BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont (11-2-5) will host the MAAC Champion Iona (11-4-3) Thursday evening at 6 p.m. from Virtue Field in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. It will be the Catamounts fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Limited tickets for Thursday's contest are still available at go.uvm.edu/iona. All of the action from Virtue Field will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Brian McLaughlin on the call and UVM Women's Soccer Head Coach Kristi Huizenga providing analysis. Huizenga made four NCAA Tournament appearances at UConn as a player, including a title game appearance in 2003.
 
RELATED LINKS
Buy Tickets
CatamounTV Press Conference: Coach Dow | Barrett
Watch Live – ESPN+
Live Stats
NCAA Tournament Bracket

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

• Iona will be the third straight MAAC Champion to head to Virtue Field for the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. UVM topped Rider 3-1 in 2023 and defeated Quinnipiac 3-2 in overtime in 2022.
• The Gaels have won seven straight games entering Thursday's contest, outscoring their opponents 15-2 over that stretch.
• Iona defeated Rider 1-0 in the MAAC Championship game with the game-winner coming from First Year Rossi Bautista. He has eight goals this season and enters the NCAA Tournament on a five-match scoring streak. He has scored three game-winners over that stretch.
• This will be the Gaels second NCAA Tournament berth; they also won the MAAC title in overtime in 2019 to go dancing.
• The Gaels backline is led by the back-to-back MAAC Defensive Player of the Year Tim Timchenko. He has played all but 15 minutes of game action for the Gaels this season.
• Iona was 0-2-0 against America East teams this season. They dropped a 3-1 contest at Bryant and 2-1 game against Binghamton at home in back-to-back matches in September.
• The Catamounts lead the all-time series with the Gaels with a record of 3-2-0. UVM opened the 2021 campaign with a 2-0 win at Iona. However, the Gaels did win their only trip to UVM's Virtue Field topping the Catamounts 3-1 on September 6, 2019 in UVM's home opener that season.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• UVM's NCAA Tournament berth is its 14th in program history. The Catamounts are 9-12-2 and have advanced to the quarterfinals twice in program history in 2022 under Coach Dow and in 1989.
• In their last two appearances during the 2022 and 2023 tournament the Catamounts have won at least two games.
• The Catamounts are 6-1-0 all-time at home in the NCAA Tournament. UVM's only loss at home came in the 2021 First Round against Villanova. The Wildcats topped UVM 1-0. UVM's average margin of victory in its six home game wins has been two goals.
• With the Catamounts fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth Head Coach Rob Dow becomes the second coach in program history to lead UVM to the NCAAs four times along with Paul Reinhardt (1975, '77, '78, 1981).
• The Catamounts are the first Vermont athletic program to make four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
• From 1992-94 the women's basketball team made three straight appearances and was the first program at UVM to complete the feat. The men's basketball team did so from 2003-05 and 2022-2024.

CATAMOUNTS JUST KEEP ON ROLLING

• Since 2021 the Catamounts are 20-0-0 when scoring three or more goals.
• Vermont's current .750 winning percentage is the tenth best in the NCAA.
• The Catamounts offense and depth has come through time and time again this season. UVM has scored 16 goals in the 76th minute or later and 12 goals in the 83rd minute or later this year.
• The Catamounts are a +19 in terms of goal differential this season, which is first in America East and tied for 16th in the NCAA.

MAJOR AWARDS FOR THE CATAMOUNTS
Sydney Wathuta – AE Midfielder of the Year

• First Catamount in program history to receive this honor
• Leads the league and ranks third nationally with 11 assists.
• Helped the Catamounts rank first in goals per game (1.94) and scoring margin (1.1)

Zach Barrett – AE Defender of the Year

• Anchored a Catamount defense which gave up a league-low five goals in America East action.
• Third Catamount to be honored as Defender of the Year and first since Connor Tobin in 2008.
• Scored game-winning goal in 2-0 win over NJIT

AE Coaching Staff of the Year – Rob Dow, Brad Cole, Rory Twomey, Brendan Pulley & Mack Walton

• Led Catamounts to a share of the regular season title for the first time since 2019
• Led America East in goals with 31 and tied for first with +17 differential

WHAT'S NEXT

• The winner of Thursday's contest will earn the right to face the seven-seed Hofstra on Sunday, November 24 at 5 p.m. at Captains Field in Hempstead, N.Y.
• The Sunday contest like the entire first and second round of the NCAA Tournament will air exclusively on ESPN+. Hofstra was 14-4-2 this season and 5-3-0 in the CAA.

For news and updates about the Vermont men's soccer program, follow @UVMmsoccer on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.
 
EastRise Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont Soccer