BURLINGTON, Vt. – Yaniv Bazini got the scoring started in the 60th minute for the Catamounts who cruised past UCLA with a 3-0 win in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,500 at Virtue Field. Yves Borie and Alex Nagy each added second half tallies for Vermont as they advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Vermont will face the winner of Sunday afternoon's No. 3 Syracuse vs. No. 14 Cornell contest next weekend.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score (.pdf)
CatamounTV Highlights
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"What a special night for the Catamounts," Head Coach Rob Dow said. "Our fans are best in the nation, their energy fueled us to victory. Congrats to UCLA on a great season. Onward we go!"
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two teams played to a scoreless first half with both teams unable to create many chances. UCLA registered one shot on net, which was saved by Nate Silveira.
• Bazini netted his fifth goal of the season in the 56th minute when he received a pass in the center of the field. Bazini dribbled forward and tried to pass out to the left wing, but his pass was blocked, and the ball fell back to his feet. He collected the ball and fired a shot with his left foot from just outside the 18-yard box toward the left side of the net and past the keeper who was not able to react quick enough. 
• Borie added to the Catamount lead just 14 minutes later when he scored in the 70th minute on a Noah Egan free kick that bounced around the box and found his foot. UCLA tried to clear the ball but the header fell short in the box where Borie was able to make a turnaround volley and sneak the ball in just past the left post and by the keeper to put Vermont up 2-0.
• A little over 15 minutes later the Catamounts put the match away when Nagy received a pass from Bazini down the sideline and drove toward the net all alone on a breakaway. Egan rocketed a shot that was blocked by UCLA's Nate Crockford but the rebound came back to Egan and he buried it.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Nate Silveira registered two saves for the Catamounts, with one coming in each half, earning his 14th win of the season. With the 14th win Silveira's 2022 campaign is the second-best by a UVM goaltender in a single season.
• The Catamounts are 6-0-1 this season when Yaniv Bazini finds the scoresheet.
• Vermont is 8-1-0 all-time in the postseason when scoring three or more goals. Their only loss was a 4-3 overtime tilt in the 1975 NCAA Tournament.
• The Catamounts are now 5-1-0 at home in the NCAA Tournament, including a 3-1-0 mark at Virtue Field.
• With today's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Foodbank as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Vermont Mutual has committed to donating $15,000 to Vermont Foodbank for the 2021 season. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

UP NEXT
The Catamounts will face the three-seed Syracuse or the 14-seed Cornell in the NCAA Quarterfinals next weekend on December 3 or 4. Game time and the date will be dependent on the winner of Sunday's matchup between Syracuse and Cornell. The New York State showdown will air at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. The Catamounts tied Syracuse 1-1 on September 2 at Virtue Field and defeated the Big Red 2-1 in Ithaca on September 13.
 
Able Paint Glass & Flooring is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's soccer