The No. 13 seed Marshall Thundering Herd will face the unseeded Cinderella sensation of the America East Conference, the Vermont Catamounts, in the battle for the national trophy. Marshall hopes to secure the program’s second national title in as many College Cup appearances since winning the 2020 national championship. On the other hand, Vermont continues its historic season with the first-ever College Cup and is the first Vermont athletics team to compete in a national championship game – Vermont Skiing has a national title but did not compete in a championship game scenario.

Vermont vs. Denver: Complete PK Shootout in the 2024 Men’s College Cup Semifinals

So far in the tournament, Vermont has allowed just two goals and leading scorer Yaniv Bazini has scored in all five contests and scored a late equalizer in the semifinals against No. 3 Denver, extending the game to OT. Thanks to a save from Niklas Herceg, the Catamounts won 4-3 on PKs. The Herd conceded three goals in the tournament and are coming off an impressive 1-0 win over No. 1 seed Ohio State in the College Cup semifinals, where Marshall outlasted 20 shots from the Buckeyes after taking an early lead.

Both Marshall and Vermont are bolstered by their internationally strong rosters that combine global playing styles and talent on one court. Monday night’s contest will be a clash between two teams that many doubt and few – outside of their loyal fan base – expect to make a deep run into the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Both have shown similar playing styles: high pressing, controlled possession, quick counterattacks and only a few goals allowed. We know that anyone can score against big opponents, but with only one thing left to prove, this duel will be decided by the defenses, with the strongest coming away with a trophy.

Follow all the action here on NCAA.com