FINAL SCORE: #13 Vermont 1, #3 Akron 0
BURLINGTON, Vt. – David Ismail's 48th minute go-ahead-goal was enough to earn No. 13 Vermont (4-0-3) the top 15 matchup victory over No. 3 Akron (5-1-1) by a score of 1-0 on Saturday night from Virtue Field during the team's annual Rally Around Mental Health game presented by Redstone. With the win, the Catamounts notch their highest ranked regular season win in program history.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"We had lots of energy and tempo," said Head Coach Rob Dow. "They broke it at times too, in term of our press, but there it is, we talked about it at halftime, lets assert ourselves, we're at home, we have the emotion of our community up here, lets continue to put it on them, and to score that quick out of halftime is a really good identity."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Vermont saw the best scoring opportunity of the opening half just 7:14 into the match when Andrew Millar and Maximilian Kissel connected on passes, setting up Ismail all alone in the middle of the box, but his one-touch shot soared high, keeping the match scoreless at 0-0.
• The Catamounts broke through in the 48th minute, scoring the first goal on Akron this season after Ryan Zellefrow fed Connor Thompson on the far side of the field, seeing Thompson send a soft cross to Ismail who used his right foot to flick the ball to the bottom left corner, securing UVM the 1-0 second half advantage.
• Niklas Herceg made three crucial saves throughout the remainder of the final half, helping shut down any Akron offensive push, claiming Vermont the 1-0 shutout win on home turf.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ismail notched his second goal of the season vs Akron, scoring in back-to-back matches played.
• Zellefrow registered his second assist on the season, tying his career high.
• Thompson also recorded his second assist of the season, tying his career high as well.
• Ludvig af Ugglas was the lone field player for Vermont to play all 90 minutes of action.
• Herceg anchored the Catamounts with three saves, securing his third shutout of the season.
• UVM registers their first ever win over a top three nationally ranked opponent during the regular season.
• With today's Win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to the Lund Family Center through the Cat's Win, Community Win's initiative.  Vermont Mutual has donated over $5 Million Dollars since launching their Charitable Giving Fund in 2014.

 
UP NEXT
Following the win over Akron, the Catamounts get three days to prepare for CAA foe, Hofstra, gearing up for the final match of a four-game homestand. The 2024 NCAA second round rematch is scheduled for Tuesday, Sep 16 from Virtue Field. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. and will be Vermont's annual Peter Baldwin Memorial Game presented by Morgan Stanley.
 
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