NEWPORT NEWS — A watch party is planned for July 25 at Coastal Fermentory Uptown as Lionsbridge FC heads to Burlington, Vermont, to face Vermont Green for a shot to win the Eastern Conference title in USL League Two.
The winner advances to the USL League Two National Semifinal.
“This is such a special moment for our club and our community. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support this summer, and Friday’s watch party is a chance for fans to come together, raise a glass, and cheer us on as we try to bring another trophy home to the 757,” said Mike Vest, co-owner of the team.
Lionsbridge finished the season strong with wins in six of the team’s last eight regular-season matchups, and headed into the playoffs with a 16-2-3 record.
Lionsbridge tallied 11 goals on July 4, a club record for most goals scored in a single match. Two weeks later, the team matched that record again.
The club is home to local soccer talent in Yorktown’s Isiah Chisolm, Nathan Lee, and Treavan Haywood, Newport News’ Christian Robertson, Ethan Chenoweth, and Grady Morello, Virginia Beach’s Caleb Perry, and Williamsburg’s Max Cooper.
Out of 40 clubs in the USL League Two Eastern Conference, Lionsbridge is the only team to reach the conference final three years running.
“A lot of people had written us off. We hadn’t, we still believed in our process. I know we’ve got a really good group of players,” Head Coach Chris Whalley shared after a 2-1 victory to advance to the Eastern Conference final.
Whalley said the team is taking the energy of the Lionsbridge faithful with them to Vermont.
“Every tackle, every challenge, every single play, they were into it. They are 100% our 12th or 13th man. They were brilliant tonight. We’re really proud of our fanbase sticking with us. We had some difficult times this season, but they stuck with us and we stuck with them and now we’re in a deep end of a playoff run,” Whalley said.
Starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, Coastal Fermentory will have the game on the big screen. There will also be beer, wine and hot dogs for sale.
“We’re excited to host the watch party for Lionsbridge. Obviously, Vermont is quite a hike for a game, so getting to be the place where fans can come and cheer on Lionsbridge is super exciting. The team has grown and developed so much over the years, it’s amazing to not only get to see it happen in our city as soccer fans, but to support the team and fans whenever we can,” said Coastal Fermentory owner owner Seth Caddell.
The game will also stream on sportsengineplay.com.