FINAL RESULTS: Vermont 2, #13 Marshall 1
CARY, NC. – 4:53 in the first overtime, Maximilian Kissel Made UVM history by scoring the game-winning goal to lead the Catamounts to a 2-1 victory over #13 Marshall in the 2024 NCAA Championship Game, securing the first national title by an America East team.

RELATED LINKS
Box score (.pdf)
NCAA Championship Articles
Highlights
Aftermath: Coach Dow, Barrett and Kissel
Photo gallery

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts saw their first real scoring opportunity of the game after just 3:35 minutes on their first corner kick of the game Sydney Wathuta Accept the kick and place the ball perfectly on the head Zach Barrettwho sent the ball into the middle of the net, but Marshall goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic stood firm and denied Barrett’s exciting header opportunity.
• In the 23rd minute, Vermont almost pounced again after an amazing performance Ryan Zellefrow resulted Yaniv Bazini And David Ismail Liberation in a two-on-one break. Bazini played the ball to Ismail, who was alone on the right side of the field with only the Marshall keeper to beat, but his right-footed shot was blocked by Janjic, putting the ball out of danger and keeping the game goalless, 0 -0.
• Bazini attempted two more shots against the Herd, one of which was a header from a UVM corner that went slightly wide of the left goal, but the Catamounts were unable to reach the net as the first 45 minutes of play came to a close. Vermont successfully limited Marshall from having any shots on goal in the first half as both teams entered halftime tied at 0-0.
• The Herd scored their first goal in the 67th minute of the game because Tarik Pannholzer took advantage of a bad ball bounce Niklas Hercegs Hands directly in front of the net and shot from close range into the top right corner to give Marshall a 1-0 lead.
• An incredible save from Herceg in the 78th minute kept the Catamounts alive, only trailing by one, as Herceg held its own and Haruhi Taneda parried from just under three meters out to give Vermont the chance to hit back at the other end .
• With their backs against the wall, the Catamounts struck again in the crucial minute and went on the attack again in the 81st minute when a botched move by a Marshall defender trying to clear the ball led to it Max Murray find Marcell Papp just outside the goal area, who then initiated a give-and-go game with Ismail and fed Papp out of the field from the right penalty area. Papp, all alone one-on-one with the goalkeeper, nailed his shot perfectly into the bottom left corner and scored the equalizer for Vermont. Just ten minutes before the end of regular time the score was 1-1.
• Since no goals were scored for the remainder of regular time, the game entered the first phase of golden goal overtime.
• In the 95th minute of the game, Kissel scored the highest goal in Vermont men’s soccer history by deflecting a long cross pass from Barrett with his head, beating Janjic one-on-one and scoring the game-winning goal with his left foot. The Catamounts struck the decisive blow to the championship game, giving the Vermont Catamounts their first team sports national championship in UVM history.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Papp scored his fifth goal of the season, his first in the NCAA tournament, and scored Vermont’s equalizer in the 81st minute of the game.
• Kissel scored his 11th goal of the season, the largest goal in Vermont men’s soccer history, and scored the game-winning goal in the 95th minute of the game, giving the Catamounts their first-ever national championship. Kissel also had two shots on goal.
• Ismail recorded his first assist of the NCAA Tournament, his 10th point of the season, and picked up the assist on Vermont’s tying goal.
• Bazini capped an incredible NCAA Tournament campaign with a game-high four shot attempts and scored in five of the Catamounts’ six NCAA Tournament games.
• Vermont defeated four different seeded opponents, #7 Hofstra, #2 Pittsburgh, #3 Denver and #13 Marshall en route to the program’s first national championship. UVM also became the first America East team ever to host a national championship game and the first team in league history to ever win a national championship.
• The Catamounts rallied from a deficit in each of their final two College Cup games to finish the season with a total of 32 second-half goals.
• UVM finished the season undefeated when playing at home or on a neutral court and posted a record of 9-0-5 when playing on Virtue Field or on a neutral court. The Catamounts finished the 2024 season with a 10-game unbeaten streak.

For news and updates on the Vermont men’s soccer program, follow @UVMmsoccer on Instagram, X and Facebook and visit UVMathletics.com.
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