Western Mass falls in final seconds in heartbreaking draw to Vermont

Vermont Green FC clinched the division title for the first time in club history.
By Adam Kysiak 

With 10 minutes of extra time, Vermont Green (11-3-0) flew down the field with a goal by Midfielder Zach Zengue, and pushing the pace just minutes after, Owen O’Malley sent a curling shot from outside the box to secure Vermont’s first division title. 

Earlier on, there was some serious hope for Western Mass (10-2-2), with Defender Juan Harmoso scoring his third goal of the season from a header in the box, assisted by Gustavo Barbosa. Around 20 minutes later, Forward Israel Neto cut his way through the defense and sent one flying right into the back of the net to put the Pioneers up two. 

The Pioneers went up a deuce in the 89th minute, just moments away from sealing their first division title since 2021. Western Mass was playing suffocating defense for 90 percent of the match,  clearing out every cross and through ball. 

The final 10 minutes of action left the Pioneers in heartbreak as Vermont celebrated its trophy in front of the traveling fans in green. 

“I think the season went well, we qualified for playoffs again… sixth time in a row,” said Head Coach Federico Molinari. The Pioneers finished as runners-up for the division title for the fourth season in a row (being just under Seacoast United for the last three seasons). 

“We need to recover and try to be competitive on Tuesday,” said Molinari. “We [cannot] blame ourselves, we need to learn from this and that’s pretty much it.”

Western Mass, securing second place in the Northeastern division, will face the Long Island Rough Riders (9-1-2) on Tuesday at Lusitano Stadium at 7:30 p.m. for their final home match of the season.