— By David Walsh
Vermont completed its journey in its first NCAA College Cup Final Four in a manner unique to the Catamounts.
Trailing Marshall 1-0 with 10 minutes left in regulation, Vermont got a score from Marcel Papp at 80:25 to tie the game and that signaled the cardiac Cats weren’t going away quietly.
Overtime came and Max Kissel took a long pass down the right side, got into a 1-on-1 battle with a Thundering Herd defender, beat him, came in alone on goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic, got around him and then sent a shot home with the left foot at 94:53 to notch the victory, 2-1, and touch off a celebration at WakeMed Park in Cary, North Carolina.
“We’re family. We’ve been on the road the past four weeks. We’ve always stuck together,” Kissel told ESPN2 sideline reporter Marion Crowder after the game. “Fan support … unique. Everyone’s involved. Underdog, no. Cinderella, no. Will, chill and talent.”
A golden moment for the Catamounts 🤩#MCollegeCup x 🎥ESPN2 / @UVMmsoccer pic.twitter.com/se9J3TGMDE
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) December 17, 2024
Vermont traveled 7,920 miles in its quest for this moment. Along the way, the Catamounts beat teams seeded seventh, second, third and 13th in Marshall. They were the first America East team to play for a national championship in any sport.
Marshall was seeking its second national title in four years. The Herd won in 2020 when it was unseeded.
“I’m just so proud to be coach of this team,” said Catamounts coach Rob Low, who got the traditional Gatorade bath during his interview. “We’ve traveled 7,920 miles to be here. We beat the No. 7, No. 2, No. 3 and now the 13th seed. We’re the toughest team. We rally back again. The cardiac ‘Cats. It’s been really hard for everybody. The best things in life are hard for everyone. Let’s go home and celebrate.”
Marshall’s Tarik Pannholzer scored at 66:43 for a 1-0 lead. Rai Pinto sent a crossing pass, Vermont keeper Niklas Herceg didn’t control it and Pannholzer got open to send the loose ball It was his third and all came in NCAA play.
With a sense of urgency, Vermont tied it on Marcell Papp’s goal. David Ismail got the assist and then came OT. The Catamounts got to the final with a win over Denver, 4-3, in penalty kicks in one semifinal. Marshall beat No. 1 Ohio State, 1-0, in the other semifinal.
Vermont has now won 10 NCAA Tournament games over the last three years, most of any program in the NCAA. The Catamounts have outscored opponents now 19-7 in the second half and OT.
Before Monday, the last unseeded program to reach a title game with a full tournament field was Akron in 2018. In 2020, the Herd won in the spring of 2021 due to Covid 19. The tournament had 36 teams. And Vermont became the first unseeded team to win a non-Covid Tournament was UC Santa Barbara in 2006.