FINAL SCORE: Vermont 5, Fairfield 0
BURLINGTON, Vt – An all-around effort from Vermont (3-2-1) powered the Catamounts to a 5-0 shutout win over Fairfield (0-6-0) on Saturday night from Virtue Field on Military Appreciation Night presented by Milton CAT in the team's highest offensive showing of the 2024 campaign.

RELATED LINKS
Box Score | Box Score (.pdf)
CatamounTV Highlights
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"I was very happy with all 28 guys today, each one of them has contributed to this win," said Head Coach Rob Dow. "Our depth in our attack came alive, very proud of Marcell and Maxi in how many chances they created, onto Harvard."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Vermont opened scoring in the 21st minute when Karl Daly ripped an initial shot on net just outside the box that got blocked, where the ball trickled out to Niels Hartman, capitalizing on the prime scoring opportunity by pinning his shot bottom left corner on the Fairfield goalkeeper to give the Catamounts the 1-0 advantage. The opening tally was Hartman's first goal of the season. 
• As time expired in the first half, the Catamounts earned a two-goal cushion when Sydney Wathuta crossed the ball to the center of the box, finding Maximilian Kissel, who touched the ball out to Marcell Papp, firing his shot low left corner on net, scoring his first goal of the season to put Vermont ahead 2-0 in the 43rd minute of play.
• The Catamounts made it 3-0 in the 73rd minute when Zach Barrett found a streaking Ryan Zellefrow, who caught free from all the Fairfield defenders, sniping his shot high center, securing his first career goal in a Catamount uniform, giving Vermont the 3-0 late lead.
• Kissel made it 4-0 in favor of Vermont when he broke free inside the box, crossing his defender out of position allowing him to rifle his shot between the goalkeepers' legs, putting the Catamounts ahead 4-0 with time quickly running out.
• Vermont's offensive surge wasn't over, making it 5-0 in the 88th minute when a penalty on Fairfield gave Wathuta a free kick, placing it on the head of Daly who found Kissel, heading it in the net for his second goal of the match, giving the Catamounts a 5-0 lead with just a couple minutes remaining in the match.
• Lou Liedtka kept Fairfield off the scoreboard as the clock hit zero, earning Vermont the 5-0 shutout victory over Fairfield from Virtue Field.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Tonight was the Catamounts first five-goal game since defeating Binghamton 5-0 on October 14, 2023.
• Zellefrow tallied his first goal of the season to go along with a game high, five shots.
• Kissel popped off for a five-point night, earning two goals and one assist.
• Wathuta notched his second career multi-assist game, tallying two assists against Fairfield to go along with three shots. Wathuta earned his first career back-to-back games with two assists.
• Papp scored his first goal of the season, playing 52 total minutes against the Stags.
• Lou Liedtka earned his second shutout of the season, anchoring Vermont to the 5-0 win over Fairfield.
• With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Children's Trust Foundation as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Since its inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $94,000 to local non-profits through the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative.

UP NEXT
Following Vermont's 5-0 win over Fairfield, the Catamounts will stay home, gearing up for their second game of a four game homestand as they host Harvard on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. from Virtue Field. Saturday's matchup will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
 
MEN'S SOCCER BSN NIKE STORE OPEN UNTIL 9/16
University of Vermont Athletics and the University Licensing Department are proud to announce a partnership with Nike and BSN Sports to make sport-specific gear available to our fans at the start of the 2023-24 season! As online stores, access to the sport-specific sites is open 24/7 from today through Monday, Sept. 16. All varsity programs will receive a portion of sales to benefit their specific programs enhancement fund. This provides the unique opportunity for the perfect balance between supporting UVM athletics and purchasing quality athletic apparel. Visit the men's soccer sport-specific store to view and purchase their gear!
 
 
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