The University of Vermont men’s soccer team’s hopes to repeat a national championship win were dashed on Sunday when they lost 2-3 in overtime to Hofstra University.
The Catamounts entered the tournament as the top seed and No. 2 ranked team in the nation. The high seed afforded the team a first-round bye.
Vermont took a 1-0 lead into halftime after Philipp Kühn found the back of the net in the 13th minute.
Hofstra scored twice in just over two minutes to take the lead midway through the second half. UVM graduate student Rui Aoki then tied the game in the 84th minute.
In overtime, it was Hofstra who scored a third and final goal, giving Vermont their first loss of the season and eliminating them from the tournament. The Pride will face Furman University in the third round.
“I felt like [Hofstra] played extremely tough in the match ... especially in these late minutes,” UVM head coach Rob Dow told the press after the game.
The late minutes have typically been when the Catamounts have excelled in recent years. The team won their only other overtime contest this season, beating the University of New Hampshire 2-1 in the America East Semifinals earlier this month.
UVM won four overtime contests last season, including three in the NCAA Tournament on their way to a national championship.
Dow was effusive in his praise of this year’s senior class as he thanked them for their successes.
“We are in debt to their contributions, and I’m just proud to be their coach,” he said. “They’ll always have a home here.”
The Catamounts finished the season with a record of 14-1-5.
