BURLINGTON, Vt. – The No. 3 seed Bryant men's soccer team advanced past No. 2 seed University of Vermont, 4-3, on penalties after finishing regulation tied 1-1 on Wednesday, November 11 at Virtue Field in Burlington, Vermont.
With the result, Bryant will host No. 4 seed NJIT in the America East Conference Championship Game on Sunday, November 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
The teams traded chances, but neither side could find the back of the net in the first 45 minutes.
Vermont opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, when David Ismail converted a penalty to get Vermont on the board.
The Bulldogs would even the game at one all in the 61st minute. On the counterattack,
Marcos Blasco found
Pablo Maya in space. Maya played a through ball to
Manuel Morillo, who fought off two defenders to tie the game.
Tense action followed, but neither side could break the deadlock after 90 minutes.
After two scoreless overtime periods, the teams lined up for penalties. The Bulldogs went a perfect 4-4 from the spot, and
Ramon Camejo saved the second Vermont shot. Vermont would miss its' fourth penalty over the cross bar, sending Bryant to the America East Championship Game for the fourth straight year.
Game Information:
Score: Bryant 1, Vermont 1 (Bryant wins on PKs, 4-3)
Records: Bryant (12-2-5, 4-1-2 AE), Vermont (10-2-5, 4-1-2 AE)
Location: Burlington, Vermont (Virtue Field)
Key Moment:
- Ramon Camejo dove to his right and stopped Luis Fischer's penalty kick to give Bryant the advantage in the shootout.
Scoring Summary:
8:35 – David Ismail scored his penalty, sending Camejo the wrong way.
20:52 – Manu Morillo slotted a shot into the bottom corner on the counterattack.
Shootout Summary:
Vermont: David Ismail MADE, Luis Fischer MISSED, Luis Vetter MADE, Ezra Widman MADE, Halim Bangura MISSED
Bryant: Jorge Rodriguez MADE,
Nacho Vila MADE,
Marcos Blasco MADE,
Nacho Garcia MADE
Game Notes:
- Bryant is now 0-9-1 all-time against Vermont.
- This is the first shootout win for Bryant since November 13, 2024 (AE Semifinal vs. UNH)
- Bryant advances to the America East Championship for a fourth-consecutive year. The Bulldogs will be appearing in their 10th championship game in program history.
- Vermont outshot Bryant, 16-11
- Bryant led in shots on goal, 4-3
- Brady Geho leads the team with six goals and 15 points.
- Manu Morillo has now scored in back-to-back post season games
- Pablo Maya assisted on both Morillo goals this postseason.
Up next:
No. 3 seed Bryant hosts No. 4 seed NJIT in the America East Championship Game on Sunday, November 15 at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, R.I. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
