The magic of college soccer: A small school from a small state brought a community together, lifting a NCAA trophy
Rob Dow still doesn't know why his striker didn't shoot earlier. It was the 113th minute of the College Cup final between Vermont and Marshall, and Maximilian Kissel had done everything right: judge the flight of the ball, take it in stride, shake off a defender. But when one-on-one with the keeper, a championship to win, Kissel insisted on doing it the hard way. Instead of bashing it home with his preferred right foot, he cut onto his left.
That was not supposed to happen.
"I was like, 'Just put it in the net!'" Dow admitted.
But it worked. Of course it did. The keeper scrambled, Kissel slotted. Golden goal, shirts off, team on the pitch, a first team NCAA Championship for Vermont.
There aren't many stories like this in college soccer these days. A power five conference school has won nine of the last 10 soccer national championships. Vermont started the season in the top 25, and despite having a couple of good NCAA Tournament showings in recent years, were not among the favorites to make any noise – even when they won the America East conference tournament title.
But they fought their way there all the same, a small school, coming from a state without a professional sports team, bringing a community together and lifting a trophy at the end of it. The magic of college soccer, it seems, lives on.
"It means more to a Vermonter," Dow said last week's 2-1 title-game victory over No. 13 Marshall. "I'm just so happy for our team, so happy to be able to provide these special emotional experiences for our state."
ImagnWhere it all began
Ask Dow, though, and he will tell you that this has been coming – or at least, the pieces were in place. During the COVID-19-disrupted college season, Vermont assembled a group of businessmen and advisors to figure out how to make them relevant in the national landscape. The goal at first? Become a consistent top 25 program.
"We wrote this case statement," Dow recalled. "To prioritize the elements within our program that needed to be elevated. That's in scheduling, staffing, recruiting, and facilities."
A couple of NCAA Tournament appearances later, and the ambitions were even higher. The Catamounts made it to the quarterfinals in 2022. That run changed things.
"We were like, 'Let's rewrite this,' " Dow said.
Subsequently, 2023 brought two NCAA Tournament wins. They scraped in as an at-large bid, and knocked off No. 12 Central Florida before losing a chaotic round of 16 clash at West Virginia – despite outshooting the Mountaineers in hostile territory. This season, then, was a question of revamping and fine-tuning. Dow knew he had the pieces – and the experience, to boot. It was just a question of the big moments.
The regular season suggested as such. Vermont settled for second in the America East before winning the conference tournament to clinch an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. There were some fine players to work with. Yaniv Bazini, a redshirt senior, finished the campaign with 14 goals. Kissel tallied 11. Canadian midfielder Sydney Wathuta set a school record with 14 assists – the second-most in the nation.
The Catamounts weren't bad at the other end, either. They conceded the third-fewest goals in the conference, and kept more clean sheets than every team except Bryant (the school Vermont beat in the conference tournament final.)
AdvertisementImagnThe run itself
The tournament, of course, proved a different challenge. The America East lacks the prestige handed out to power five conferences, and even in an era in which collegiate sports leagues are losing touch with geographic boundaries, Vermont was always going to have it tough. But, at first, it was all made to look rather easy. Iona were dispatched, 5-0, at home. No. 5 Hofstra, on the road, were done away with in a nervy 2-1 win.
But then, things got tricky – chaotic, even – especially for Dow. His pregnant wife was admitted into hospital the Tuesday after his team returned from Hofstra. Less than 48 hours later, at 9:25 on Thanksgiving morning, she gave birth to their son. Dow had less than a day to take it all in before getting on a plane – this time to California.
Then came a five-hour flight and late kick off against San Diego. It culminated in a 1-0 win. His wife, meanwhile, was well looked after by a community that was steadily becoming aware of what might be happening for the Catamounts. There were freshly cooked meals and offers to drive their eldest son to soccer practice.
"Our community stepped up. Small businesses, neighbors, were like 'What do you want?'… They knew and they heard, and they just wanted to do their part," Dow said.
All the while, there was still some soccer to be played. Vermont's seeding meant that they wouldn't play another home game. That didn't matter. They beat No. 2 Pittsburgh 2-0, to book a spot in the College Cup. That night, Vermont put just two shots on target – and found the net on both.
ImagnWhat it all means
Meanwhile, a community came alive. Vermont isn't a traditional sports state. The closest thing they have to a professional soccer setup is the Vermont Green, a wonderfully branded but admittedly middling USL League Two side. The Catamounts, based on Burlington, aren't exactly a sporting power, either – a handful of individual national skiing championships marking their main NCAA success.
Vermont men’s hockey team has made two trips to the Frozen Four, in 1996 and 2009. In basketball, the shining moment came when Vernon famously upset No. 4 Syracuse in the first round of the 2005 NCAA tournament. So in many ways, this whole thing was new.
"When teams like our hockey team and our basketball team are doing well they're like the Real Madrid and Barcelona, of Vermont, you know," Dow said.
And Dow could tell – from both inside and outside the school. This is a small athletic department. But everyone chipped in, Dow said, catering to every need. Whether it be yet another maddeningly formulaic eating schedule of hotel eggs followed by chicken, or scrambling to get the right sort of cleats days before the College Cup – Vermont plays on turf, not grass, and had the wrong sort of studs in their boots – this was a collective effort.
"It's December, and we're playing on grass and we're packing up to go to North Carolina. I'm like, 'I think we're missing something here.' You don't want to lose because, because of your footing," Dow said. "That's the support, and those people put in a ton of hours."
ImagnThe College Cup
Dow insists that the goal was always to win a championship, that there was no pressure attached to any potential history, and that each game was treated in isolation. But context is everything here. And sometimes these things just come together.
Not that they made it easy on themselves – 82 minutes into the national semifinal, Vermont seemed certain to be going out. They hadn't put a single shot on target against a well disciplined Denver side. They had created in moments, but a clear chance never arrived. Of course, that all changed, Yaniv Banzini sneaking behind the back line, controlling and firing home to equalize in the 83rd. Penalties were needed to win it. Denver's Trevor Wright fired his over, and the Catamounts secured a spot in the final.
And then came all of the real chaos. Lost in the madness is that their opponent in the title game, Marshall, was also unseeded heading into the tournament. This wouldn't have been a bad story for them, either (although they have won a national title before.) National title games are supposed to be cagey. For 80 minutes, it seemed that Vermont had fallen short – with Marshall holding a 1-0 lead.
But then, in the 81st minute, a one-two and incisive finish brought Vermont level. By extra time, the golden goal felt inevitable.
"[Kissel] had the ice in his veins to dribble him and put it on his weak foot," Dow said.
There weren't supposed to be students on campus by the time Vermont rolled back into Burlington. This place, usually full of life, even in harsh winters, was supposed to be barren as the semester had ended. But as the Vermont bus crawled onto campus – a police escort ensuring their safe arrival – hundreds of students were waiting. Dow lifted the trophy to cheers from a beloved student body, experiencing the kind of success this school – this state – had never seen before.
"We've got people who have no idea what an offside is, or that you get two yellow cards and you're out of the game," Dow said, "but they're watching, and joining with their families and showing a ton of pride for their state and what we're representing."