WOMEN'S SOCCER NOTEBOOK
Vermont (4-2-0) will take on Stonehill (0-5-1) at Virtue Field on Sunday afternoon in their annual Youth Day presented by Healthy Living. Kickoff is slated to start at 3 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
 
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YOUTH DAY PRESENTED BY HEALTHY LIVING 
Sunday's matchup with Stonehill will be the Catamounts annual Youth Day presented by Healthy Living. A variety of activities including a bounce house, arts and crafts, lawn games, dress like a Catamount, air brush tattoo station, and the Healthy Living giveaway table will be available. These activities will begin at 2 p.m. surrounding Virtue Field.
 
BALANCED ATTACK 
Vermont has spread the wealth through six games this season with five different goal-scorers. Kate Bossert leads Vermont with four goals, including two game-winners, both on the road, against Colgate and FDU. Bossert has recorded a goal in four straight games for the first time in her career. Bailey Ayer leads Vermont with two assists while also adding a goal to her tally. Junior Maddy Cronin scored her first collegiate goal with the game winner against Merrimack. Alyssa Oviedo has also registered two goals for the Catamounts, including the game winner against Sacred Heart. Lauren DeGroot scored her first goal of the season on an assist from sophomore Kaley Kreutzer to seal a 2-0 victory over Colgate. Kreutzer's assist was the first point of her career. First year Aubrey Bough and junior Abbey Knobel have each added an assist for Vermont as well.
 
DEFENDING VIRTUE FIELD
This season, Vermont is 2-0-0 at Virtue Field having scored six times while only surrendering two goals. The Catamounts defeated Merrimack 4-1 on Aug. 20 and then beat Sacred Heart 2-1 on Aug. 31. Oviedo and Bossert each scored in the victory over Sacred Heart, while Erin Murphy played all 90 minutes tying a career-high with nine saves. Cronin's game-winner against Merrimack was her first collegiate goal. Ayer, Bossert and Oviedo also scored in that contest for the Catamounts. Murphy played all 90 minutes as well against Merrimack registering eight saves and picking up the victory.
 
PRESEASON POLLS
Vermont just missed out on the 2022 America East playoffs and were selected seventh overall in the 2023 America East Preseason Poll.
 
Stonehill was selected to finish eighth in the Northeast Conference Preseason Poll.
 
AGAINST THE NEC
The Catamounts are 18-4-3 all-time against the NEC. Vermont has recorded their most wins against Central Connecticut State (6-1-2) and Sacred Heart (6-0-0). This season they are 3-0 against the conference having defeated Sacred Heart and Merrimack at home and beat FDU on the road. Vermont's three wins against the NEC this season have come against three of the top four teams from the NEC Preseason Poll.

Over the past three seasons, Vermont is 8-1-0 against the NEC with their only loss coming on the road to Merrimack in the 2022 season. In those nine contests the Catamounts have outscored their NEC foes 22-9 and have scored two or more goals in seven of those games.  
 
SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS
Stonehill enters Sunday's matchup with an 0-5-1 record coming off a 2-0 defeat to Bryant at home on Thursday (Sept. 7) night. In their six games, the Skyhawks have been outscored 16-2. Against the America East this season Stonehill is 0-3-1 having lost to New Hampshire 1-0, Maine 5-1 and Bryant 2-0 while also tying UMass Lowell 1-1.  Junior's Karleigh Schultz and Olivia Webster lead the Skyhawks with one goal each. Sophomore Hannah Anselmo leads the group with one assist on the season. Senior captain Mia Jackson has anchored the net for Stonehill starting five games and playing 450 minutes while registering 34 saves and a .708 save percentage.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
This will be the second matchup between the Catamounts and the Skyhawks, who have just recently joined Division I (2022). Their only previous meeting came in 2022 where Vermont picked up a 4-0 victory on the road. Ayer, Kate Bossert, Jill Brody and Nicky Constant each scored for the Catamounts in that victory. Ayer also picked up an assist to lead all players with three points in that game as Vermont outshot Stonehill 25-10 on their way to the win.  
 
WHO'S NEXT
Following Sunday's matchup, the Catamounts will have a week off before they begin America East play on the road against Maine on Sunday, September 17. The start time for that match is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.