In the end, it came down to a game of one-versus-one between University of Vermont forward Maximilian Kissel and Marshall University goalie Aleksa Janjic for the NCAA men’s soccer championship.
Kissel prevailed with a golden goal in overtime Monday, bringing the game to 2-1 and the unseeded Vermont its first men’s soccer NCAA championship in program history. It also marked Vermont’s first national title in a team sport.
VERMONT MEN’S SOCCER WINS ITS FIRST-EVER NCAA TITLE WITH A DRAMATIC SUDDEN DEATH EXTRA TIME GOAL 😱
WHAT A MOMENT FOR THE CATAMOUNTS 👏 #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/5Dtu96tKot
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 17, 2024
The dramatic finish completed a Cinderella run for Vermont, which finished the season ranked 17th and beat Iona, No. 7 Hofstra, San Diego, No. 2 Pittsburgh, No. 3 Denver and now No. 13 Marshall in its path to the national championship.
“It means every single thing. Vermont, always said, small school, in the middle of nowhere, small population, no one believes in us, no one picks us to win,” Kissel told NCAA Soccer’s Andrew McDevitt after the game. “They always doubt us but we always come out on top.”
The game was tied 0-0 at halftime, then Marshall right winger Tarik Pannholzer scored in the 67th minute. Vermont forward Marcell Papp tied it up for the Catamounts in the 81st minute, and the game went to overtime.
That’s when defender Zach Barrett sent the ball to Kissel, who evaded Marshall’s defense and beat out Janjic for the game-winning goal.
“(Kissel’s) such an amazing player,” Vermont forward Yaniv Bazini told McDevitt.
Bazini was a key part of Vermont’s run, scoring in every game of the tournament before Monday.
“We’re animals, we never give up, we work, we run, we just put the work in and we have one goal, everybody, since day one — national champion,” he said. “And here we are.”
It was a story of dramatic wins for Vermont, which beat Denver 4-3 on penalty kicks to advance to the national championship for the first time. In the past three years, the Catamounts have gone undefeated (3-0-1) in extra time when playing in the NCAA tournament — an experience that served them well Monday.
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(Photo: Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)
