'Target on our back': Favored Vermont men's soccer chases big goals in 2024

For the second straight offseason, the Vermont men's soccer team saw more than 10 players depart the program due to graduation or transfer.

But expectations haven't changed for the Catamounts — not in the slightest. With the likes of forwards Yaniv Bazini and Max Murray, midfielder Adrian Schulze Solano and defenders Zach Barrett and Nick Lockermann among the 16 returnees, Vermont is up front about its goals for the 2024 season: America East Conference regular-season and tournament crowns and a national championship.

The Catamounts, 13-6-2 last fall, are coming off back-to-back deep NCAA Tournament runs: Third round in 2023 and quarterfinals in 2022 , which was one victory shy of a College Cup berth.

"It’s a little bit of a pressure. But we always like to say, 'Pressure’s a privilege here,'" Barrett said. "We use that to drive us and keep expectations high. But we don’t put that pressure on ourselves, we like to play freely, we like to play as a flowing team."

The No. 14 nationally ranked Catamounts kick off their new campaign at No. 12 Western Michigan on Thursday. The contest is a rematch of last year's opener, which Vermont won 2-0 at Virtue Field .

Nationally ranked Vermont men's soccer picked to win America East

For the first time since 2008, the Catamounts are the America East favorites, tallying five out of a possible seven first-place votes. Reigning league champion Bryant (two first-place votes) and Vermont's chief rival, New Hampshire (one vote for first) are tied for second in the eight-team conference. The full preseason poll:

• 1. Vermont (47)
• T2. Bryant, New Hampshire (40)
• 4. UMBC (32)
• 5. NJIT (23)
• 6. Albany (20)
• 7. Binghamton (13)
• 8. UMass Lowell (9)

Eighth-year Vermont head coach Rob Dow, the program leader for NCAA Tournament victories , was surprised of Vermont's status as the preseason favorite in America East because of his team's disappointing conference finish a year ago: The Catamounts were the fourth seed in 2023 and lost in the opening round of the league playoffs at home.

"On paper, if you look at the number of returnees, I can see it. We are humbled by it and we want to be the team that people see us at a championship level," Dow said. "Having a target on our back, it’s the norm for the program.

"If we are going to be in the hunt and in the pursuit of a national championship, this is the target that we need our back."

Vermont's Yaniv Bazini, Zach Barrett headline preseason all-league nods

Out of 11 players selected, six Catamounts took up spots on the America East preseason all-conference team: Bazini, Murray, Solano, Barrett, Lockermann and Wathuta.

Bazini and Barrett are both back for their final seasons in Burlington. Bazini, named to the United Soccer Coaches' Division I list for players to watch in 2024, made the America East first team in 2023, when he tallied team bests in goals (11) and points (26).

"We are going to rely on Bazini, we want to rely on Bazini and he wants to be relied on. He’s our guy," Dow said.

The native of Beit Hanan, Israel, Bazini also set a franchise single-season record with 13 goals for the Vermont Green Football Club this summer in USL League Two play.

Bazini: "I’m coming to prove myself and coming to show what more I can do and show who I am."

Barrett was named to the all-conference first team after consecutive years on the second team. Barrett's been as steady as they come defensively for the Catamounts, who had the 17th-most shutouts in the country last year. Lockermann, meanwhile, had a team-high seven assists last fall when he was picked as the league's rookie of the year.

"(Barrett) is really fit, really vocal and ready to apply his full resume of his game to raising the bar for our expectations," Dow said.

"Competition is high. It’s good to see everybody coming together," Barrett said of the defense.

Bazini will get help up front from 6-foot-5 Murray (three goals, one assist in 2023) and Wathuta (two goals, assist), among a couple newcomers (see below). Additionally, Dow hopes to take advantage of Murray's height, like they did in 2022, with more designed crosses.

"Max is someone who is hard to defend. Service, we didn't do enough of that last year," Dow said. "It's a big focus of ours."

Vermont men's soccer midfielder Adrian Schulze Solano sidelined with injury

Solano was a second-team America East selection in 2023 when he started in 14 of 16 games and recorded at least 90 minutes of action in 10 contests. The influential midfielder tallied a goal and three assists while playing a crucial role in Vermont's defensive core.

But a hernia injury will delay Solano's debut for the 2024 season. Dow estimated Solano will be sidelined for a couple more weeks due to the injury.

Impactful newcomers arrive for Vermont men's soccer

From transfers and overseas players to freshmen, Dow and the coaching staff filled out their roster with a number of players who should make an impact for the 2024 Catamounts.

Marcell Papp, who arrives after playing club soccer for Diósgyor in Hungary's first tier, is a "complete player with a high IQ," according to Dow, who added Papp's game meshes well with Bazini's style. Philadelphia Union alum Ryan Zellefrow, who turned 18 last week, can play multiple positions, and will likely get chances out wide on Vermont's forward line when the team is fully healthy.

Goalie Lou Liedtka is a graduate transfer from Davidson, where he led the Atlantic-10 Conference in shutouts (7) and save percentage (.773) in 2023. Liedtka has earned the starting nod in net with 6-foot-6 Niklas Herceg (graduate student from Germany) out for a month following surgery to repair a broken finger suffered in the team's first training.

Of Vermont's netminders, Liedtka, Herceg and freshman Mitchell Ringman replace Owen Jack, who graduated, Brendan Pulley, now the team's goalkeepers coach, and Edgar Vargas, who opted to transfer to San Diego State for a sixth year of eligibility with former Vermont captain Daniel Pacella.

Other newcomers to watch include: defender Mike Bleeker (graduate transfer from American) and forward Maximilian Kissel (junior transfer from D-II Bridgeport).

The star Bazini believes the Catamounts will be dangerous offensively.

"Vermont is going to play beautiful soccer," Bazini said.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5 .

Thursday's season opener

Teams: Vermont at Western Michigan

Site: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Game time: 5:30 p.m. eastern

Stream: ESPN+ ( subscription required )

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: 'Target on our back': Favored Vermont men's soccer chases big goals in 2024