By Kolby LaMarche

The University of Vermont men’s soccer team defeated New Hampshire 2-1 in overtime in the America East Conference semifinal held yesterday at Virtue Field.

New Hampshire scored first in the fourth minute. Forward Matteo Piccardo finished a counterattack to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. UVM goalkeeper Niklas Herceg could not stop the early shot.

UVM controlled the match after the opening goal. The Catamounts outshot New Hampshire 29-7, with 12 shots on target to the Wildcats’ five. 

The score stayed 1-0 until the 85th minute. Senior forward David Ismail tied the game 1-1. 

Maximilian Kissel assisted Ismail, who scored from close range into the back of the net.

The match went to a 10-minute overtime period under sudden-victory rules. In the 98th minute, Maximilian Kissel scored the game-winner. Kissel beat a defender and the goalkeeper one-on-one to secure the 2-1 victory.

UVM improved to 13-0-5 overall. The team is undefeated in 28 straight matches, dating back to the previous season. New Hampshire ended its season at 5-8-5.

Vermont, seeded No. 1 and ranked No. 2 nationally, advances to the America East Championship game. The Catamounts will host No. 2 seed Bryant on Sunday, November 16, at 1 p.m. at Virtue Field. Bryant defeated UMass Lowell 4-2 in the other semifinal.

A win in the final would give UVM its second straight America East tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship. The Catamounts are the defending national champions, having won the 2024 NCAA title as a No. 7 seed.

Herceg played all 110 minutes and earned his ninth shutout of the season before the overtime goal. He has a 0.65 goals-against average and an 80% save percentage. Herceg was named America East Goalkeeper of the Year.

Ismail leads UVM with eight goals this season. Kissel has contributed key assists and goals in big moments. The team completed an unbeaten regular season at 12-0-5 overall and 6-0-1 in conference play, claiming the outright America East regular-season title for the fourth time in nine years.

Head coach Rob Dow is in his 12th season. Under Dow, UVM has reached the conference final for the second straight year. The program has earned 13 All-America East honors this season, a record.

A sold-out crowd braved wind, rain, snow and cold temperatures at Virtue Field. The attendance set a record for an America East semifinal hosted by UVM.

UVM and Bryant met twice in the regular season. Vermont won 2-1 at home on October 5 and drew 1-1 on the road on October 26. Both teams are ranked in the top five nationally and are projected for at-large NCAA bids regardless of the final outcome.

The America East could send three teams to the NCAA Tournament if Bryant or UVM wins the automatic qualifier. UMass Lowell and New Hampshire needed the title for eligibility, but now only the champion gets the auto-bid.

UVM aims to become the first team to repeat as NCAA champions since Stanford in 2015 and 2016. The Catamounts open NCAA play the following weekend.