Opening Night at Virtue Field
The University of Vermont men's soccer squad kicked off the 2026 campaign in convincing fashion, downing Colgate 4‑1 at Virtue Field in Burlington. The win marked the team's second consecutive victory and set an upbeat tone for the season.
What made the triumph especially noteworthy was the spread of scoring, with four different Catamounts finding the net and three of them recording their inaugural collegiate goals.
The opening strike came in the 13th minute when Islam Houssni curled a left‑foot shot into the corner, opening the scoring and igniting the home crowd.
Just a minute later, Luis Fischer, in his debut season with the Catamounts, tapped home a pass to double the lead, while senior Noel Bjork earned his first assist of the year by threading a perfect pass to Houssni.
Midway through the second half, David Ismail, who had already logged a career‑high five shots on goal, finally broke through with a well‑placed strike in the 70th minute.
The momentum continued when Thaddeus Liquori set up Philipp Schmidtke, whose first career goal arrived in the 79th minute, sealing the 4‑1 margin.
Colgate managed to pull one back through Ryan Schachter in the 84th minute, but Vermont's defense held firm, finishing with a 10‑shot advantage over the Raiders' five.
Beyond the scoreline, the victory unlocked a $100 contribution from Vermont Mutual Insurance Group to the Ronald McDonald House, underscoring the team's community partnership.
The Catamounts will look to keep the momentum when they host Charlotte on August 28 at 6 p.m., a match that will be streamed live on ESPN+.