MEN'S SOCCER NOTEBOOK
Vermont (5-4) opens America East play at Hartford (3-5-2) on Saturday (Sept. 30). Action gets underway with a primetime 7 p.m. kickoff. Fans can follow all of the action by clicking the video and live stats links below.

RELATED LINKS
Hartford: Video (ESPN3) | Video (International Feed) | Live Stats

UVM ATHLETICS E-NEWS | Sign Up
Want all of the latest news and updates from UVM Athletics delivered straight to your inbox? In an attempt to verify all of the emails in our system, we encourage all Catamount fans (including past subscribers) to visit UVMathletics.com/enews to choose the specific sports you'd like to follow. The sign-up process is free and will take less than a minute.  We look forward to delivering the very best content to you all season long.

CATAMOUNT SCORE ALERTS | Sign Up
Can't make it to the game? Receive the final score in real time delivered directly to your mobile device through text alerts. Sign up today for any of your favorite Catamount teams at the link above. Message and data rates may apply.

SETTING THE SCENE
The Catamounts enter the conference slate with 15 goals and 12 assists under their belt which is tied for third-most among America East offenses in both categories. UVM is also tied for fourth in the league in total offense with 40 points. The Green and Gold have a quartet on the America East assists list – Tom Cole is tied for third with three assists while Justin Freitas, Jon Arnar Barðdal, and Geo Alves follow in a eighth-place tie with two assists. Alves holds a share of the conference lead with 14 points (6 goals, 2 assists) and the junior is tied for 18th in the country in goals. Freitas has also snuck onto the America East scoring list in a ninth-place tie with eight points (3 goals, 2 assists).  

LAST TIME OUT
Vermont posted its fourth shutout of the season with a 2-0 victory at Harvard on Tuesday evening. The Catamounts broke the scoreless tie in the 55th minute. UVM was presented with a penalty kick after Harvard's replacement goalie Matthew Freese was issued a red card for a handball. On the kick, Mikel Kabala lined the go-ahead score into the left side of the net. Ívar Örn Árnason provided an insurance goal for the Cats in the 71st minute with a header. Alves took a corner and launched a ball towards the far end of the box where the 6-1 defender jumped up and knocked the second goal of the night into the top left corner of the net.
 
AMERICA EAST OPENERS
The Cats are 8-4 in America East openers since 2006 and the Green and Gold have also won seven out of the last 10 conference openers. Historically, UVM and Hartford have opened the league slate against one another four times – 2001, 1998, 1986, and 1985. In the four matches, Vermont holds a 2-1-1 mark.
 
FIRST-YEAR COACHING SUCCESS
First-year head coach Rob Dow has won five games through his first nine contests of the season. Dow is also tied for the nation's lead in victories among Division I rookie head coaches. He is one win shy from tying Robert Stone for the fourth-most victories by a UVM first-year head coach. Paul Reinhardt set the benchmark with 11 wins during his first season in Burlington back in 1975.

SCOUTING HARTFORD
Hartford came into the season as a top-five pick in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll in fifth place with 22 points. In their last game, the Hawks beat in-state rival Central Connecticut State with a 3-2 double overtime victory on Tuesday night . Sophomore midfielder Alexis Triadis leads the team in points (7), assists (3), and scored the game-winning goal at CCSU. Freshmen midfielder Nyrik Antoine has matched Triadis with a pair of goals and he also found the back of the net against the Blue Devils. Sophomore goalie Jimmy Slayton leads the league with 35 saves and and he ranks fifth in the conference with a 1.23 goals-against average and 35 saves. 

INSIDE THE SERIES
The Catamounts and Hawks will square off for the 37th time as UVM owns a 16-12-8 advantage. The Green and Gold are 2-1-2 in the last five games in West Hartford, Connecticut. The conference rivals have seen some competitive matches in recent years as the last six contests were decided by a one-goal margin. Last year, the Hawks snuck by UVM with a 1-0 win at Virtue Field after scoring the lone goal in the 83rd minute.
 
WHO'S NEXT
Vermont wraps up its six-game road trip at UMass on Tuesday (Oct. 3). Action gets underway at 4 p.m. Free live video will be available on the A-10 Network.