Ninety minutes of blood and sweat ended in tears for the Wildcats Sunday night. The No. 16 University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (17-2-2) gave it everything they had and put up a hell of a fight versus the top-seeded Oregon State Beavers (14-2-3). It just wasn't enough. A lightning-quick counterattack penetrated the 'Cats defense in the 10th minute and sunk hearts across the Granite State and ended the best season on record for the UNH men's soccer program.
The No. 16 University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (17-1-2, 7-0-1) jetted off to Oregon Friday afternoon after flying high versus North Carolina in a 4-1 victory. The win advanced UNH to their second ever Sweet-16 appearance in the NCAA tournament. The long flight to Oregon was made better by the generosity of the New England Patriots and Kraft family, who lent the Wildcats their team plane.
Don't corner a wounded animal. The University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels (11-7-2, 4-4-0) learned that lesson the hard way Sunday afternoon at Wildcat Stadium. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (17-1-2) were licking their wounds from a 1-0 defeat to Vermont in the America East (AE) Championship before the second-round NCAA Tournament contest. The Wildcats took out all the pain from that loss on the Tar Heels, sinking their teeth into the visitors in a 4-1 thrashing.
With their 1-0 loss to Vermont (13-4-2) the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (16-1-2) not only lost out on a fourth straight America East (AE) Championship, but they also saw their national ranking cascade from sixth in the nation to 16. It was a slide that nearly toppled the Wildcats over the edge and out of a first-round bye, but the committee kept UNH out of the first round by the skin of their teeth. Now in the same quadrant as No. 1 seeded Oregon State (12-2-3, 7-1-2), UNH will have the hardest road to the College Cup of any top 16 team. The ‘Cats will face the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (11-6-1, 4-4-0) in the second round Sunday at Wildcat Stadium.
All great dynasties must one day fall. Whoever is on top will always be the one with the biggest target on their back. Rome stood for centuries as the eternal city. But eventually, the Goths burst through its gates to pillage and loot. The University of Vermont (UVM) Catamounts (13-4-2, 6-1-1) played a similar role Sunday afternoon in Wildcat Stadium. The three-time defending champion University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (16-1-2) saw their dynasty and undefeated record besieged and eventually fall in a 90-minute clash for the America East Championship.
On a crisp November night, the playoffs began for the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (16-0-2, 7-0-1). After a first-round bye, UNH hosted the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers (8-8-3, 3-4-1) in the America East (AE) semifinals. With a trip to their fourth straight America East Championship on the line, the 'Cats played some of their best soccer on the season. UNH was fluid and dangerous all night and ensured that the only thing the Retrievers brought home was 4-0 thrashing.
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (15-0-2, 7-0-1) have gone undefeated and is one of just two teams in the nation to do so. The Wildcats sawed off the UMass Lowell (UML) Riverhawks (4-11-1, 3-5-0) Monday night by a final score of 1-0. The narrow victory never felt that close with UNH in the driver’s seat for most of the night. Graduate student Paul Mayer bagged the game winner for his fifth goal of the season.
