The No. 13-seeded Marshall Thundering Herd meets the unseeded Cinderella sensation from the America East conference, the Vermont Catamounts in a battle for the national trophy. Marshall looks to earn the program’s second national title in as many College Cup appearances since claiming the 2020 national championship. On the other hand, Vermont continues its historic season making its first-ever College Cup and becoming the first team from Vermont athletics to compete in a national championship match — Vermont Skiing has a national title but did not compete in a championship game scenario.

So far this tournament, Vermont has only allowed two goals and top-goalscorer Yaniv Bazini has scored in all five contests, tallying a late equalizer in the semifinals against No. 3 Denver to extend the game to OT. The Catamounts went on to win 4-3 in PKs thanks to an expert save by Niklas Herceg. The Herd has conceded three goals this tournament and is coming off an impressive 1-0 win over the No. 1-seed Ohio State in the College Cup semifinals where Marshall outlasted 20 Buckeye shots after taking an early lead.

Both Marshall and Vermont are bolstered by their international-heavy rosters, bringing worldwide playing styles and talent to one pitch. Monday night’s contest will be a clash between two teams many doubted and few — outside their devoted fan bases — expected to make a deep run into the 2024 NCAA tournament. Both have exhibited similar styles of play: high-pressing, controlled possession, quick counters and minimal goals allowed. We know each can score against big opponents, but with just one thing left to prove, this matchup will be determined by the backlines, with the strongest walking away with a trophy.

Keep track of all the action here, on NCAA.com

CARY, N.C — With Friday night’s College Cup semifinal victory over Denver, Vermont soccer became the first team in any sport for the school and America East to reach an NCAA national championship game.

The unseeded Catamounts will play No. 13-seed Marshall in Monday’s NCAA final at WakeMed Soccer Park.

But Vermont does have history with NCAA titles, and a couple near-misses. Here’s a quick synopsis:

More: This is no underdog story. In NCAA championship, Vermont soccer is right where it belongs

Vermont skiing has captured six NCAA national titles

The Vermont men’s and women’s skiing program has claimed six NCAA championships in a decorated history filled with individual champions, All-Americans and Winter Olympians.

The NCAA championships are from: 1980, 1989, 1992, 1994 and 2012. The Catamounts have also been the NCAA runner-up on 17 occasions and third 11 other times.

Vermont men’s hockey has made the Frozen Four

Led by Martin St. Louis, Eric Perrin and Tim Thomas, the cherished 1995-96 Vermont men’s hockey team captured 27 games and reached the Frozen Four semifinals.

The Catamounts, though, lost to Colorado College in a two-overtime contest marred by a controversial no-call.

In 2009, Vermont returned to the Frozen Four, but lost to Hockey East rival Boston University in a 5-4 decision.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.

Vermont State Police alerted officials across New England about a suspect they believe was involved in the shooting of a St. Johnsbury police officer Friday night.

The public has been told to be on the watch for Scott Mason, 38, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, who police believe could be potentially armed and dangerous.

Mason is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes, according to a Vermont State Police statement.

At about 4:30 p.m. Friday, a St. Johnsbury police officer responded to what was reported as a domestic violence incident at Mason’s apartment at 261 Portland St. The unnamed police officer was shot at least once when he arrived and wounded, police said.

The officer was flown by helicopter to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire for treatment. His condition was stable as of Friday night and his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, state police said.

Mason is also wanted on an arrest warrant for failure to appear on 26 counts of forgery that are not connected with the shooting, police said. The warrant is extraditable through New England and New York and carries a $5,000 bail.

Vermont State Police encouraged the public to “be aware of their surroundings” and be sure to lock their doors and vehicles.

The investigation remains ongoing.

If anyone sees Mason or knows where he is, they should call the Vermont State Police barracks in St. Johnsbury at 802-748-3111. Submit anonymous tips by texting keyword VTIPS to 274637 (CRIMES), calling 844-84-VTIPS or visiting https://vtips.us.