Hofstra University shocked the NCAA Division I men’s soccer world after its upset victory over the tournament’s top seed, the University of Vermont. The Pride took home the win at Virtue Field 3-2 against the Catamounts in overtime.”The hardest thing is we let the state (of Vermont) down,” said UVM men’s soccer head coach Rob Dow. “Maybe not with effort, but with end result.”Vermont and Hofstra went into overtime tied at 2-2 after a chaotic corner kick goal from Rui Aoki tied the score after the Catamounts trailed by 2-1 with less than 10 minutes to go. However, in the first overtime, the cardiac Catamount magic wore off when Laurie Goddard found an opening inside the box and delivered the game-winning goal for the Pride. “That one moment, that one moment in transition. Soccer can be a brutal game,” Dow said. “It’s not like us to give up that goal in that moment. That’s why I have a lot of respect for Hofstra.”The fierce back and forth escalated in the second half after Phillip Kuhn scored the only goal in the first half. Hofstra’s Pablo Perez-Hempleman got one past Niklas Herceg to tie it up, with Jan Ziwiec scoring again seconds later, flipping the advantage to Hofstra. That helped reinstate some momentum in the Pride, which helped them complete their comeback effort in overtime. After the loss, several Catamounts were emotional watching their fans leave in silence, witnessing their first loss of the season. Vermont was on a 29 consecutive unbeaten streak before their loss to Hofstra in overtime. Plenty of those victories and draws were witnessed at Virtue Field, which featured sellout crowd after sellout crowd the entire season. “We couldn’t do it without our fans and the state of Vermont,” Dow said. “We have to find a way to give back to that special group that’s sold out every single home game, travelled with us to away games. We’ll be ready to entertain in 2026 as much as we have in 2025.”Dow expressed that Vermont will be back stronger than ever next season and hopes his returning players remember this moment of defeat in the tournament, encouraging the Catamounts to not rewrite this small piece of history from what was an unforgettable season in program history. “As we turn the page to 2026, it’s higher expectations,” Dow said. “Just carrying this story in the back of their head that the first round for us was our last round. We’re not letting that happen again.”Vermont finished its 2025 campaign with a 14-1-5 overall record, starting the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation and entering the tournament as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. Vermont earned its second straight America East championship, which was the eighth in program history.
BURLINGTON, Vt. —
Hofstra University shocked the NCAA Division I men’s soccer world after its upset victory over the tournament’s top seed, the University of Vermont.
The Pride took home the win at Virtue Field 3-2 against the Catamounts in overtime.
“The hardest thing is we let the state (of Vermont) down,” said UVM men’s soccer head coach Rob Dow. “Maybe not with effort, but with end result.”
Vermont and Hofstra went into overtime tied at 2-2 after a chaotic corner kick goal from Rui Aoki tied the score after the Catamounts trailed by 2-1 with less than 10 minutes to go. However, in the first overtime, the cardiac Catamount magic wore off when Laurie Goddard found an opening inside the box and delivered the game-winning goal for the Pride.
“That one moment, that one moment in transition. Soccer can be a brutal game,” Dow said. “It’s not like us to give up that goal in that moment. That’s why I have a lot of respect for Hofstra.”
The fierce back and forth escalated in the second half after Phillip Kuhn scored the only goal in the first half. Hofstra’s Pablo Perez-Hempleman got one past Niklas Herceg to tie it up, with Jan Ziwiec scoring again seconds later, flipping the advantage to Hofstra. That helped reinstate some momentum in the Pride, which helped them complete their comeback effort in overtime.
After the loss, several Catamounts were emotional watching their fans leave in silence, witnessing their first loss of the season. Vermont was on a 29 consecutive unbeaten streak before their loss to Hofstra in overtime. Plenty of those victories and draws were witnessed at Virtue Field, which featured sellout crowd after sellout crowd the entire season.
“We couldn’t do it without our fans and the state of Vermont,” Dow said. “We have to find a way to give back to that special group that’s sold out every single home game, travelled with us to away games. We’ll be ready to entertain in 2026 as much as we have in 2025.”
Dow expressed that Vermont will be back stronger than ever next season and hopes his returning players remember this moment of defeat in the tournament, encouraging the Catamounts to not rewrite this small piece of history from what was an unforgettable season in program history.
“As we turn the page to 2026, it’s higher expectations,” Dow said. “Just carrying this story in the back of their head that the first round for us was our last round. We’re not letting that happen again.”
Vermont finished its 2025 campaign with a 14-1-5 overall record, starting the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation and entering the tournament as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. Vermont earned its second straight America East championship, which was the eighth in program history.