FINAL SCORE : Vermont 1, San Diego 0
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Yaniv Bazini sealed the deal for the Catamounts 29 seconds into the first overtime period in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring on a penalty kick to give Vermont the 1-0 victory on Sunday night from Torero Stadium. With the win, the Catamounts improve to 14-2-5 on the campaign, advancing to their second NCAA Quarterfinal appearance in the last three years.  
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score | Box Score (.pdf)
Photo Gallery
Postgame: Coach Dow, Bazini, Murray
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Niklas Herceg shut down the first true scoring chance 22:14 into the match, keeping the score at 0-0, making a diving play to punch out Cesar Bahena's shot that was heading towards the top right corner, blocking the ball out of bounds to reward San Diego its second corner kick of the match.
• The Catamounts saw their best opportunity of the half when a hustle play from Ryan Zellefrow resulted in Jack Sandmeyer drawing a foul, earning Vermont a set play free kick opportunity. Taken by Bazini, he fired his shot on net, placing it to the bottom center of the goal, but WCC Goalkeeper of the Year Donovan Parisian was there to make the save, sending the match into halftime scoreless, 0-0.
• A series of close calls took place in between the 57th and 63rd minute, seeing Bazini almost capitalize on a miss played ball from Parisian, and on the other end, Bahena pinning a quality shot on net to the bottom left corner amid numerous bodies. Both Herceg and Parisian kept their composure, making the crucial saves needed to keep the match scoreless almost halfway through the second frame.
• Between the 66th and 69th minute, Herceg continued to shine, executing three separate incredible saves to keep the Toreros off the scoresheet, displaying spectacular athleticism by diving across the net, stopping shots that were placed top center, bottom left, and bottom right, putting the freshman goalkeeper at seven total saves on the match.
• Three different Catamounts would fire off three more shot attempts throughout the final 20 minutes of regulation, but neither team was able to find the back of the net, sending the match into the first 10-minute overtime period.
• 29 seconds into overtime, Nathan Simeon sent a ball to Zellefrow in the box, but Mathias Bauer on San Diego was late to his slide tackle, awarding Vermont a penalty kick opportunity. Bazini was elected to take the kick, lacing his shot right down the middle to earn UVM the 1-0 overtime road victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Herceg tied his career high in saves, notching seven total saves against the Toreros on Sunday night to earn his fifth shutout victory of the season.
• Bazini has now scored eight career NCAA Tournament goals in ten career games.
• Vermont will advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third time in program history.
• The Catamounts under Head Coach Rob Dow have now won eight NCAA Tournament games since 2022.
• With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Children's Trust Foundation as part of the Cats Wins, Community Wins Initiative.

UP NEXT
The Catamounts will face the two-seed Pittsburgh Panthers in the NCAA Quarterfinals next weekend on Saturday, December 7 from Pittsburgh, PA. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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