Box Score FINAL SCORE : Vermont 2, #2 Pittsburgh 0
PITTSBURGH – Maximilian Kissel scored in the 51st minute and Yaniv Bazini added an insurance marker with 10 seconds to play as Vermont advanced to the 2024 College Cup in Cary, North Carolina with a 2-0 win over No. 2 Pittsburgh Saturday evening in the NCAA Quarterfinals. First Year Goaltender Niklas Herceg posted his third clean sheet of the NCAA Tournament making a career-high nine saves for the Catamounts. The Catamounts will face off against the three-seed Denver on Friday, December 13 at either 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
 
RELATED LINKS
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Postgame: Coach Dow & Barrett
CatamounTV: Kissel Goal | Postgame Celebration | Postgame Reaction 
Social Video: Kissel Goal | Bazini Goal
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a scoreless first half junior forward Maximilian Kissel took advantage of a Pitt miscue to open the scoring and notch his tenth goal of the season. The Panthers turned the ball over deep in their end off an errant throw-in. Kissel took the possession and quickly one-timed a shot that deflected off a Pitt defender and tucked just inside the far post.
• Moments after the go-ahead goal for Vermont Herceg was called on to make a huge save off a Panthers corner in the 58th minute. Arnau Vilamitjana made great contact on a cross heading the ball down and towards the far corner of the net. Herceg dove and kept it out with his right hand.
• In the 67th minute the Panthers had another great opportunity as Guilherme Feitosa drove a low shot to the near post, again Herceg made the stop. Moments later Feitosa was stopped again in the box when he fired a loose ball into Herceg as he came out to cut the angle down.
• Bazini sealed the biggest win in program history with a goal in the dying seconds. Pitt goalkeeper Cabral Cater came out of his net in a last-ditch effort to boot the ball back into the Vermont end. Bazini took advantage of loose touch from the keeper and Carter's attempt deflected off the Vermont senior and took a fortuitous bounce into the Pitt net to seal the Catamounts first College Cup appearance.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Herceg earned his sixth shutout victory of the season, he leads the NCAA in save percentage this season at .857.
• Bazini has now scored nine career NCAA Tournament goals in 11 career games.
• The Catamounts have outscored its opponents 10-1 in the NCAA Tournament this season.
• Vermont has outscored its opposition 14-3 during its current six-game win streak.
• The Panthers dropped six games this season, all six were shutouts.
• The Catamounts under Head Coach Rob Dow have now won nine NCAA Tournament games since 2022, the most of any program in the country.
• The Catamounts are the second program in America East history to advance to the College Cup after UMBC in 2014.
• Vermont is also the first team from New England to advance to the College Cup since Providence in 2014.
• With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Children's Trust Foundation as part of the Cats Wins, Community Wins Initiative.

UP NEXT
The Catamounts will face the three-seed Denver Pioneers in the College Cup next Friday on December 13 from Cary, N.C. Denver defeated UMass 3-0 this afternoon to advance to their second College Cup in program history. Game times will be confirmed tomorrow following the rescheduled quarterfinal match between #12 SMU and #13 Marshall. The College Cup Semifinals will be broadcast live on ESPNU and ESPN+.

For news and updates about the Vermont men's soccer program, follow @UVMmsoccer on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.
EastRise Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont soccer