Why Vermont Soccer’s National Championship Was No Surprise

Vermont Soccer's recent National Championship still feels surreal but it is not surprising.

One month ago the Catamounts finished their season as the best team in college soccer, beating #13 Marshall in Cary, North Carolina. At first labelled an underdog story, the Vermont staff quickly made it a point to challenge this narrative, ensuring the public knew that this was no fluke. This result was a product of elite coaching, very intentional recruiting, and in my opinion, three things that Vermont Soccer does better than any other organization I have seen: culture, humility, and community.

Culture

Vermont Soccer has a clearly defined culture inspired by the Green Mountain State. In low-pressure moments, talent alone can win games; however, when the going gets tough and the pressure is on, you fall back on your habits, your preparation, and your culture. This is what wins games against teams that seem like a mismatch on paper - UCLA Sweet 16 in 2022, UCF 3rd Round in 2023, Pittsburgh Elite 8 in 2024, etc.

Senior captain Zach Barrett touched on this in his National Championship post-game interview saying, "We're loose, we like to have fun... we don't put too much pressure on ourselves because we know our preparation [ie. culture!] is going to help us win the match."

Humility

What I found most impressive throughout the entire post-season was that every single on-field leader that was interviewed, in the biggest moments in their careers, elected not to revel in their own success but to pay tribute to those that went unnoticed and/or those that came before them. One such moment I found to be particularly remarkable - Senior defender Maxwell Murray 's humble acknowledgement of the impact of the alumni of recent years who "laid down the foundation" for this championship.

It was this immense humility (along with very diligent recruiting), that allowed for Vermont's depth, which ultimately served to be the difference on the stat-sheet with both goal scorers (Maximilian Kissel and Marcel Papp) coming off of the bench. Head Coach Rob Dow touched on this in the National Championship post-game press conference, acknowledging the humility of these two "ultra team-first players".

Community

I was fortunate enough to attend the final two games of the Catamount's season and was able to witness the pandemonium that took place after the game winning goal. Filled with emotions myself, I looked at the crowd around me and saw a flurry of prideful hugs, euphoric cheers, and many teary-eyed Vermonters witnessing this special moment together.

As a player we often talked about this - how we are competing for something bigger than us - for our community, and for Vermont. That sense of pride and deep connection to their supporters that Vermont Soccer has, is what makes this program and that National Championship so special.

Thank you to the University of Vermont Men's Soccer team for putting on such an inspiring display of perseverance and resilience.

For more press moments that exemplify this program's winning culture, click here.