Vermont soccer: David Ismail returns to lead Cats past No. 3 Akron
Back after one game absence due to injury, David Ismail scores the lone goal in UVM soccer’s victory over Akron on Sept. 13, 2025.
A halftime deficit is no problem for the Vermont men’s soccer team, which has continued the trend of scoring late ― one that propelled the Catamounts to capture the 2024 National Championship.
In the team’s second to last non-conference game against Fairfield, Vermont found itself trailing by two goals at halftime. No deficit is too big for Vermont to overcome, with ninth-ranked Catamounts scoring four unanswered second-half goals to stun Fairfield, 4-2, and remain unbeaten (6-0-3).
Sophomore Ryan Zellefrow had yet to find the back of the net in 2025. He managed to match his 2024 output of two goals in a span of 21 seconds to flip a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead.
Zellefrow pushed Andrew Millar’s cross and Grant Tobey’s touch into the top right corner of the net with just 21:26 left to play in the game, knotting the game at 2-2.
Immediately, the Catamounts countered again with Zellefrow breaking free and scoring, giving Vermont its first lead of the night. Zellefrow’s heroics showed the rest of the NCAA that this team are still the ‘Cardiac Cats.’
Fairfield picked up a red card in the 70th minute. Vermont captain David Ismail provided some insurance, tallying his third goal of the season in the 77th minute. The Sept. 20 victory was the Catamounts first true road win of the 2025 season.
Who’s next for Vermont soccer?
The Catamounts play host to UMBC on Saturday, Sept. 27. The America East opener is slated for a 1 p.m. start time at Virtue Field.
Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
