UMBC Men’s Soccer Team Falls to Vermont in Double Overtime Thriller
Burlington, Vermont – The UMBC men’s soccer team, seeded No. 3 in the America East Conference, faced a heart-wrenching defeat against the No. 2 seed, Vermont Catamounts, losing 2-1 in a double-overtime semifinal match on Wednesday night at Virtue Field. With this loss, UMBC’s hopes of hosting the conference finals were dashed.
Junior goalkeeper Emigdio Tormo Lopez delivered an outstanding performance for UMBC (8-7-4), making a career-high ten saves to keep his team competitive throughout the match. Tormo Lopez faced relentless pressure, as the Catamounts peppered the net with 23 shots and commanded all 12 corner kicks.
In a thrilling turn of events, UMBC took the lead just before halftime. Senior midfielder Ty Stroud played an integral role, feeding fifth-year senior Loc San, who skillfully slotted the ball home past Vermont’s charging goalkeeper, Niklas Herceg.
The Catamounts (10-2-5) equalized in the second half when senior forward Yaniv Bazini, who was pivotal in the match, found the net after capitalizing on a set play initiated by Zach Barrett. Bazini’s deft flick came with 13 minutes left in regulation, marking the end of UMBC’s impressive streak of 471 minutes without conceding a goal.
The match concluded with Bazini scoring the golden goal in the second overtime, completing his brace with a low shot into the corner, sealing Vermont’s victory and their position in the finals. Meanwhile, No. 4 seeded Bryant advanced after upsetting top-seeded New Hampshire in penalty kicks, setting the stage for an exciting conference final matchup.
Source
Photo credit umbcretrievers.com
