Burlington, Vt. – Vermont had an offensive outburst for the ages as the Catamounts advanced to the NCAA Second Round for a third straight year with a 5-0 victory over Iona on a rainy night in Burlington, Vermont.
UVM led just 1-0 at the half, but Yaniv Bazini scored 19 seconds into the second frame, and he added a second goal ten minutes later as the Catamounts rolled to the five-goal victory. They now advance to play at No. 7 Hofstra in the second round on Sunday at 5 p.m.
The victory marked the seventh straight season an #AEMSOC program has advanced to the second round. The five goals are an America East record for goals in an NCAA Tournament contest, surpassing the previous record of four goals.
How It Happened:
- Iona had the first great chance of the contest in the 14th minute as they forced Niklas Herceg out of the net and were able to put a shot between the pipes but two UVM defenders kept it out of the goal.
- Vermont struck just four minutes later as David Ismail fired a rocket from just outside the 18 for a 1-0 advantage.
- Yaniv Bazini scored just 19 seconds into the second half as he dribbled through multiple defenders before firing home a shot.
- Bazini made it 3-0 in the 55th minute as he took a pass in the middle of the six tapped it in with his back to the net while surrounded by defenders.
- Freshman Ryan Zellefrow pushed the lead to 4-0 in the 72nd minute off a feed from Sydney Wathuta and then Maximilian Kissel provided the 5-0 advantage in the 85th minute off another Wathuta feed.
Wathuta’s two assists on the evening give him 14 for the season which ranks second in the nation and is the second-most in a single season in #AEMSOC history. Bazini’s two goals give him 10+ goals for a second straight season.
AMERICA EAST
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