Vermont Green finish as runner-up in USL women’s championship

July 20, 2026  |  By The Times Argus

Vermont Green women's team at the league championship match in Seattle on Saturday, July 18. Photo courtesy of Vermont Green

There’s nearly unanimous agreement in the soccer world that losing on penalty kicks can be one of the cruelest ways to end a season.

And despite riding the highs of an undefeated inaugural season, the Vermont Green experienced the heartbreak of falling just short Saturday night during a PK shootout loss in the United Soccer League Women’s national championship.

A Morgan Manalili goal in the 77th minute gave Salmon Bay the lead in regulation, but a stoppage-time equalizer by Vermont player Louisa Thomsen of Waterbury leveled the score at 1-1 in the 93rd minute. Following two scoreless halves of overtime, Salmon Bay players were locked in from the penalty spot and earned a 5-4 victory during the shootout in front of a stadium-record crowd of 2,096 fans in Seattle.

From Vermont Green’s founders

In a letter posted to the club website on Monday, Vermont Green FC Co-Founders Patrick Infurna, Matthew Wolff, and Sam Glickman shared their thanks for the women’s team's season.

An excerpt: “While the accomplishments of this season were truly remarkable, they were also no accident. To travel 2,500 miles from home and take one of the league’s top clubs to the brink was the result of a commitment set by the team in May: to give everything for the club, for each other, and for Vermont. Forcing extra time demanded a tenacity that defined the entire season. In the final minute of stoppage time, Waterbury Center’s own Louisa Thomsen put the entire state’s dreams on her right foot, refusing to go quietly.” Read the full post here.

Salmon Bay’s U’i Kaaihue was named the Final MVP after a standout performance in both regulation and extra time. She also converted an attempt in the penalty shootout. 

Both sides opened the match in strong fashion while creating chances on both ends of the pitch. Vermont Green goalkeeper Olivia Shippee was called into action with a pair of big saves, while Salmon Bay came closest to breaking the deadlock just before halftime. Despite the opportunities in the opening 45 minutes, neither side could find a breakthrough goal and the match remained scoreless at the break. 

The home side came out with renewed energy in the second half, and within the opening 15 minutes Shippee was forced to make two more crucial saves in order to keep the stalemate intact. The Boston College standout recorded a spectacular stop in the 60th minute when she tipped a dangerous shot by JuJu Barker over the crossbar. 

Salmon Bay finally pulled ahead when Manalili danced around her defender before unleashing a strike from just inside the penalty area. The Coho continued to press for a second goal, creating a flurry of chances that forced Vermont Green into a series of saves. After Shippee made another spectacular stop, she suffered a shoulder injury that forced her to leave the contest in the 86th minute. As a result, backup Green goalkeeper Sydney Slusser entered the game on short notice and had to be sharp in order to keep her team in contention. 

With the hosts on the verge of victory, though, Vermont Green found an equalizer in stoppage time when Thomsen capitalized on a loose ball following a corner kick. The former Harwood Union High School star fired home the equalizer in dramatic fashion, sending the championship to extra time. 

Both sides pushed for a winner during the 30 minutes of extra time, but neither could find the deciding goal. The title was ultimately decided in a penalty shootout, which had its own share of drama. 

Salmon Bay’s Elena Milam gave the hosts an early advantage with a save to start the second round of the shootout, but Slusser matched her in the bottom half of the round and kept the game level. 

After Vermont sent a shot high to open the sixth round with the shootout in sudden death, youngster Kaya Singh scored the game-winning goal with a shot into the top-right corner of the net to seal the first title in club history for Salmon Bay.

Vermont Green Head Coach Abby Carchio sized up the finish in a quote on the team website:   “It’s frustrating to make it all the way to the final and lose the match, especially in the way that we did. It doesn’t take away from the beautiful story that we wrote though. This is year one, and for us to go out and do what we did is pretty remarkable. I’m so proud of the girls.” 

This story was published by the Times Argus on July 20.

See a video clip of Thomsen’s equalizer goal here and a recent interview with NBC5 here.