4-4-2 against USL League One side Lexington SC. Gerardo Castillo and Bernardo Prego were on the wings with captain Jake Ashford and Zach Barrett serving as the center back pairing.
Nick Lockermann and Sydney Wathuta were out wide in the midfield while Moussa Ndiaye and Rodrigo Vaza were the Green’s men in the middle. Up top was the striker duo of Yaniv Bazini and Jacob Labovitz.
It didn’t take long for the Green to find the back of the net as poor set-piece defending from Lexington saw a Nick Lockerman corner find Zach Barrett at the back post and the center back headed the ball past former Revs II goalkeeper Nico Campuzano in the 5th minute.
The magic continued for the Green as in the 11th minute Lexington continued to struggle with set pieces as Nick Lockerman headed home a corner from Yaniv Bazini to double the lead.
The Green were quickly reminded that it wouldn’t be an easy night as a Jayden Onen cross squeaked through the box and found Issac Cano in the 20th minute. But Vermont struck back in the 24th minute as Gerardo Castillo burst down the wing and found former USL 1 player Jacob Labovitz found the back of the net.
Castillo was having a quality performance in the first half but as he was making a run down the flank, he pulled up and knocked the ball out of bounds. He was forced to leave the match in the 44th minute and was replaced by Pearce O’Brian.
While Lexington dominated possession, the Green were able to strike on the counter impressively. If Vermont wanted to walk away with the win, they would have to have a staunch defensive effort in the second half.
But sometimes the best defense is a good offense so after Lexington’s set piece woes, the Green scored yet another goal off a corner in the 50th minute with captain Jake Ashford slotting it home this time.
Still, Vermont was reminded that there was plenty of game left to be played as Lexington SC displayed its skill with a curling free kick from Cameron Lancaster finding the back of the net and bringing the score line to 4-2 in the 60th minute.
For the rest of the half the Green were focused on defending their own third. They already scored the goals, now they needed to prevent Lexington from doing just that.
Unfortunately, Lexington drew closer as they scored in the 78th minute in controversial fashion. A Green defender was taken down in the box but the referee didn’t blow his whistle and Lancaster was able to add to his tally.
Lexington nearly tied it in the 80th minute but Jake Ashford cleared the ball off the goal line. The Green held strong and took home the first-ever U.S. Open Cup win in the history of the state. Flares were lit, chants continued to be sung, and the magic of the U.S. Open Cup was on full display.
It was the match of the night.