The University of Vermont men’s soccer team will host Iona University on Thursday in the first round of the Division 1 NCAA tournament after claiming the America East Conference title Sunday with a win against Bryant University.
The Catamounts, ranked 17th in the nation, beat Bryant 2-1 for the conference title on their home turf at Virtue Field in a sold-out game with 2,400 fans. After that win, four players — Niklas Herceg, Yaniv Bazini, Adrian Schulze Solano and Zach Barrett, were named for the All-Championship Team.
That win marked the second time in four years — and the seventh time in the history of the UVM men’s soccer program — that they have won the America East title. This is also the second time they claimed the conference title under head coach Rob Dow.
It will be “great to be at home and to replicate our championship game for Thursday night, give the community another treat here in men’s soccer country,” Dow said at a press conference following a Monday afternoon selection show where the Catamounts learned their opponent would be Iona.
The NCAA tournament consists of 48 teams with single-elimination play. The first round kicks off Thursday, and the tournament is expected to conclude Dec. 16 with the Men’s College Cup National Championship game.
They’ll kick off their first-round game at 6 p.m. Thursday evening at Virtue Field. The winner will travel to New York for a second round game on Sunday against 7-seed Hofstra University at 5 p.m.
Read the story on VTDigger here: UVM men’s soccer team advances to NCAA tournament after winning America East championship.