The America East preseason favorites did not start conference play on the right foot on Saturday.
With under eight minutes to play and Vermont clinging to a one-goal lead, New Hampshire earned a free kick a few yards outside the penalty box. The kick deflected off the four-man Catamount wall causing the ball to slow down and Wildcats forward Matthew Goncalves knocked the ball into the back of the net, tying the game at 1-1.
Both teams had some looks over the final few minutes but neither team could find a goal and Vermont had to settle for a 1-1 draw to rival New Hampshire in the America East men’s soccer opener for both teams. This was the Catamounts third tie of the season.
“They got a lot of numbers behind the ball including playing with a three back for about 70 minutes and that turned into a five back,” Vermont coach Rob Dow said. “Those are a lot of numbers in the front part of their goal so we didn’t have as many spaces to run into in the final third.”
This game was a disappointment after Vermont had entered the Sept. 28 game on a three-game winning streak and having scored five goals in the each of the previous two matches.
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UNH contained the Catamounts explosive offense in the first half when Vermont controlled possession. Vermont racked up five of its six total corner kicks and two of its three shots on goal in the first half.
UNH ratcheted up the tempo in the second half, putting the pressure on Catamount goalkeeper Lou Liedtka. The Davidson transfer put together his best game in the gold and green making eight saves, including five in the second half, to help preserve the draw.
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“I thought he played his best game today, several, several shots stopped and kept his composure after the goal and played like (the score) was 6-3,” Dow said.
The Wildcats shut down the Catamounts offense in the second half except for one counter where three Vermont players charged down the field. After some passing in and around the box, Marcell Papp sent the ball across to a waiting Andrew Millar on the right side of the goal. Millar struck for his second goal of the season, shooting back across the Wildcats goalie, breaking the stalemate in the 52nd minute.
Vermont (4-1-3) returns to action Tuesday night, hosting Massachusetts.
Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
