CARY, N.C. – Vermont soccer will play for a national championship. Vermont soccer will play for a national championship.
For the Catamounts, it’s a sentence that needs to be written twice to be believed.
Yaniv Bazini saved Vermont’s season in the dying minutes of regulation and then the Catamounts were cool customers in the penalty shootout, racing to a 4-3 victory following a 1-1 deadlock through regulation and the two overtime periods.
Bazini, Zach Barrett, Max Murray and Maximilian Kissel buried their chances in the shootout while Denver’s Trevor Wright hit the crossbar in the fifth round to end it.
The Catamounts (16-2-5) will meet No. 13 seed Marshall in Monday’s national title game at WakeMed Soccer Park. Game time is 8 p.m. on ESPNU.
“It’s a great feeling. The hard work and dedication that some of our guys have put in for last four, five years, to finally see it come all together — it’s pretty special,” Murray said, a fifth-year senior. “But most importantly, we still have one more game to go.”
Vermont became the first America East school to advance to a national championship game in any team sport.
“America East is a conference that nobody wants to mess with. Maybe we are the pioneers to the national championship, but I know we have our whole conference rooting for us back home,” Vermont coach Rob Dow said. “This program, our athletic department and our state — it just means more to us. We are doing our best to deliver that on the field.”
Scoreless at the break, Denver’s decided edge in possession, shots and chances finally gave way to the opening tally as the 70th minute neared.
From the Vermont end line, Denver’s Ian Smith tracked down a loose ball and passed it back to Bassett, who blasted a right-footed shot from a tough angle and outside the 18 that looped over Vermont goalie Niklas Herceg’s head and inside the far post.
But the Catamounts, who have scored 19 goals in the 86th minute or later this season, found a way to provide more late heroics on another clinical finish from their star striker.
Bazini timed his run perfectly on Nathan Simeon’s lefty cross into the box. The fifth-year senior chested the ball down and knocked the half-volley into the back of the net for the equalizer in the 84th minute, sending the game to extra time and eventually the shootout.
“It’s just what he does, game in and game out. We trust him that once he gets his opportunity, he’s going to score,” Murray said of Bazini. “He’s on an unbelievable run right now and he’s our guy. We have full faith in him.”
Bazini has scored six goals of his team-high 14 goals in five NCAA Tournament games this fall. He has 10 tallies in 12 NCAA Tournament contests since 2022.
“Think of any big games we’ve been in, that guy’s been on the scoresheet,” Dow said of Bazini. “He’s just a guy that knows … he did his job. He doesn’t need many chances.”
Denver’s Jake Smith and Bazini struck from the spot to open the shootout. Denver’s Ronan Wynne and Vermont’s Zach Barrett also connected before Niklas Herceg, Vermont’s 6-foot-6 freshman goalie, got a foot on Ben Smith’s shot for the shootout’s first save.
Murray put Vermont in front on a strike down the middle and Bassett went top corner for Denver. Freshman Maximilian Kissel, Vermont’s second-leading scorer with 10 goals, also went upper corner for a 4-3 edge. Then Wright’s miss of the top of the bar clinched Vermont’s victory.
Despite the Pioneers missing golden opportunities in the first half on a pair of headers and finishing with advantages in shots (19-13) and corners (7-1), Vermont survived to keep its historic run alive.
“We set a precedent of how we are going to play and who we are going to be,” Murray said. “We are able to get through these tough matches. We had like five, six guys play 110 minutes.
“We are willing to do whatever it takes to win the game and it shows.”
The Catamounts stormed to their first College Cup berth with victories over Iona, Hofstra, San Diego and Pittsburgh. Prior to Friday, Vermont hadn’t trailed at any point in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” said Herceg, who finished with five saves.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
