UNH earns its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
DURHAM, N.H. – Junior Chris Pinkham (Concord, N.H.) and senior Victor Menudier (Limoges, France) netted two goals as the No. 1 seed and No. 10 nationally-ranked University of New Hampshire men's soccer team defeated No. 2 seed Vermont, 2-0, in the America East Championship on Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Stadium.
With this win, UNH earns its third straight America East Championship and its fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are now the third team ever to three-peat, following UMBC (2012, 2013, 2014) and Boston University (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997). The NCAA Selection Show is Monday, April 19 at 12:00 p.m. on NCAA.com. The NCAA Tournament will take place entirely in North Carolina from April 29 to May 17.
The Wildcats improve to 8-0-1 while the Catamounts fall to 5-2-1. Alejandro Robles, Sam Henneberg, Yannick Bright and Victor Menudier were named to the All-Tournament Team (Photo by China Wong)
Menudier was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player for scoring three out of the four goals for UNH in America East Tournament play. Menudier, graduate student Sam Henneberg (Guildford, England), graduate student goalkeeper Alejandro Robles (Monterrey, Mexico), and freshman Yannick Bright(Milan, Italy) were named to the All-Championship Team.
With a 3.64 GPA, sophomore Michael Clow (Leola, Pa.), a finance major, won the America East Elite 18 Award for having the highest cumulative grade point average of anyone competing in today's contest. Michael Clow won the America East Elite 18 Award (Photo by China Wong)
Pinkham's goal was scored in the 42nd minute and was assisted by Henneberg and graduate student Bridger Hansen (Cottonwood Heights, Utah). Later in the second half during the 73rd minute, Menudier found the back of the net for the third time in America East Tournament play. His goal was assisted by graduate student Diego Toribio (Herencia, Spain) and Henneberg, clinching the 2-0 win for New Hampshire. Victor Menudier was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament (Photo by China Wong)
Score: New Hampshire 2, Vermont 0 Records: UNH (8-0-1), Vermont (5-2-1) Location: Durham, N.H. (Wildcat Stadium) Date: Saturday, April 17, 2021 Attendance: 278 (A limited number of student tickets were made available for today's game.)
BOXSCORE | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS HOW IT HAPPENED: The Wildcats are the third team ever to win three straight America East Championships (Photo by China Wong)
The Wildcats put their first shot on goal in the 15th minute as graduate student Paul Mayer (Strasbourg, France) headed the ball from the left side of the field to sophomore Bilal Kamal(London, England), who passed it back to Mayer. He then put a strong kick on the ball towards the middle of the net as it was saved by Vermont's Nathan Silveira.
The Catamounts put their first shot on goal in the 36th minute as Jonathan Bryant lofted the ball high towards the crossbar. Robles jumped up to catch the ball, making his first save of the game.
UNH took the lead during the 42nd minute (41:06) of the game as Pinkham received a long pass from Henneberg and fired the ball into the top left corner of the net from the left side of the goalie box. Hansen also posted an assist.
Chris Pinkham scored the game-winning goal (Photo by China Wong)
New Hampshire posted three shots on goal at the end of the first half, while Vermont had one.
Between the 53rd and 56th minute of the game, Vermont took a strong offensive charge and put two more shots on goal. Robles denied both attempts, preserving UNH's lead.
The Wildcats extended their lead over the Catamounts during the 76th minute (75:29) of the game as Menudier was set up by Toribio and Henneberg on the right side and blasted the ball into the bottom left of the net.
New Hampshire held Vermont for the rest of the half, securing the win 2-0.
Menudier leads the team with six goals (Photo by China Wong) INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
New Hampshire outshot Vermont, 12-9, while the Wildcats posted five shots on goal and the Catamounts took six.
The Wildcats took one corner kick, while the Catamounts took four.
Robles saved six shots for UNH, while Silveira had five.
Alejandro Robles posted his fourth shutout of the season (Photo by China Wong) BEYOND THE BOXSCORE: UNH went undefeated at Wildcat Stadium this season (Photo by China Wong)
UNH is now 34-1-5 all-time at Wildcat Stadium, outscoring the opposition by a 78-14 advantage.
The Wildcats went 5-0-1 at home this year with 15 goals and only allowed three.
The Wildcats have outscored their opposition this season by a 22-6 margin.
This is the first time UNH has faced Vermont in an America East Championship game and is now 3-0-0 all-time in championship games played at Wildcat Stadium.
This will be the Wildcats' fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, having earned an automatic bid to the 2019 and 2018 championships, and at large bids to the 1994 and 2017 tournaments.
Hansen's assist on Pinkham's goal is his first point as a Wildcat.
Robles posted his fourth shutout of the season, the 12th of his career.
Henneberg's two points gave him his first multiple-point game as a Wildcat.
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