UVM Football NCAA College Cup National Champions: By the Numbers

CARY, N.C. – The Vermont men’s soccer team woke up Tuesday morning as NCAA Division I champions.

The Catamounts capped a memorable NCAA Tournament run with a 2-1 comeback win in overtime to defeat No. 13 seed Marshall in the College Cup final at WakeMed Soccer Park on Monday night in front of 6,057 spectators.

Over the last few weeks, and especially over the last few days here in Cary, North Carolina, the Catamounts have captured the nation’s attention with their play and history-making performance: It’s their first national title in program history.

More:Stock up on UVM Men’s Soccer Championship gear before joining in the festivities this week

“I just want these guys to know for the rest of their lives that they are national champions,” Vermont head coach Rob Dow said in his postgame press conference.

To put the win in some perspective, here are a few stats and notes you may not have heard about the Catamounts in the last 24-plus hours (most of the Vermont football state will know most of these).

Vermont football earns first place in the school, America East

The Catamounts advanced to their first College Cup semifinal, where they defeated Denver in a shootout on Friday night. That was already history: Vermont was the first team from the America East to advance to a national title game.

The victory over Marshall gave America East its first national title in a team sport. The soccer team also joined the UVM ski program as Vermont’s only national champions (there have been six titles in skiing, most recently in 2012).

Vermont Soccer is the rare unseeded team to win the College Cup

Vermont is the first unseeded team in 18 years to win the NCAA title in a non-COVID full-field tournament (UC Santa Barbara in 2006). Marshall, Vermont’s opponent on Monday, won in a reduced field in 2020.

Vermont, Marshall and UC Santa Barbara are the only unseeded programs to win since the NCAA expanded to 16 seeds in 2003. Vermont is also one of eight schools to win the national title in their first College Cup appearance.

Cardiac Cats: Vermont football makes a comeback in the final

Maximilian Kissel’s 95th-minute golden goal was the last game-winner since Marshall in 2020. And the comeback was the first to win a national title in 11 years (Notre Dame in 2013).

It was also only the third golden goal victory in the final since 1985.

Moment you shouldn’t forget: goalie Niklas Herceg’s save in the 78th minute

Vermont trailed 1-0 in the NCAA championship game against Marshall on Monday and nearly conceded a second goal in the 78th minute.

Marshall’s pressure led to a curving cross on the edge of the box. The ball fell to Haruhi Taneda, who hit a left-handed one-timer off the turf and from the penalty spot. Freshman goalie Niklas Herceg quickly moved to the left and converted the opportunity without scoring a rebound.

Less than three minutes later, Marcell Papp equalized and the game went into extra time.

Goalkeeper Niklas Herceg played with a broken finger

Before Herceg finished his first season at UVM with the nation’s leading save percentage, the 6-foot-2 German was sidelined by a broken finger he suffered on the first day of practice. However, surgery failed to repair the fracture and Herceg returned in early October and played the remainder of the season with the break.

Herceg went 12-1-3 with six shutouts and an 85.1% save percentage in 16 starts.

More:Vermont soccer goalkeeper continues to play in College Cup with broken finger

Vermont coach Rob Dow welcomed his new son on Thanksgiving Day

Rob Dow and his wife Loren Bowley Dow welcomed their second child, Russel, on Thanksgiving Day. Hours later, the Vermont coach traveled to California for the Catamounts’ third-round NCAA tournament game in San Diego.

“I have debts. I’m going to take care of my son Russel and I’m really looking forward to it,” Dow said. “

More:How Vermont football coach Rob Dow put the Catamounts in position to win the NCAA Championship

Local contacts with the Vermont football team

Two former Burlington High School stars have played roles on this year’s Catamounts: redshirt sophomore Nash Barlow and redshirt junior Karl Daly.

Daly appeared in eight games this fall and recorded his first career point and an assist in a 5-0 win over Fairfield. Barlow made his collegiate debut on September 7 against American and saw action in 12 additional games. He scored his first goal in a 5-0 triumph over Harvard.

And assistant head coach Brad Cole is a graduate of South Burlington High School and played for the Catamounts from 2010 to 2014. As a senior, he was senior captain for Vermont.

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UVM Football NCAA College Cup National Champions: By the Numbers

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