A lot of Vermont soccer players are lucky enough to score a single goal in their high school careers. And it’s often a moment they cherish for the rest of their life.
So it may be tough to relate to Fair Haven’s Leigha Kretzer, who’s still a freshman but has already tucked away 52 goals at the varsity level.
Last season the striker scored 35 times as an eighth-grader. And this fall she’s picked up where she left off by recording five straight multi-goal games to guide a Division III Slaters squad that owns a five-game winning streak.
Kretzer stole the show while delivering four-goal performances against Otter Valley, Stratton and Woodstock. She buried two goals in a win over D-I Mount Anthony and also recorded a brace during Tuesday’s 3-1 payback victory over D-II Hartford.
Three weeks ago Fair Haven was a cellar-dweller in the standings at 0-2, but now coach Teri Perry’s team is flying high after outscoring opponents 22-1 during its recent run. And Kretzer is on track to match her eye-popping goals total from last year, presenting the possibility that she could hit the century mark next fall as a sophomore.
In 2015 Proctor’s Abby McKearin (168 goals) passed Mount Anthony’s Nicole Levesque (148 goals) on the all-time scoring list after Levesque held the top mark for 26 years. They are trailed by Black River’s Courtney Rohrig (142), Proctor’s Maggie McKearin (130), Springfield Tracy Guilford (113), Rice’s Brittany Pfaff (107), Peoples Academy’s Katie Stames (107), Canaan Chantal McKeage (106), Blue Mountain’s Christine Perry (105) and Northfield’s Randy Jennings (102).
If Kretzer is able to maintain her magic touch in the attacking third, she’ll have no trouble joining that elite crew in the years to come. And, more importantly, she’s determined to help the Slaters capture their first championship in program history.
For the past decade Fair Haven has set a high bar in the regular season before falling short during playoffs. The Slaters suffered four semifinal defeats in the past six seasons and lost to Stowe in overtime during the 2022 title match.
This fall Stowe has once again emerged as the team to beat in D-III, but Vergennes, Bellows Falls and reigning champ Windsor still boast perfect records near the midway point of the season. Peoples Academy has seven crowns in its trophy case and made it clear that it’s a title contender by earning wins over Spaulding and Lake Region last week. And after Hazen jumped up to D-III this year, the Wildcats have quietly entered the title conversation by downing PA, BFA-Fairfax, Winooski, Caledonia United and Missisquoi.
While D-III is filled to the brim with red-hot teams, D-I is a much different story. CVU, Mount Mansfield and North Country lead the way, but after that there’s a logjam of schools desperate to break free.
Metro Division rivals Essex (2-4-1), Colchester (3-4), South Burlington (0-4-2) and Burlington (2-4-1) have all showcased flashes of high-quality potential. And both BFA-St. Albans (3-4) and Spaulding (4-4) are both eager to inch past the .500 mark.
West Rutland is the only undefeated squad in Division IV and is shooting for its first championship. Emma Haley (13 goals) and Hayley Raiche (nine goals) have paced the SVL powerhouse, which is averaging nearly five goals per game on attack. Last year the Golden Horde carried a 16-0 record in the title clash and enjoyed a 2-0 halftime lead before No. 11 Richford rallied late to secure a 3-2 victory.
Rice and Harwood are the top candidates to dethrone two-time defending champ Milton in D-II. The Green Knights advanced to six straight championship matches from 2017-22, beating Harwood in the 2021 semis and the 2019 final.
Here are the updated Rutland Herald / Times Argus power rankings as teams get ready to up the ante over the next few weeks:
1 CVU (7-0) Sierra Rainey assisted Reese Kingsbury in a 1-0 victory over Mount Mansfield and goalie Anya Johnson (four saves) triggered CVU’s fourth shutout of the fall. The Redhawks have outscored opponents 26-4 and will return to action with matches against Burlington and Essex.
2 Mt. Mansfield (6-1) MMU has outscored teams 14-2 and put up an admirable fight against CVU, with keeper Sydney Howard turning aside five shots. The Cougars haven’t won a title since 2003 and will host St. Johnsbury at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
3 North Country (7-0) Rachel Scherer buried game-winning goals in three of the Falcons’ first four matches and scored again during Saturday’s 2-1 overtime victory over Spaulding. North Country’s match at Harwood on Monday could easily determine who wins this year’s Capital Division crown.
4 St. Johnsbury (4-3) Last week’s 2-1 win at Burr & Burton confirmed that the Hilltoppers mean business, following up previous wins over Burlington, Essex and South Burlington. Laney Cahoon assisted Ailee Stratton and Lucy Moriarty on the turf field at BBA to fuel the come-from-behind victory.
5 Rice (6-1-2) Madi Lacy scored on assists from Grace Bowen and Summer Nelson last weekend as the Green Knights outshot Milton 21-5 during a 2-0 victory. Keeper Peyton Borick and Rice’s defense have registered three clean sheets this season.
6 Essex (2-4-1) Olivia Smith, Juliet Lyon-Horne and Stella Papaseraphim found the back of the net during a 4-3 overtime loss to Burlington. The Hornets have played in six one-goal games and face six upcoming rematches against their Metro Division rivals.
7 Colchester (3-4) Keeper Alainna Cheeseman made seven saves in a 3-0 loss to South Burlington. The Lakers haven’t finished with a losing record during a full season of play since 2013.
8 Harwood (5-2) The future is bright for a Highlanders program tha relies heavily on the production of seven sophomores. Goals by 10th-graders Adelaide Chalmers and Bridan Merrill on Monday spearheaded a 2-1 victory over Stowe.
9 Stowe (6-2) The Raiders string of 19 unanswered goals came to a halt during their setback against Harwood. Stowe should be battle-tested prior to D-III playoffs after playing Peoples Academy, GMVS, North Country and Lake Region during a nine-day stretch at the end of the regular season.
10 South Burlington (1-4-2) The Wolves earned their first victory when Josie Maxwell , Reese Gordon and Kelsey Adams scored against Colchester. Goalie Lexi Paquette made five saves against the Lakers
ON THE BUBBLE: Burlington (2-5-1), BFA-St. Albans (3-4), Spaulding (4-4), Vergennes (6-0), Windsor (8-0)
DIVISION I: 1 CVU (6-0) 2 Mt. Mansfield (6-1) 3 Essex (2-4-1) 4 North Country (7-0) 5 St. Johnsbury (4-3)
DIVISION II: 1 Rice (6-1-2) 2 Harwood (5-2) 3 Milton (3-4) 4 Lake Region (5-2) 5 Mt. Abraham (3-4)
DIVISION III: 1 Stowe (6-2) 2 Windsor (8-0) 3 Vergennes (6-0) 4 Peoples Academy (4-3) 5 Fair Haven (5-2)
DIVISION IV: 1 West Rutland (7-0) 2 Winooski (6-1) 3 Arlington (3-2-1) 4 Caledonia United (3-4-1) 5 MSJ (4-2)
