BOSTON – No. 23 Vermont took care of business in its conference opener against No. 25 Bryant, while UAlbany, NJIT and UMass Lowell also captured victories in league play on Saturday.
The Catamounts are 6-1-2 overall and moved up to No. 19 in the RPI following their 4-0 victory against the Bryant. UAlbany, meanwhile, moved up to No. 33 in RPI with its impressive shutout of UNH.
Need to Know:
- Vermont led Bryant just 1-0 at the half but broke the contest open in the second half with three goals, including two goals in 30 seconds, to capture the 4-0 victory with four different goal scorers.
- UAlbany continued its impressive season with a 2-0 shutout of New Hampshire as they limited the Wildcats to five shots and none on goal.
- NJIT overcame a 1-0 deficit to secure a 2-1 victory at home but outshooting Binghamton 27-11.
- The River Hawks trailed UMBC 1-0 on the road at the half, but scored three times in just three minutes early in the second half to take the lead for good. They held off the Retrievers despite being outshot 22-7.
- Vermont, New Hampshire and NJIT all play midweek, looking for crucial non-conference wins.
- On Friday, Bryant hosts UMBC looking for its first conference win, while Vermont welcomes NJIT on Saturday seeking another victory. UMass Lowell will host UAlbany on Saturday while Binghamton travels to New Hampshire.
2026 #AEMSOC Weekly Award Winners – Sept. 28
Offensive Player & Rookie of the Week
Luca Clausse, UAlbany – Fr., Forward, Pirey, France
- Scored both goals in UAlbany’s 2-0 shutout of New Hampshire.
- Leads the team with five assists and tied for third in the conference with nine points.
- This is Clausse’s first career #AEMSOC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Niklas Herceg, Vermont – Jr., Goalkeeper, Alsdorf, Germany
- Earned a four-save shutout against No. 25 Bryant.
- Tied for 1st in the nation with six shutouts and ranks 14th in save percentage.
- This is Herceg’s sixth #AEMSOC Goalkeeper of the Week honor.
Defensive Player of the Week
Stepan Fiker, Vermont – So., Defense, Prague, Czech Republic
- Helped Vermont defense shut out No. 25 Bryant.
- Tallied the third goal in the Catamounts’ 4-0 win on Saturday.
- This is Fiker’s first #AEMSOC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Links
The America East is one of the best men’s soccer conferences in the country and home to the 2024 national champions from Vermont. In 2024, the Catamounts led the nation in RPI and the America East finish fifth as a conference. It marked the league’s second straight top-six finish in RPI. Overall The conference has received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament in five of the past ten seasons. Five different teams have reached the third round of the NCAA tournament since 2014.
2026 #AEMSOC Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 26 – Offensive Player of the Week: David Ismail, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Islam Houssni, Vermont; Goalkeeper of the Week: Niklas Herceg, Vermont, Rookie of the Week: Flynn Holdem, UMBC
Aug. 31 - Offensive Player of the Week: Abdul Kamara, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Santiago de Prado, Bryant; Goalkeeper of the Week: Ramon Camejo, Bryant, Rookie of the Week: Yuta Kimata, UAlbany
Sept. 8 - Offensive Player of the Week: Pieter Bultman, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Almoznino Saar, Binghamton; Goalkeeper of the Week: Ramon Camejo, Bryant, Rookie of the Week: Zain Thompson, NJIT
Sept. 14 – Offensive Player of the Week: Fermin Rodriguez, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Reed Cash, New Hampshire; Goalkeeper of the Week: Niklas Herceg, Vermont, Rookie of the Week: Flynn Holdem, UMBC
Sept. 21
Sept. 28 - Offensive Player of the Week: Luca Clausse, UAlbany; Defensive Player of the Week: Stepan Fiker, Vermont: Niklas Herceg, Vermont, Rookie of the Week: Luca Clausse, UAlbany
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEMSOC contest this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
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 its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -