IRVINE, Calif. – Vermont (0-1) begins its West Coast trip Thursday, Aug. 29 when it visits UC Irvine (0-1) in the The Golden State. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET at Anteater Stadium. The match will broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
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CATS IN SoCAL

• The Catamounts return to Southern California for the first time since 2017.
• Vermont split games with Cal State Fullerton (L, 2-1) and UC Riverside (W, 2-0).
• UVM's 2024 trip to The Golden State will end with a Labor Day matchup at San Diego State. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET.

SERIES HISTORY

• UVM and UC Irvine last met in 2022 at Virtue Field.
• The Catamounts earned a 2-1 victory over the Anteaters in the first ever meeting between the two programs.
• Max Murray scored Vermont's first goal of the match and Alex Nagy produced a game-high three points.

SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS

• The 'Eaters were picked No. 1 in The Big West Conference preseason poll after finishing second last season.
• UC Irvine is led by captain and defender Mathias Winum who was an All-Far West Region member in 2023.
• Winum, Luke Pruter, and Francesco Montanile were voted as preseason All-Big West honorees. Pruter was also named a NCAA Division I Player to Watch by United Soccer Coaches.

PRESEASON FAVORITES

• Vermont was selected as the preseason favorite by America East head coaches for the first time since 2008. The Catamounts picked up five of seven possible first-place votes and scored a total of 47 points in the poll.
• Defending tournament champion Bryant and regular season champion New Hampshire tied for No. 2 in the poll, each with a total of 40 points.

PRESEASON HONORS

• Yaniv Bazini, Max Murray, Adrian Schulze Solano, Sydney Wathuta, Zach Barrett, and Nick Lockermann took up six of a possible 11 spots on the America East Preseason All-Conference Team.
• Bazini was one of 16 NCAA Division I players named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List. The award is presented at the end of the season to the nation's top collegiate player.
• He was also named to the NCAA Division I Players to Watch List by the United Soccer Coaches.

VERMONT OUTLOOK

• The Catamounts return 16 members of the 2023 squad and add 12 newcomers to the program.
• Vermont brings back 71.9% of its goal scoring from a season ago, including last year's leader, Yaniv Bazini who posted 11 goals and 26 points in 19 games played.
• An experienced group, 14 of the 28 Catamounts on the roster are seniors or graduate students.
• Vermont is led by captains Zach Barrett and Adrian Schulze Solano.