DORSET, Vt. - Rivendell boys soccer’s season ended Wednesday afternoon with a 0-5 loss at eighth-seeded Long Trail in the first round of the playoffs.
It was the second meeting of the fall between the teams. Long Trail won the first one 2-1 on Aug. 31. The ninth-seeded Raptors could not find the net in the rematch, and Long Trail (7-6-1) moves on to a quarterfinal at top-seeded Twin Valley on Saturday.
Rivendell finishes 5-9-1, a big step forward from a 2-12 season a year ago. The Raptors more than doubled their win total, with a 6-0 win over Mount St. Joseph, a 5-4 win over Proctor, a 3-0 win over White River Valley and one-goal wins over Blue Mountain and Otter Valley. They closed the regular season with a 2-3 loss to Randolph on Oct. 17.
Coach Soren Smith leaned on an experienced senior class this fall. “Our five seniors — Nolan Bourn, Josh Douglas, Julian Douglas, Wyatt Parker and Evan Woodward — are a strong group of players who have a lot of experience at the varsity level,” he said before the season.
Other relevant play on Wednesday, October 21:
Blue Mountain (0-15) 0 at Sharon (10-2-2) 5 Sharon, which beat Rivendell twice this fall, rolled at home.
Grace Christian (4-11) 0 at Leland & Gray (9-5-1) 3 Leland & Gray, which beat Rivendell 4-2 on Sept. 18, advanced at home.
That wraps up the day for Rivendell Academy sports. We’ll see you next time!