MEN'S SOCCER NOTEBOOK
Vermont men's soccer kicks off the 2022 campaign on Thursday (Aug. 25) when it visits Merrimack in North Andover, Mass. The season opener is slated to begin at 7 p.m. and will broadcast live on NEC Front Row.
 
RELATED LINKS
Watch | Live Stats
2022 Roster | 2022 Schedule
 
DEFENDING THE THRONE
The Catamounts begin their America East Title defense for just the sixth time in program history. Vermont last won back-to-back conference championships in 1989 and 1990.  
 
CATS IN OPENERS
Vermont is 3-1-1 in season openers since head coach Rob Dow took over in 2017. The Catamounts have recorded clean sheets in three of those games, with Nate Silveira earning shutouts in each of the last two season openers.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
UVM returns 79.7% of its scoring from a season ago, with Alex Nagy (20 points) leading the way. Eighteen of the 19 Catamounts who earned starts in 2021, are back in action for the Green & Gold, including 10 of its 11 starters from the America East Championship. Vermont also brings back eight of its nine all-league members from a season ago.
 
DIVISION I PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nate Silveira, Noah Egan, and Alex Nagy were named to the NCAA Division I Players to Watch List in early August. Silveira is one of six goalkeepers named to the list, and Egan is the lone America East defender. An All-American in the 2021 Spring season, Nagy is one of three America East midfielders on the list.
 
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Merrimack enters the season picked fourth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll. The Warriors finished fourth in 2021 with a 7-9-1 (6-3 NEC) mark, but were not eligible for the postseason due to their recent transition to Division I. Johan Fielscher is the top returning scorer for Merrimack, posting 13 points (4 goals, 5 assists) a season ago. Alvaro Rodriguez earned 14 starts in goal for the Warriors, with a 1.73 goals against average and .784 save percentage.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont and Merrimack square off for only the second time in series history. The Catamounts defeated the Warriors 3-0 in 2019, with Rasmus Tobinski notching a pair of goals in the victory. Alex Nagy, Garrett Lillie, Noah Egan, Joe Morrison, and JoJo Moulton-Condiotti earned starts in the matchup.
 
HOME OPENER NEXT WEEK
The Catamounts host the first of 10 home games this season on Tuesday (Aug. 30) at Virtue Field. Vermont will take on Quinnipiac at 7 p.m. Tickets for the home opener are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Gutterson Fieldhouse Box Office on gameday.
 
RALLY AROUND MENTAL HEALTH
Tuesday's home opener will be the annual Rally Around Mental Health Game, an initiative that was created to help increase awareness and reduce stigma surrounding mental health. If you would like to help the Rally Around Mental Health initiative bring more resources & programming to UVM Athletics, please visit go.uvm.edu/ramh.
 
Able Paint Glass and Flooring is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's soccer