Marshall vs. Vermont: 2024 NCAA Cup Final Preview and Game Guide

In the national finals, the 13th-ranked Marshall Thundering Herd will face the unseeded America East conference sensation, the Vermont Catamounts. This meeting is an opportunity for Marshall to win his second national title in as many College Cup appearances, having won the national championship in 2020. For its part, Vermont is having a historic season by participating in its first College Cup, thus becoming the first Vermont sports team to play in a national championship game — although Vermont alpine skiing has already won a national title, the discipline has not competed in a championship game in the traditional sense.

So far in this tournament, Vermont has conceded just two goals, while their top scorer, Yaniv Bazini, has scored in each of the five matches, including a late equalizer in the semifinals against the 3rd-ranked team, Denver, to extend the match into overtime. The Catamounts then triumphed 4-3 in the penalty shootout, thanks to a decisive save from Niklas Herceg. For his part, Marshall conceded three goals during this tournament and is coming off an impressive performance with a 1-0 victory against the 1st ranked team, Ohio State, in the semi-finals of the College Cup, where Marshall managed to hold off 20 Buckeyes shots after taking an early advantage.

Both teams, Marshall and Vermont, are bolstered by squads of international origin, bringing varied playing styles and talents to the same field. Monday night’s match will be a clash between two teams that many would not have expected to be in such good shape during the 2024 NCAA tournament. Both teams showed similar styles of play: high press, well-controlled possession, quick counter-attacks and few goals conceded. Although they can score against strong opponents, this match could be determined by defensive solidity, with the strongest team being the one to walk away with the trophy.

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