FINAL SCORE: No. 14 Vermont 1, UMass 1
AMHERST, Mass. – Fourteenth-ranked Vermont (6-1-2, 1-0-0 AE) and UMass (3-4-3, 0-2-0 A10) settled for a 1-1 draw after exchanging first-half goals on Tuesday afternoon at Rudd Field.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Winning a Division I soccer game on the road is difficult," head coach Rob Dow said. "I don't think we were ready for a difficult game. A tie on the road is not the end of the world, but we need to get better from the result as we head back into conference play."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Minutemen wasted little time to open the scoring, notching the game's first goal in the ninth minute. Alec Hughes netted his eighth goal of the season, flicking a shot over Owen Jack (7 saves) for the 1-0 lead. Shane Velez was credited with an assist on the go-ahead tally.
• Vermont quickly responded with Sydney Wathuta's first collegiate goal in the 17th minute. A give-and-go between Carter Johnson and Sebastian Gebhart led to Johnson finding Wathuta at the top of the six-yard box for the score. The rookie tested UMass goalkeeper Alec Geczy (5 saves) twice more in the next 10 minutes, but the junior denied both attempts.
• UMass nearly pulled ahead in the final minute of the first half on Matt Cence's shot from the top of the 18-yard box. Jack dove to his right to turn the shot away and recorded his second save of the half to send the non-conference foes to the break tied at 1-1.
• Jack added three saves in the first six minutes of the second half, including a two quick stops on a free kick in the 51st minute. The UVM goalkeeper once again slid to his left to deny Michael Rojas' free kick from outside of the 18-yard box, and quickly swallowed up Jack Englebert's rebound.
• A miscue by the Catamounts inside their defensive box nearly led to a go-ahead goal for the Minutemen in the 55th minute, but Andrew Ortiz sent a shot high over the UVM net.
• Niels Hartman had a great scoring chance for Vermont in the 76th minute when he stepped into a shot from inside the 18-yard box, but was stopped by Geczy. His attempt sparked a run of five-straight shots for the Catamounts over the next 12 minutes.
• Vermont held off a push from UMass in the final minutes. A Minutemen corner led to a shot by Englebert that narrowly missed over the crossbar in the 89th minute. Jack denied UMass' final scoring chance with 45 seconds remaining, turning away a dangerous shot from Rojas.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Wathuta's first collegiate goal came in his first career start. The rookie had a game-high three shots on goal, and played a total of 67 minutes for the Cats.
• Hartman, Yaniv Bazini, and Andrew Millar had multiple shots in the contest, registering two each for the Catamounts who tallied a total of 13 shots.

UP NEXT
Vermont returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 30) when it hosts UMass Lowell in the Rally Against Cancer Game, presented by Mascoma Bank. The opening kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at Virtue Field. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Gutterson Fieldhouse Box Office on gameday. Saturday's game will broadcast live on ESPN+ with Brian McLaughlin on the call. International fans can stream the game live on AmericaEast.TV.
 
FALL PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE
To access the promotional schedule for all remaining fall games, please click here. Don't miss out on ticket deals, game-day activities, and giveaways!
 
PREGAME RALLY AT UCONN (OCT. 3)
Alumni, families, and friends are welcome to join the UVM Alumni Association Hartford Affinity Group for a pregame rally in the Trophy Room bar and restaurant at The Graduate Storrs Hotel. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will continue at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium for Vermont's matchup with UConn at 7 p.m. Purchase game tickets directly through UConn Athletics. Game tickets are not required for the pregame gathering, but registration for the event is encouraged.
 
New England Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's soccer