They called it “The Miracle at Lusitano.” It was the 90th minute of Vermont Green’s regular season fixture with Western Mass Pioneers, and they were in trouble. The Green trailed 2-0, and – needing just a point to secure the USL League Two Northeast Division title and keep their undefeated season alive – were on the verge of it all unraveling.
Until that point, it had been a night of frustration, missed chances, and attempts thrown away. And then, in the 95th minute, hope. A floated ball fell to the feet of Zach Zengue, who controlled and volleyed home. The next four minutes were carnage. But amidst the chaos, Owen O’Malley found himself in a slither of space in the box. He cut to his right, and fire, and his shot looped over the goalkeeper.
Vermont tied the game, secured the division title, and remained invincible.
“That,” club co-founder Matthew Wolff, a graphic designer from New York, told GOAL, “was the moment that we realized that this group was really special.”
It was just one of a plethora of memorable moments for the Green, who rolled through the USL League Two season with relative ease, and clinched the league championship Sunday with a 2-1 win over Ballard FC.
But, perhaps more important than the win was what it meant for the state. With an NCAA national championship to celebrate last December and now a USL League Two title to enjoy, the pocket of land in New England is now very much on the soccer map. Football hipsterdom has become mainstream, and Vermont, buoyed by the Green’s championship run, is now the epicenter of a movement.
“It’s almost like a religious experience,” Wolff said. “It’s a soccer revolution that’s happening here.”
