Niels Hartman touches a ball while fending off a Western Michigan player

Ed Wolfstein

Men's Soccer 8/21/2024 12:33:00 PM Ryan Manley

#14 Men's Soccer Begins 2024 Campaign Thursday at #12 Western Michigan

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – No. 14 Vermont begins its 2024 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 22 when it visits No. 12 Western Michigan. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. ET at WMU Soccer Complex and will broadcast live on ESPN+.

RELATED LINKS
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets

RANKED OPPONENTS

Vermont's opener against Western Michigan will be the first of two matchups this season against schools ranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason top 25 poll. Conference rival New Hampshire was given the No. 9 ranking in the poll.

ELITE COMPANY

The Catamounts and Broncos are two of six teams in the nation to reach the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons.
The full list is Vermont, Western Michigan, Indiana, Marshall, Clemson, and Stanford.

SEASON-OPENING REMATCH

UVM and Western Michigan begin the season against each other for the second straight season.
The Catamounts earned a 2-0 victory over the Broncos in the pouring rain at Virtue Field. Yaniv Bazini scored Vermont's first goal of the season in the 59th minute. Carter Johnson also produced a goal in the opener.

PRESEASON FAVORITES

Vermont was selected as the preseason favorite by America East head coaches for the first time since 2008. The Catamounts picked up five of seven possible first-place votes and scored a total of 47 points in the poll.
Defending tournament champion Bryant and regular season champion New Hampshire tied for No. 2 in the poll, each with a total of 40 points.

PRESEASON HONORS

Yaniv Bazini, Max Murray, Adrian Schulze Solano, Sydney Wathuta, Zach Barrett, and Nick Lockermann took up six of a possible 11 spots on the America East Preseason All-Conference Team.
Bazini was also named to the NCAA Division I Players to Watch List by the United Soccer Coaches.

VERMONT OUTLOOK

The Catamounts return 16 members of the 2023 squad and add 12 newcomers to the program.
Vermont brings back 71.9% of its goal scoring from a season ago, including last year's leader, Yaniv Bazini who posted 11 goals and 26 points in 19 games played.
An experienced group, 14 of the 28 Catamounts on the roster are seniors or graduate students.
Vermont is led by captains Zach Barrett and Adrian Schulze Solano.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS

The Broncos were picked No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll after winning the league title a season ago.
Western Michigan is led by captain and graduate midfielder Landon Fisher who returns for his sixth season.
WMU's midfielder Carson Hodgson and forward Noah James were picked as TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Top 50 players nationally. Hodgson was also named a NCAA Division I Player to Watch by the United Soccer Coaches.

For news and updates about the Vermont men's soccer program, follow @UVMmsoccer on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.

New England Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont soccer

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Players Mentioned

#28 Zach Barrett: D; 6' 1"; Senior

#11 Yaniv Bazini: F; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#36 Max Murray: F; 6' 5"; Senior

#5 Adrian Schulze Solano: D; 6' 1"; Junior

#10 Nick Lockermann: D; 5' 11"; First Year

#13 Carter Johnson: M; 5' 11"; Senior

#9 Sydney Wathuta: F; First Year

#28 Zach Barrett: D; 6' 1"; Graduate Student

#11 Yaniv Bazini: F; 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior

#5 Adrian Schulze Solano: D; 6' 1"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#28 Zach Barrett
: 6' 1"; Senior
: D

#11 Yaniv Bazini
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#36 Max Murray
: 6' 5"; Senior
: F

#5 Adrian Schulze Solano
: 6' 1"; Junior
: D

#10 Nick Lockermann
: 5' 11"; First Year
: D

#13 Carter Johnson
: 5' 11"; Senior
: M

#9 Sydney Wathuta
: First Year
: F

#28 Zach Barrett
: 6' 1"; Graduate Student
: D

#11 Yaniv Bazini
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior
: F

#5 Adrian Schulze Solano
: 6' 1"; Senior
: D

University of Vermont Athletics

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned