LEAGUE RECORD: 10-7-3 (3rd in PDL Northeast Division)
NEWS (August 9)
Record crowd sees Voltage end season in thrilling fashion
Bo Vuckovic scored with 15 seconds remaining to give the Vermont Voltage a 5-4 win over
the Montreal Dynamites on Wednesday night in St. Albans. The season-ending exhibition was
played in front of a franchise-record crowd of 1213. According to a report in the St.
Albans Messenger, the Voltage averaged more than 700 fans per game this season, another
team record. Vuckovic's game-winner was his second of the game while his brother, Branko,
also had two. Voltage leading scorer, Jamie Farrell, notched his 22nd of the season.
Ex-Vermont Wanderer player Leo Incollingo scored one of Montreal's four first-half goals.
The Dynamites play in the Canadian Professional Soccer League.
Division champ Westchester wins PDL championship
Evaud Thompson scored two second-half goals to lead the Westchester Flames to victory in
the Premier Development League's championship game last Saturday night in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Flames defeated the Calgary Storm, a first-year franchise which will play in the
A-League next season. The Flames were the champions of the Northeast Division and played
the Voltage three times this season. Vermont proved to be one of Westchester's toughest
foes, as the Voltage lost two tight 2-1 road contests (one of them in overtime) and shut
out the Flames 3-0 in St. Albans.
NEWS (August 4)
Farrell named to All-League first team
Jamie Farrell was rewarded for his amazing season by becoming the first Voltage player ever to receive all-league honors. Farrell's steady goal-scoring pace throughout the season meant he never achieved weekly honors, but the league office could not fail to notice his goal-a-game feat. Only league MVP Beau Brown of the Lafayette (La.) Lightning scored more - 21 goals to Farrell's 20 in the regular season. Westchester's Rocky Bojovic and New York's Gary Sullivan were the only otherNortheast Division players mentioned, receiving second-team honors. Farrell will have little time to celebrate after the season - he starts practice on August 17 for his senior season at the University of Vermont.
NEWS (August 3)
Voltage shut out Phantoms in friendly
Jamie Farrell scored the only goal of the game as the Vermont Voltage knocked off D3 Pro
League foes New Hampshire in a friendly Tuesday night at Collins-Perley. An enthusastic
crowd attended the game, which gave fans their first chance to see a higher-division
opponent this season. Earlier in the season, Vermont played on the road in New Hampshire
and lost, 3-0. The Phantoms are in the stretch run of their regular season with an 8-8-1
record, good for second place in the D3 Pro League's Eastern Conference. Vermont dominated
the visitors for most of the contest and should've won by more as they had a penalty kick
saved in the first half. Farrell's game-winner came in the 71st minute on an assist from
Tim Rotty.The Voltage conclude their season next Wednesday with a home game against the
Montreal Dynamites of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The CPSL is currently a
regional league in eastern Canada that has plans to expand nationwide and become the
official second division when the proposed first division Canadian United Soccer League
kicks off in 2003. Longtime Vermont soccer fans will recognize the coach of the Dynamites
as Zoran Jankovic who coached the old Vermont Wanderers in 1997. Also, former Wanderers
player Leonardo Incollingo plays for the Dynamites.
Westchester advances to league championship game
The Northeast Division champion Westchester Flames have gone one step further than they
did last season and will play in the PDL championship game on Saturday night. The game
will be televised live on Fox Sports World at 8 pm EDT. Westchester defeated Miami 2-1 in
the Eastern Conference semifinals last weekend and then beat hosts Cocoa 3-1 to repeat
as conference champions. Cocoa had defeated the Brooklyn Knights 3-2 in their semifinal
matchup.In the national semifinals, the Flames dominated the Central Conference champion
Sioux Falls Spitfire 5-1 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Flames will face either the Calgory
Storm or the Des Moines Menace in the championship game.
NEWS (July 26)
Bo Simic honored as PDL Player of the Week
Despite missing the playoffs, the Voltage received a dose of good news on Tuesday
when captain Bo Simic was honored as the Premier Development League's Player of the
Week. Simic scored six goals and added an assist on Saturday night as the Voltage
closed out their regular season with an 8-0 victory over the Jersey Falcons. This
is the first timein franchise history that a Vermont player has ever won league
Player of the Week honors.
Voltage finish successful campaign in third place
After all the dust had settled and all teams finished their schedules, the Vermont
Voltage ended up in third place in the PDL's Northeast Division (FINAL STANDINGS).
The Voltage fought a long uphill battle all season trying to work their way up the standings
from as low as sixth place. Vermont jumped past Cape Cod, New York and North Jersey in the
final weeks of the season. Unfortunately, the Brooklyn Knights hit a hot streak at the end
and held onto the second and final playoff spot. Westchester won the division after being
in first place from start to finish. The Flames and Knights will travel to Florida
for the Eastern Conference playoffs this weekend. The Southeast Division champions
Cocoa Expos will host the tournament. They will play Brooklyn in one semifinal while
Westchester will meet the Miami Strike Force in the other game. The PDL finals will be
held in Des Moines, Iowa, the following weekend. The league championship game will be
shown live on Fox Sports World, Saturday Aug 4 at 8 pm EDT.
NEWS (July 22)
Simic nets six as Voltage crush Falcons
It may have been just for pride, but the Vermont Voltage certainly entertained the home
crowd on Saturday night, closing out their PDL season with an 8-0 thrashing of the Jersey
Falcons. Captain Bo Simic scored a team-record six goals to pace the Voltage. Milenko
Popovic and Barre native Ethan Hutchins scored the other goals for Vermont. The eight
goals were the most ever by Vermont, who had scored seven on two occasions during the
team's history. The Voltage seemed to put everything together just a little too late
this season, outscoring their last three opponents, 14-0. The result puts the Voltage at
least temporarily into third place in the Northeast Division. New York plays at Chesapeake
on Sunday and could regain third position. Westchester and Brooklyn had already clinched
the division's two playoff berths entering the last week of action. Jersey finished last
in the division with just one win on the season. Vermont closes out its schedule with two
exhibition matches on July 31 and August 8.
NEWS (July 20)
Voltage clinch winning season by shutting out Crusaders
The Vermont Voltage did something on Wednesday night that they couldn't do at home twice
earlier in the season - beat the Cape Cod. Two home ties against the 6th-placed Crusaders
were instrumental in Vermont's failure to reach the playoffs. On Wednesday, the Voltage
took out their frustrations witha 3-0 win over the home-standing Crusaders. The result
moves Vermont into fourth place in the division and guarantees a second straight winning
season for the club. Before last season, Vermont had not had a winning season since
entering the league in 1997. Vermont finishes its regular season this Saturday night
in St. Albans against the last-place Jersey Falcons. Exhibition matches against the
New Hampshire Phantoms and Montreal Dynamites will conclude the 2001 Voltage campaign.
NEWS (July 16)
Voltage beat Flames but are eliminated from playoffs
Jamie Farrell scored twice and Branko Vuckovic added a third as the Voltage defeated the
Westchester Flames 3-0 on Saturday night in St. Albans. Farrell's goals brought his
franchise-record season scoring tally to seventeen goals. Unfortunately for Vermont
soccer fans, the Voltage had already been eliminated from the playoff race in midweek
when the Brooklyn Knights defeated the New York Freedoms. The Knights then eliminated
other playoff contenders North Jersey and New York this weekend by defeating D3 Pro
League team South Jersey. Brooklyn won three straight after getting a 4-0 wakeup call
from the Voltage last weekend in Vermont. The best the Voltage can hope for is a winning
season and third place, which would still be the second-best season in team history.
Westchester had clinched a playoff spot prior to Saturday's game and left some starters at home
on the weekend trip to New England. The Flames lost in Cape Cod 5-0 on Sunday. The Voltage
travel to Cape Cod on Wednesday before finishing their league season next Saturday night
at home against the last-place Jersey Falcons. The Falcons got their first win of the
season last Wednesday, 4-3 over North Jersey. After the league season, the Voltage will
host two exhibitions against higher-level teams. On July 31, the Voltage will host
long-time rivals New Hampshire of the D3 Pro League, and then on August 8 the Montreal
Dynamites of the Canadian Professional SoccerLeague will visit St. Albans.
NEWS (July 8)
Imperials bring Voltage back to earth
One night after a near-perfect performance had spirits soaring, the Vermont Voltage came
down with a thud on Saturday night, courtesy of Dustin Shepherd. The North Jersey forward
scored a hat trick to lead the Imperials to a 3-2 win over the Voltage at Collins-Perley
field. Voltage goals by Branko and Bo Vuckovic were not enough to overcome Shepherd's
first-half triple play. The result, combined with Brooklyn's 3-2 win at Cape Cod, left
the Voltage just as far from a playoff spot as they were at the start of the weekend.
With only three games to play, Vermont's playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. By the
time Vermont returns to action next Saturday against the Westchester Flames, they could
be out of the running. That's because Brooklyn plays a mid-week game against the New York
Freedoms. If the Knights get a 5-point victory, the Voltage will be eliminated. North
Jersey tries to move ahead of Brooklyn in the standings today when they travel to
Westchester today while New York faces hapless Jersey.
NEWS (July 7)
Second-half blitz leads Voltage past Knights
The Vermont Voltage put together their most complete performance of the season on Friday
night in romping past the second-place Brooklyn Knights 4-0 at Collins-Perley field.
Bo Vuckovic scored twice and Andrew Olivieri notched the shutout in goal for the Voltage
to lead the way. Vuckovic opened the scoring early in the second half on an assist from
Milenko Popovic. The game remained tight until Popovic and a Knights player were ejected
with around 15 minutes remaining. The incident seemed to distract the Knights, and Jamie
Farrell scored his fifteenth of the season just a minute later. After that, the Knights
appeared to lose interest, and Bo Simic scored Vermont's crucial third goal a few minutes later.
Vuckovic capped off the eveningwith his second of the night, and the Voltage had moved to within
6 points of the Knights in thedivisional playoff race.
New York loses to D3 Rhode Island; Voltage now in fourth place
While the Voltage were playing their best game of the season, they were getting help from above -
the next league above, that is. The New York Freedoms had a game at Rhode Island against the
D3 Pro League Stingrays. Despite playing in different leagues, the game did count in the
standings for both teams, and the Stingrays won, 4-2. Vermont does not have any non-exhibition
games against D3 teams this season. New York's loss means Vermont leapfrogged them in the
standings with its full-points victory over Brooklyn. Vermont now has 36 points to New York's
35 although the Voltage have played one more game than the Freedoms. Vermont is now 2 points
behind North Jersey and 6 behind Brooklyn although both of those teams have games in hand as well.
Besides the Voltage game against North Jersey, Cape Cod hosts Brooklyn in tonight's action.
Tomorrow, the division-leading Westchester Flames host North Jersey while hapless Jersey hosts New York.
(PLAYOFF PICTURE).
NEWS (July 6)
Voltage host pair of tough foes this weekend
There is no room for error as the Voltage face two direct competitors in the divisional playoff race
this weekend at Collins-Perley. On Friday night Vermont hosts the Brooklyn Knights, currently in the drivers seat
for the second and last playoff spot with 42 points. On Saturday night the third-place North Jersey Imperials
visit St. Albans. The Voltage must win both games to retain realistic hopes of returning to the playoffs.
Regardless, the outcomes of these two games could go a long way toward determining which team makes the playoffs.
Both Brooklyn and North Jersey have made huge strides since last season, thanks to an influx of youth talent.
The Imperials will likely bear little resemblance to the ragtag outfit of ten players that came to St. Albans
last season. Prior to this season, the team entered into a partnership with the MetroStars of Major League Soccer
and are now that team's official developmental squad. Brooklyn also committed to being a purely U-23 squad
prior to this season. The Voltage have played each team twice so far this season, splitting home and home
matches with the Knights and losing twice on the road to the Imperials.
Late Crusader goal damages Vermont's playoff hopes
Jamie Farrell scored his fourteenth goal of the season, but the Voltage could not hang onto the lead and
settled for a 1-1 tie with the visiting Cape Cod Crusaders on Tuesday night. Aaron Ortega scored with just
four minutes remaining to send the game into overtime, during which neither team could net a gamewinner.
The single point did little to help both teams' slim playoff aspirations.
(Free Press article)
(Crusaders' game report)
NEWS (July 2)
Voltage continue uphill battle Tuesday against Crusaders
The Vermont Voltage face another must-win on Tuesday night against old foes the Cape Cod Crusaders.
Despite two wins in its last three matches, Vermont is still on the outside looking in as the playoff
race reaches its crucial stage. The Voltage (6-6-2, 30 pts) play five of their last six league games at home,
but even if the team wins every game, its fate is not in its own hands. Westchester (13-2-1, 63 pts) and
Brooklyn (9-4-1, 42 pts) currently occupy the two playoff positions with North Jersey (8-4-2, 38 pts) and
New York (7-5-2, 35 pts) close behind. Westchester did those two teams and the Voltage a favor on Sunday by
defeating Brooklyn, 1-0. The division-leading Flames can clinch a playoff spot in its next game. The race for
the second spot should go down to the wire with several key games among the four competing teams. Cape Cod
(5-6-2, 23 pts) is still mathematically alive but have little realistic chance to leapfrog the four teams ahead
of them. (PLAYOFF PICTURE).
NEWS (July 1)
Voltage beat Dragons but remain in fifth place
Milenko Popovic scored twice to lead the Vermont Voltage to a 4-2 victory over the stubborn Chesapeake Dragons in
St. Albans on Friday night. Jamie Farrell scored his thirteenth goal of the season to put Vermont ahead in the 21st
minute. But the Dragons evened the score just before halftime with a 35-yard blast by Joel Vidmar past Voltage
keeper Mathew Cosgriff, who was making his first start of the year. It was Chesapeake's first shot of the game
after what had been a dominant first-half performance by the Voltage. Vermont putthing right at the start of the
second half when Bo Vuckovic scored after a neat exchange with Zoran Stojanovic. Five minutes later, Vuckovic was
pulled down in the box and Popovic converted the resulting penalty kick toapparently give the Voltage full points.
But Chesapeake started to find their legs and pulled to within oneon a deflected goal credited to Ryan Olsen. With
time running down and the Dragons pressing, Popovic stole the ball in midfield and scored after a long solo run to
finish the scoring. The result temporarily moved the Voltage into a 4th-place tie with New York, but the Freedoms'
surprising 3-1 win over Westchester on Saturday broke the tie again.
NEWS (June 24)
Voltage come up short against Freedoms
For the third time this season, the Vermont Voltage staked the New York Freedoms to a 1-0 lead.
But after two 2-1 losses at home to Vermont, the Freedoms knew that Mario Gallo's 20th-minute goal would
probably not be enough. On a rainy night in Essex, New York's Leslie Fitzpatrick nipped between Vermont
keeper Andrew Olivieri and defender Chris Baum to poke the ball into the corner of the net
just before halftime to increase the lead to 2-0. Voltage poacher Jamie Farrell cut the
lead in half with a rebound goal after New York keeper Roberto Christian Sir could only parry
Milenko Popovic's sharp shot in the 62nd minute. But the Freedoms withstood Vermont's pressure the rest of the way
for the win. The result keeps the Freedoms in the playoff hunt, but Vermont will need a miraculous string of
results the rest of the way to return to the league tournament. The Voltage return to
action June 29 against the Chesapeake Dragons in St. Albans.
NEWS (June 23)
Branko torches Falcons again
For the second time in one week, Branko Vuckovic scored a hat trick to lead
the Voltage to victory against the hapless Jersey Falcons. Vermont defeated
Jersey 7-1 Friday night at Collins-Perley Field in St. Albans to even the
team's record at 5-5-2 (25 pts) on the season. Jersey fell to 0-13-0. Jamie Farrell
added two goals for the Voltage to bring his season total to eleven. Vermont
returns to action on Saturday night against the New York Freedoms at Essex
High School. The Freedoms are also 5-5-2 (26 pts) after losing 2-0 at Cape Cod on Friday
night. The game is crucial for both teams as they try to catch Brooklyn (7-3-1, 35 pts)
for second place and a playoff spot. North Jersey (7-3-2, 33 pts) is in third.
Teams earn four points for a win and one point for a tie with a bonus point
awarded for each game in which a team scores three or more goals.
NEWS (June 19)
Voltage explode for six goals against Jersey
Branko Vuckovic scored a hat trick in his first appearance of the season as
the Vermont Voltage demolished the hapless Jersey Falcons on Sunday, 6-1. The
Voltage were playing the second of two weekend road games after tying the
Chesapeake Dragons, 1-1 on Saturday. Jamie Farrell scored Vermont's only goal
in the Chesapeake game and added another against Jersey to bring his team-leading
tally to nine on the season. Bo Vuckovic and Milenko Popovic also scored for
the Voltage against the winless Falcons. The results moved Vermont past
Chesapeake into fifth place in the PDL's Northeast Division, but the Voltage
remain well off the pace in the playoff race. Only two teams from the division
qualify for the league playoffs. The good news is that the Voltage now play
all but one of their remaining nine league games at home. Vermont starts a string of seven
straight home games this Friday against Jersey at Collins-Perley Field. On
Saturday, the team will play at Essex High School against the New York Freedoms.
Kickoff time for both games is 7:30.
NEWS (June 12)
Voltage split road pair, remain in sixth
The Vermont Voltage defeated the New York Freedoms for the second straight time on
Saturday night, winning 2-1. Jamie Farrell and Bo Vuckovic scored for the Voltage.
Vermont had never beaten New York in five meetings
prior to this season but have now managed to hand the Freedoms two of their
three losses on the season. On Sunday, lost to the North Jersey Imperials for
the second time in one week, this time by a score of 1-0. The results, combined
with Brooklyn's and North Jersey's victories over Chesapeake, mean the Voltage
made up no ground in their struggle to climb back into the playoff picture.
Westchester and Brooklyn continue to occupy the top two spots in the Northeast
division while North Jersey and New York are close behind. Vermont also trails
Chesapeake in the standings but has played two fewer games than the Dragons.
Vermont has one more road trip - at Chesapeake and winless Jersey this weekend -
before playing eight of its last nine games at home.
NEWS (June 4)
Farrell scores again but Voltage can't avoid sweep
For the first time since Bo Vuckovic purchased the Vermont Voltage after the 1999 season,
the team was swept in a 2-game road trip. Jamie Farrell scored his sixth goal of the season, but Sunday's 3-1 loss to North Jersey put a severe
dent in Vermont's playoff hopes. The Voltage fell to sixth place in the division at 2-4-1
while the Imperials (4-3-2) jumped to third. Brooklyn (5-2-0) won both of its weekend
games to maintain a three-point advantage for the second and final playoff spot in the
division. Westchester is running away with first place in the division with a 9-1-0 record.
Vermont continues its brutal early-season schedule with another important road trip next
weekend. The Voltage will face New York (3-2-1, 4th place) on Saturday before a rematch
with the Imperials on Sunday. (Northeast Division standings).
NEWS (June 2)
Flames squeeze by Voltage in overtime
The Vermont Voltage battled runaway division-leader Westchester to a near standstill on Saturday night but fell in overtime, 2-1. It was the second time this season that Vermont has lost 2-1 at Westchester. Just as in the first game, Vermont took the lead when Bo Simic scored on an assist from Milan Popovic at the start of the second half. But the league's leading scorer and notorious Voltage-killer Rocky Bojovic tied the score 13 minutes later. In overtime, Renwick Hutson scored past fellow Southern Connecticut State Owl Andy Olivieri to give the Flames their ninth victory of the season. In other division action Saturday, second-placed Brooklyn crushed winless Jersey 9-0 while New York beat Cape Cod 3-1 to move into third place. Vermont returns to road action on Sunday in a crucial match against fourth-placed North Jersey. (Article from USLsoccer.com).
NEWS (May 31)
Voltage face crucial road trip this weekend
After a semi-successful home opening weekend, the Vermont Voltage return to the
road this Saturday with a pair of crucial games. First-place Westchester is on
tap first. The Voltage lost a tight 2-1 affair to the Flames in the opening
game of the season. Perhaps the more important match of the weekend is Sunday
against the North Jersey Imperials. The Imperials are currently third in the
division with a record of 3-3-2 and 15 points. With Westchester 21 points clear
of second-place Brooklyn at the top of the division, the playoff race will
probably come down to a battle for second place. Although the Voltage are
currently in fifth place, they have played fewer games than any other team in
the division and have the bulk of their home schedule yet to come.
Farrell continues torrid goalscoring pace
Jamie Farrell scored two more goals in Vermont's 3-1 win over Brooklyn on
Saturday night, giving him five on the season. Champlain College coach Dan Balaguero
had the opening goal in just the 3rd minute of play to give the Voltage a great start.
The Knights tied the game early in the second half, but Farrell headed in a
cross from substitute Milenko Popovic in the 75th minute for the game-winner.
Farrell added a late clincher on an assist from Ethan Hutchins to reclaim his
goal-a-game average.
PDL US Open Cup qualifying rounds complete
Premier Development League qualifying for the US Open Cup finished last weekend,
and once again there will be no representatives from the Northeast Division in
the tournament. Westchester's only loss of the season came in its qualifier
against North Jersey, leaving the Flames in second place behind unbeaten Miami
in the final Eastern Conference standings. The other three qualifiers from the
45-team PDL are the Mid-Michigan Bucks, Central Coast Roadrunners, and the
Seattle Sounders Select. These four teams will face the four regional USASA
champions in June, with the winners advancing to the final 32 along with
the D3 and A-League qualifiers and all 12 MLS teams.
NEWS (May 27)
Vermont avenges loss to Knights with 3-1 win
The Vermont Voltage rebounded from a disappointing tie on Friday night to beat
the Brooklyn Knights 3-1 on Saturday night. The victory improves Vermont's
record to 2-2-1 (10 pts). More game details will be posted as they become
available. Vermont hits the road again next weekend with games at Westchester
and North Jersey. The next home game is June 22 at Essex high School against
the expansion Jersey Falcons.
NEWS (May 26)
Crusaders tie up Voltage in home opener
Jamie Farrell scored his third goal in four games for the Voltage, but Vermont
could only manage a 1-1 tie in its home opener Friday night. Farrell's
second-half counterattack goal gave Vermont the lead, but Casey Schmidt's
free kick tied it just four minutes later. 20 minutes of overtime could not
break the deadlock. Vermont returns to action against Brooklyn on Saturday
night at Collins-Perley field. (Article from Burlington Free Press).
NEWS (May 21)
Voltage earn weekend split in New York
The Vermont Voltage defeated the New York Freedoms for the first time ever on
Saturday night, winning 2-1 in New York. Jamie Farrell scored his second goal
in as many games for the Voltage. Farrell's UVM teammate Ethan Hutchins had
Vermont's other goal. Hutchins returns to the Voltage after skipping the
2000 season. It was the second-place Freedoms' first loss of the season.
On Sunday, only 16 hours later, Vermont returned to the field and got shut
out 2-0 by the Brooklyn Knights. Vermont gets its first taste of home action
this weekend with games against the Cape Cod Crusaders
(Friday) and a chance at revenge against the Knights (Saturday).
NEWS (May 18)
Voltage hope to change fortunes against Freedoms
Since entering the PDL together in 1999, the Vermont Voltage and the New York Freedoms have played
each other five times. The results have not been pretty for Voltage fans - five wins and 14 goals for
New York and no wins and two goals for Vermont. Despite the head-to-head futility, Vermont did manage
to beat out the Freedoms for the second and final playoff spot in the PDL's Northeast division last
season. A pair of wins over division champion Westchester and a spotless record against the three weakest teams helped the Voltage finish ahead of New York in the standings. Vermont tries to turn
things around against the Freedoms this Saturday night when they play on the road at New York's new
home field on the campus of St. John's University. Vermont then faces a quick turn-around before
playing again on Sunday afternoon against the Brooklyn Knights. (New York Freedoms team capsule) (Brooklyn Knights team capsule)
NEWS (May 16)
Vuckovic signs indoor contract with St. Louis team
Voltage owner, player and coach Bo Vuckovic has signed a contract to play
indoor soccer with the St. Louis Steamers of the World Indoor Soccer League.
Vuckovic, who has played for several indoor teams in the past, skipped playing
in the National Professional Soccer League this past winter to focus his
efforts on preparing the Voltage for the 2001 season. The WISL's season runs from
August through December, so Vuckovic will still be able to play for the Voltage this
summer. (
story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
NEWS (May 14)
Farrell scores in debut as Voltage lose tough one
University of Vermont star Jamie Farrell had a successful debut for the Vermont
Voltage, scoring in his first game with the club. Farrell, a native of Palm Coast, FL who will be a senior at UVM next fall,
scored in the 25th minute off a cross from Milenko Popovic to give the Voltage a 1-0 lead against the Westchester Flames. The undefeated Flames came from behind to win the game, 2-1. Farrell has a nose for goal, demonstrated by the fact that
he led America East champions UVM in scoring last fall with 10 goals and 3 assists.
NEWS (May 12)
Voltage nipped by Flames in season opener
The Vermont Voltage opened their 2001 campaign with a tough 2-1 loss on the road to Westchester.
The defending division champion Flames moved to 5-0 on the year with the win. Westchester
had outscored its previous four opponents 14-2. More details on the game will be provided as
they become available.
NEWS (May 9)
2001 Voltage adventure starts this weekend
The Vermont Voltage kick off their 2001 season on Saturday with a challenging
road game against the defending conference champion Westchester Flames. The Flames
are already 3-0 on the young season. The game will double as a league match and
a qualifier for the US Open Cup. Four teams from the PDL will qualify for the
prestigious competition involving top amateur teams all the way up to Major
League Soccer.
More roster information
According to a preview from Soccer New England, the Voltage will be built around
a core of players from UVM including returning midfielder Tim Willard, forward
Jamie Farrell, midfielder Jason Allen, and defender David Said. Additionally,
Middlebury's Kyle Dezotell will return, and Montreal native Andrew Oliveiri
from Division II powerhouse Southern Connecticut State will take Ryan Spicer's place
in goal.
NEWS (Apr 25)
News flash! Voltage get good coverage in Free Press!
The April 25 Burlington Free Press has a lengthy pre-season article about the Voltage
with a photograph of Bo Vuckovic and (I think) Tim Willard. Unfortunately, the artile did not make it
to the Free Press' on-line edition. Some highlights:
No player signings have been announced but Kyle Dezotell, Tim Willard, Jason
Allen, and Jamie Farrell were listed as possible college players
40 resumes have been received from players interested in trying out
Bo: "Eight or nine pro players will come in some time this month"
Let's hope this is a precursor to better coverage from the Freeps this year!
Spicer joins Dias at Boston
Goalkeeper Ryan Spicer has joined 2000 Voltage teammate Mike Dias at the Boston Bulldogs
of the D3 Pro League. Spicer, who played his college soccer at Williams College,
split time in goal for the Voltage last summer with Maine's Mathew Cosgriff.
(
PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT).
NEWS (Apr 12)
Voltage season kicks off in one month!!
The snow may not have melted, but the Voltage are busily preparing for the
2001 season which starts in just one month. The team opens its campaign
with three road games in the New York area before opening at home on May 25.
The first game will be on May 12 against the defending PDL Eastern Conference
champion Westchester Flames. The season will consist of 20 league games with
four of the first five matches also serving as qualifiers for the prestigious
US Open Cup competition.
Dias signs with D3 Pro League Boston Bulldogs
The Boston Bulldogs of the D3 Pro League have announced the signing of Mike
Dias to a contract for the 2001 season. Dias, who is a senior at the University
of Vermont, starred for the Voltage last season in the sweeper position. He
achieved league Team of the Week honors for his performances in the last week
of the regular season as the Voltage clinched its first-ever playoff spot. He
then won All-Conference honors for the second year in a row while leading UVM
to the America East championship and an NCAA Tournament berth. Fans in Vermont
wish him well as he starts his pro career.
Northeast Division expands to 8 teams
The PDL's Northeast Division has expanded to eight teams for the 2001 season,
with two expansion teams joining the division as well as the Cape Cod Crusaders
who have dropped down from the D3 Pro League. The Crusaders are a familiar
name from when they were Vermont's division rivals in D3 in 1997 and 1998.
The new teams are the Jersey Falcons, who will play in New Brunswick and the
Chesapeake Dragons who will play at Bowie State University in Maryland. The New Brunswick Brigade and Central Jersey Riptide
folded in the off-season. Brooklyn, New York, North Jersey, and Westchester
return from last season. Two teams have new
homes this year, Westchester in New Rochelle and Brooklyn in the historic
Metropolitan Oval. In addition, North Jersey has entered into an alliance
to serve as a reserve squad for the MetroStars of Major League Socer.
Official Voltage website to expand and offer more features
The Voltage have hired a professional website developer for the first time
in order to offer more features from their official website. The site,
www.vermontvoltage.com, is expected
to offer on-line merchandise and ticket sales as well as streaming video for
highlights. The old site will continue to exist at this location with a focus
on news of interest to Voltage fans.
VOLTAGE AT-A-GLANCE
