As fields recover from drought, Harwood soccer teams to host first home games of the season

September, 2025  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

Harwood's fields from above on Sept. 11. The main soccer field used for varsity games is in the center. Photo by Gordon Miller

Starting their third week of the fall high school sports season, Harwood Union’s girls and boys soccer teams will finally play their first matches at home next week. 

The school’s playing fields have not weathered the ongoing Vermont drought well, and schedules have been juggled to play the early games of the season away. 

As a result, the girls will be the first to take to the lower soccer field on Monday against Burlington in their second matchup against a D-I team of the season. That game starts at 4:30 p.m. 

On Tuesday, the defending D-II boys state champions will host Lyndon for their first home game, also starting at 4:30 p.m. 

The junior varsity teams are also scheduled for home games at 4:30 p.m. on both days on the upper soccer field. 

As all of Vermont saw scant rain this summer, the teams showed up for pre-season training in August to find the grass on their main playing field brown and dry.   

According to federal data from NOAA’s Drought.gov website, all of Vermont is currently experiencing drought conditions, with 59% of the state, including Central Vermont, in a “severe drought.” The data show Vermont just experienced the driest August on record – and records go back to 1895. 

The conditions, combined with a lack of any watering system for the fields, took their toll at Harwood. 

Harwood's dry, brown lower soccer field in August. Courtesy photo

“After a dry summer and no irrigation, we made the decision to give the fields some time. To protect them, we moved most practices and our first home games to away sites,” explained Harwood Athletic Director Ian Fraunfelder. He said the school explored using alternate fields in including Waterbury, at Crossett Brook Middle School and elsewhere. “But scheduling conflicts, costs, and similar dry conditions ruled out these options,” he said. 

Teams have been juggling their practices using the lower area near the soccer and baseball fields referred to as “the pit” for trainings. They’ve also made use of the upper field, which also is showing some signs of stress. Worn patches from the springtime lacrosse season have not recovered fully. The dry conditions have been most serious on the soccer fields though. The field hockey field across Vermont Rt. 100 from the school is in better condition, with several games being held there so far. 

As of Thursday, Sept. 11, Fraunfelder said the conditions were improving. “Recent rain and cooler weather have helped the fields recover, and after consulting with coaches, administration, and maintenance, we’re confident the varsity field is safe and playable,” he said. “We’ll continue to monitor conditions and adjust if needed.”

Harwood's main, lower soccer field is on the top left of this drone shot taken on Sept. 11; the upper field used by JV teams is bottom right. Photo by Gordon Miller

Harwood is consulting with Chip Stevens at the East Burke company Diamond Turf on the effort to revitalize the fields, Fraunfelder said. “At his suggestion, we have begun dragging the dew and resume play to break up the grass and ground to support natural irrigation,” he said. This involves going over the fields when they are wet with morning dew to move moisture into the turf for it to absorb into the soil to the roots, he explained.

Given these steps and visible signs of recent improvement, the teams began practicing on their lower playing field this week and will move ahead next week with home games as scheduled, Fraunfelder said. 

The varsity girls are 2-1 in regular-season play with wins over Milton (3-2) and Lyndon (6-0) and a loss to Colchester (0-2). Their game at Middlebury last Saturday was called off due to rainstorms and a match on the schedule today against Lamoille will be moved to later in the season. Fraunfelder said he’s working to reschedule the Middlebury game as well. 

The varsity boys are 1-1-1 in regular-season play against. They’ve logged a win over Colchester (2-0), a loss to Essex (0-2), and a tie against Mt. Mansfield (1-1). So far, the boys team has not missed any game dates in its schedule; they travel to Peoples Academy on Saturday for a match at 2 p.m. 

Boys Varsity Coach Joe Yalicki said the early season was already geared for three away scrimmages against D-I teams at Champlain Valley Union, South Burlington and Burlington to give the team some challenging play on artificial turf and preparation for possible post-season play. 

Once the regular season began, Yalicki said two games intended to be played at home were switched on short notice to the opposing teams’ fields – Mt. Mansfield and Essex. “I was thankful that both administrative teams made that happen, as I think those away fields made for a better game and were in better shape to hold up for later in the season,” he said. 

The road-heavy season for soccer so far has been somewhat reminiscent of the season the Harwood basketball teams had in 2022-23 after the school gym flooded from a freak sprinkler accident and needed a complete overhaul. The basketball teams’ first home games that season took place in the playoffs. But for the soccer teams, the wait to play at home won’t be that long. 

“It has been a challenging task to start the year with seven bus trips and road games and not to be able to walk out of the building and play,” Yalicki said. “But our fans have traveled well, and we feel their support no matter the location.” 

Sarah Callahan is a parent of varsity soccer players and president of the Harwood Boosters organization. She said it will not only be nice for the teams to finally play at home next week, but it will be convenient for fans to head to the sidelines to cheer them on. 

“Aside from parents, the teams have not had many fans at their games yet,” she said. “So please come and watch.”

Looking across the midfield on Harwood's lower soccer field, Sept. 10. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti

Midfield from the home bench, Sept. 10. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti

For the latest Harwood sports schedules, view the athletics calendar online here. It also has a tab to select individual team schedules.