2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer championship game

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2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer championship game

WakeMed Soccer Park hosted the final
Event	2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament
Vermont Marshall Am. East SBC 2 1
Date	December 16, 2024
Venue	WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, North Carolina, U.S.
(Off.) Man of the Match	Maximilian Kissel (Vermont)
(Def.) Man of the Match	Niklas Herceg (Vermont)
Referee	Michael Lavergne
Attendance	6,057
Weather	Cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
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The 2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer championship game (also known as the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's College Cup) was played on December 16, 2024, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The match determined the winner of the 2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, the national collegiate soccer championship in the United States. This was the 66th edition of the oldest active competition in United States college soccer.

The match featured the University of Vermont, which played its first-ever final, and Marshall University, which made its second appearance in the final. Vermont defeated Marshall 2–1, in extra time, to win their first-ever NCAA soccer title.

The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champion. The tournament has been formally held since 1959, when it was an eight-team tournament. Since then, the tournament has expanded to 48 teams, where every Division I conference tournament champion is allocated a berth.

The first half of the 2024 College Cup final between Marshall and Vermont was a tightly contested, defensive battle, with both teams creating chances but unable to break the deadlock. Vermont goalkeeper Niklas Herceg and Marshall goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic were tested early, with Vermont's Zach Barrett forcing Janjic into a save in the 4th minute and Marshall’s Takahiro Fujita registering the first shot for the Thundering Herd shortly after.

Both sides exchanged periods of possession and offensive opportunities. Marshall’s Tarik Pannholzer and Alex Bamford had shots on target, while Vermont’s David Ismail forced Janjic into another save in the 23rd minute. Vermont’s Yaniv Bazini had two attempts during the half, one missing left in the 29th minute and another shortly after that was handled by the Marshall defense.

Marshall maintained pressure late in the half, earning corner kicks in the 28th and 44th minutes, but Vermont’s defense held firm. Meanwhile, fouls disrupted the rhythm of play, with Marshall committing several infractions, including multiple by Theo Godard and Alex Bamford. Vermont also conceded fouls, including one by Ismail in the 33rd minute.

Neither team managed to convert their chances, and the first half concluded 0-0, with both defenses and goalkeepers playing key roles in keeping the match scoreless heading into the break.

In the second half of the 2024 College Cup final between Marshall and Vermont, both teams saw opportunities to take control of the match. The half began with Vermont earning an early corner kick, followed by a shot from Yaniv Bazini that missed left in the 47th minute. Marshall responded with offensive pressure, including a shot on target by Alexander Stjernegaard in the 52nd minute that was saved by Vermont goalkeeper Niklas Herceg. Vermont’s Mike Bleeker forced Marshall goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic into a save in the 50th minute, while Marshall’s Tarik Pannholzer and Haruhi Taneda tested Herceg with further shots in the 56th and 77th minutes, respectively.

Marshall broke the deadlock in the 67th minute when Tarik Pannholzer capitalized on a pass from Rai Pinto to give the Thundering Herd a 1-0 lead. Vermont quickly regrouped and found the equalizer in the 81st minute through Marcell Papp, who scored with an assist from Max Murray and David Ismail to level the score at 1-1.

The remainder of the half saw both sides pushing for a winner. Vermont’s Maximilian Kissel and Max Murray forced saves from Janjic, while Marshall’s Joao Roberto and Rai Pinto had chances that went off target. Fouls on both sides interrupted the flow of play late in regulation, and the second half ended 1-1, sending the match into overtime.

In the golden-goal overtime period Vermont secured the national title with a dramatic finish. Marshall's Joao Roberto had two crucial opportunities early in overtime, including a shot in the 94th minute that was saved by Vermont goalkeeper Niklas Herceg. Moments later, in the 95th minute, Vermont's Maximilian Kissel received a long pass and broke away from Marshall defender Alex Bamford.^[1] On the breakaway, Kissel fired a shot past Marshall goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic, scoring the game-winning goal and sealing Vermont's 2-1 victory.^[2]

2024 College Cup

December 16, 2024

Final

Vermont	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Marshall
Papp 81' Kissel 95'	Report	Pannholzer 67'

WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, North Carolina

Attendance: 6,057

Referee: Michael Lavergne

Vermont

Marshall

GK 1 Niklas Herceg DF 2 Nathan Siméon DF 3 Mike Bleeker DF 28 Zach Barrett MF 5 Adrian Schulze MF 8 Niels Hartman MF 11 Yaniv Bazini MF 22 Sydney Wathuta FW 27 Ryan Zellefrow FW 36 Max Murray  41' FW 13 David Ismail Substitutions: MF 7 Andrew Millar  32' 65' 82' FW 9 Maximilian Kissel  41' DF 17 Ioannis Vassiliou  66' FW 18 Marcel Papp  66' Head Coach: Rob Dow

GK 31 Bryan Dowd DF 2 Mitchell Ferguson  45' 68' DF 5 Kyle Genenbacher DF 15 Paddy Burns DF 18 Josh Ramsey MF 7 Ethan O'Brien  38' 45' 50' 68' MF 13 Bryce Boneau  64' MF 16 KK Baffour  50' FW 21 Matthew Roou  72' FW 9 Eno Nto  26' 59' 79' FW 11 Daniel Russo  59' 64' Substitutions: MF 22 Nolan Spicer  26' MF 6 Wyatt Lewis  38' 72' 79' Head Coach: Chris Grassie

By winning the national title, the University of Vermont won their first national championship in a team sport. Including individual national championships, this was their second national title, joining their skiing team. Additionally, the match was notable for being the first NCAA men's soccer final since 2020 and the first College Cup since 2018 not to feature a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Vermont's victory also marked the first time a mid-major program claimed the NCAA men's soccer title since Marshall, who also competed in the final, won it in 2020.^[3] It was the first all-mid-major NCAA soccer championship game since 1977.

Several prominent local officials including governor Phil Scott^[4], and senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch offered congratulations to the Vermont program for winning the national championship.^[5][6]