University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Kevin Wylie 1991 - Soccer
A first-team all-American defender for the Catamounts in 1989, Kevin Wylie was the defensive leader for the Vermont men's soccer team that advanced to the NCAA East Regional finals that season. Inducted into the UVM Hall of Fame in 2001, he is just one of four former Catamounts ever to be named to the NSCAA All-American First-Team in men's soccer, and it is the highest of many honors he received in his standout four-year career at UVM.
He came to Vermont from Ridgefield, Conn. by way of Latham, N.Y., and began his collegiate career as a forward. He played in all 18 games as a freshman in 1986, scoring two goals and adding one assist as the Cats went 10-6-2. His sophomore season, Coach Ron McEachen began to utilize Wylie's superb athleticism up front and as a defender. He started all 19 games and played all but two minutes en route to the team posting an 11-3-5 record.
As a junior in 1988, he became a full-time sweeper. Along with fellow Hall of Famer Jim St. Andre '90, Wylie led a tenacious and nearly impenetrable Catamount defense. Over a stretch of nine games that season, Vermont was not scored upon, recording a then-NCAA record of holding opponents scoreless for a mind-boggling 729 minutes and 15 seconds. Following the season, Wylie was named first-team North Atlantic Conference all-star and also selected second team All-New England.
Wylie again led that defense (a record 15 shutouts) as a senior in 1989 as the team recorded one of the top seasons, in any sport, in the history of UVM athletics. Vermont won its first ever North Atlantic Conference (now America East) title, sweeping the regular-season and playoff crowns. Advancing to the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight seasons, the Catamounts defeated UConn and Yale in front of overflow crowds at Centennial Field to advance to the East Regional Finals at Rutgers. UVM lost a hard-fought battle to the Scarlet Knights to conclude the season at 19-3-1.
As well as being named as a first team All-American, Wylie repeated on the NAC All-Conference First-Team and became the first Catamount to be named conference Player of the Year. He also was named to the NAC all-tournament team as the Most Outstanding Player and earned first-team all-New England honors.
Following graduation from UVM in 1991, Wylie began a nine-season professional career including stints with the nation's top professional soccer leagues. He played for the New Mexico Chiles of the American Professional Soccer League (the top U.S. league at the time) from 1991 to 1993 prior to moving east to play for the Cape Cod Crusaders of the U.S.I.S.L.
The year 1996 was the first season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the current top pro league in the U.S., and he (along with St. Andre) signed to play for the New England Revolution. He was a starter for the Revs in their inaugural season, playing all 22 games and recording two assists. Wylie also saw action for the Revolution again in 1997 as well as returning to the Cape Cod Crusaders (now in the second tier A-League). Prior to his retirement from professional soccer, he also played for the fledgling Vermont Wanderers in 1999.
