Vermont earned its first conference victory of the season on March 14, defeating UMBC 10-5 at Virtue Field in Burlington. The Catamounts improved to a 3-3 overall record and 1-0 in America East play, while UMBC fell to 1-5 and 0-1 in the conference.
The win marks an important step for Vermont as it begins its conference schedule. Securing an early league victory can help set the tone for the rest of the season.
Decker led Vermont with four goals, achieving his first career four-goal game and third career hat trick. Toll added three goals and an assist, marking his second career hat trick. Frattaroli, Whitaker, and Drimmie each contributed a goal for the Catamounts. Vermont’s goalie made 11 saves on 16 shots for a .688 save percentage.
The Catamounts opened scoring early in the first period but entered the second quarter tied at two after UMBC responded with two goals from Ryan Demato and Connor Chick. Demato scored again in the second quarter before Vermont answered with a run that included goals from Decker and Toll, giving them a halftime lead of 5-4. Decker completed his hat trick with the only goal of the third quarter, extending Vermont’s lead to two heading into the final period. In the fourth quarter, Vermont closed out strong with a 4-1 run.
“I’m just really proud of [the team],” said head coach Chris Feifs. “11 saves, I thought he played tremendous today. He’s really been picking up his stride the last couple of games, and I thought we did a good job of not giving them second-chance opportunities when it really mattered the most. That’s a great team. They take the air out of the ball, and it felt like we didn’t give them any chances to make us tired, and it allowed us to clear the ball when we were fresh.”
Vermont had more shots on goal than UMBC (18 to 16) and converted two out of three extra-man opportunities compared to one out of two for UMBC.
Looking ahead, Vermont will travel to Smithfield, Rhode Island to face Bryant Bulldogs on Saturday, March 21 at Beirne Stadium.
