FINAL SCORE: Vermont 1, Sacred Heart 0
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Nile Walwyn's early goal held up and the Catamounts held off Sacred Heart, despite playing with 10 men for 62 minutes, to pull out a 1-0 victory in the season opener for both teams.

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"The guys did a brilliant job for being down a man for 62 minutes," said Vermont head coach Jesse Cormier. "The team came together and battled through the adversity. We wanted to stretch our lead in the second half and had a few good chances but couldn't find the final touch in the second half."

Walwyn gave Vermont a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute. He finished off a cross from teammate Jackson Dayton and fired a shot from the top of the box to beat Sacred Heart goalkeeper Tucker Hackett.
 
Walwyn was issued a red card in the 28th minute leaving the Catamounts a man down for the final 17 minutes of the half.
 
Vermont held onto the one goal lead as the teams headed into halftime.
 
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second half. UVM's best opportunity came in the 83rd minute when the Catamounts earned a penalty kick, but Brian Wright's attempt was stopped by Hackett.
 
Hackett finished the game with seven saves, while Greg Walton was credited with six saves to earn his first win and shutout in the Vermont net.
 
Vermont opens the year at 1-0, while Sacred Heart starts the 2015 campaign 0-1. The Catamounts will continue the season-opening road trip on Sunday (Aug. 30) with a game at Hofstra. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. The game will be streamed online for free, visit the UVM men's soccer schedule page at UVMathletics.com for links.
 
NOTES: Greg Walton, Elliot Maker, Stefan Lammana and Loftur Eriksson made their debuts at Vermont and were in the starting lineup … Vermont is 10-1-1 in season openers under head coach Jesse Cormier … This was just the second meeting between the two schools, the series is now even at 1-1.