FINAL SCORE: No. 5 NJIT 2, No. 4 Vermont 1
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Fourth-seeded Vermont (11-5-2, 4-3-0 AE) suffered a 2-1 loss to No. 5 NJIT (7-7-4, 3-2-2 AE) in the America East Quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at Virtue Field.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"In the tactics of the game, we give up two goals to a team that sets all 11 players in their own half," head coach Rob Dow said. "That makes the game really difficult to get the ball near the opponent's goal. So, the key part here is giving up two goals is unacceptable. We knew the opponent's game plan, something they used against us in regular season and got the result. Now, how we responded to it, how we started the game on the attack, we had a lot of control of the ball. But clear-cut chances are never something that comes easy in playoffs. We talk about taking opportunities, and every shot you don't take, you're gonna miss and that's the hard lesson."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts peppered the Highlanders' goal in the opening half, outshooting NJIT 8-1 in the frame. UVM forced Samuel Reisgys (5 saves) to make three stops in the half.
• Goncalo Franco broke the scoreless tie when he headed a free kick from Maximus Barboto in the 42nd minute. The NJIT midfielder sprinted into the 18-yard box, leaped up and delivered a header past Owen Jack. The Highlanders would take the 1-0 lead in to halftime.
• NJIT's lead doubled 7:32 into the second half on Hugo Tavares's fifth goal of the season. Asembo Augo delivered a cross to Tavares from the right wing, and the midfielder's kick from mid-air found the lower left corner for the 2-0 lead.
• Vermont had an opportunity to cut the lead in the 58th minute when a corner kick found an open Jake Ashford to the right of the NJIT goal, but his kick was blocked by a defender. Minutes later, Carter Johnson nearly found Max Murray alone at the back post but Reisgys jumped out to intercept the pass.
• Jack Krongold was inches to padding the NJIT lead in the 68th minute when his kick from the top of the 18-yard box rattled the left post.
• Yaniv Bazini cut the lead in half in 78th minute with his eighth goal of the season. Jake Ashford dribbled into the box, cut back and found Bazini who one-touched a kick into the lower left corner to make the score 2-1.
• The Catamounts had five shots in the final 10 minutes in search of the equalizer. Nick Lockermann found Bazini with a corner kick in the 86th minute, but his shot missed just wide of the right post.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Vermont tallied a season-high 26 shots on the afternoon, and held NJIT to just five shots. The Catamounts recorded 18 shots in the second frame, with three directed on goal.
• Bazini led UVM with seven shots, including two shots on goal. Seven different Catamounts tallied multiple shots in the contest.
• Vermont had nine corner kicks in the game, with seven of them coming in the second half. 

New England Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's soccer