BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont (12-2-5) has advanced to the NCAA Second Round for the third straight season and will face the CAA Champion and seven-seed Hofstra (14-4-2) Sunday evening at 5 p.m. from Captains Field in Hempstead, N.Y.
 
Tickets for Sunday's contest are still available at go.uvm.edu/hofstra. The UVM Alumni Association is inviting fans to a pregame tailgate in the parking lot. All of the action will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Dan Savarino and Will Thompson on the call.
 
RELATED LINKS
Buy Tickets
CatamounTV: Preview – Rob Dow
Watch Live – ESPN+
Live Stats
Listen Live (Hofstra – WRHU FM)
NCAA Tournament Bracket
 
CATAMOUNTS BLITZ IONA

• Vermont set a program record for goals in an NCAA Tournament game with five Thursday night against the Gaels.
• Their five goals are the most scored by an America East team in the First Round of the tournament.
• Yaniv Bazini scored a brace on Thursday night, he now has six career NCAA Tournament goals. He has a team-high 10 goals this season.
• Sydney Wathuta continued his outstanding play this year with two assists Thursday. Wathuta's 14 assists are a UVM program-record and the second-most ever in a single season by an America East student-athlete. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

• Hofstra claimed their fourth straight CAA Championship with a 1-0 win over UNC Wilmington on Saturday, November 16.
• The seven-seed is a program-best for the Pride entering the NCAA Tournament.
• Last season the Pride entered the NCAAs as the 14-seed and defeated Yale 2-0 at home in the Second Round. They fell in penalties to the 3-seed North Carolina in the Third Round.
• Hofstra hasn't lost a game at home since October 15, 2022. They are 20-0-2 since that 3-1 setback to Elon.
• Junior Laurie Goddard leads the team in scoring with nine goals and five assists for 23 points. He has four goals in the Pride's last four games.
• Hofstra was 2-0-0 against America East teams this season. At home in September, they defeated Binghamton 3-2 and New Hampshire 1-0.
• Hofstra and Vermont were members of America East together from 1995-2001. The Pride lead the series with a record of 6-5-1. In their last meeting Hofstra topped Vermont 4-0 at home in 2015. 

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• UVM's NCAA Tournament berth is its 14th in program history. The Catamounts are 10-12-2 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 7-1-0 all-time at home in the NCAA Tournament. UVM's only loss at home came in the 2021 First Round against Villanova.
• 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.
• In 2022 the Catamounts defeated the 11-seed SMU on the road in the second round by a score of 3-2. Max Murray scored twice in 15 minutes in that contest to complete a two-goal comeback.
• In 2023 the Catamounts topped the 12-seed UCF on the road in the second round by a score of 3-2 in overtime. Yaniv Bazini had a goal and an assist for Vermont.

CATAMOUNTS JUST KEEP ON ROLLING

• Since 2021 the Catamounts are 21-0-0 when scoring three or more goals.
• Vermont's current .763 winning percentage is tied for ninth best in the NCAA.
• The Catamounts offense and depth has come through time and time again this season. UVM has scored 17 goals in the 76th minute or later and 13 goals in the 83rd minute or later this year.
• The Catamounts are a +24 in terms of goal differential this season, which is first in America East and ninth best 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 Sunday's contest will advance to the NCAA Third Round and face the winner of Sunday's 1 p.m. contest between San Diego and No. 10 Duke. The two teams met on August 22 in San Diego and played to a 2-2 draw.

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