SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Vermont men’s soccer was shut out for just over 90 minutes on Sunday night, but converted on a penalty kick just 31 seconds into overtime to beat San Diego1-0 in the NCAA Round of 16.
The win marks the second time in the last three seasons that the Catamounts have reached the NCAA Quarterfinals. They will square off against No. 2 seed Pittsburgh (12-5), which advanced with a 3-2 overtime victory against Kansas City, on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m.
Scoreless through 90 minutes, Ryan Zellefrow drew a foul inside the box only 31 seconds into the first overtime period as he was tripped trying to make a play on the ball. Yaniv Bazini took the penalty kick and drilled it home for the game-winner.
It was Bazini’s third straight NCAA contest with a goal and he now has eight career NCAA goals in 10 NCAA appearances.
San Diego finished with a 13-11 advantage in shots, as Niklas Herceg made seven saves to preserve the shutout victory. He had a number of point blank saves, as well as a diving stop in the first half to prevent a goal.
Overall Sunday’s win marks the third time in the last decade an #AEMSOC program has advanced to the Quarterfinals. UMBC reached the College Cup and the Semifinals back in 2014.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -