Vermont men’s soccer began their America East title defense in a dominant five to one victory over rival Stony Brook at Centennial Field on Saturday. UVM started the game energized and on the attack. Constant communication led to a quick goal in the second minute from junior TJ Gore. Gore was able to head the ball in over the 6’7″ Stony Brook goalkeeper Dawid Ditrich. Jordan Crasilneck assisted on the goal off a well-placed goal kick. “It was an excellent ball play from Jordan Crasilneck, and I was able to get my head to it,” Gore said. The Cats maintained momentum through the first 20 minutes of the first half. The back and forth play was disrupted in the 27th minute by a streaking TJ Gore who received yet another precise touch off a steal from Jordan Crasilneck. “He always plays great service,” Gore said of Crasilneck’s second assist to him. Gore’s second goal was echoed by controversy. During the goal, the nearest ref called off-sides on Gore but the lead referee waived it off. The call didn’t go over well on the Stony Brook bench where shouts of disapproval could be heard. Physical play marked the first half of this rivalry, and the emotions ran high into the second half.UVM stormed out the gates in the second half, scoring three goals in less than 15 minutes. The first came from captain Jake McFadden, who deflected a long shot from Yannick Lewis past the Seawolves goalkeeper in the lower right corner.”It was a great strike off a corner kick rebound from Yannick Lewis,” McFadden said. “I was just fortunate enough to get a good flick on it.”The captain’s work wasn’t done yet. A rapid flurry of shots in the 10th minute led to a corner kick by Crasilneck, which he placed well right in front of the goal. McFadden jumped up and headed the ball into the center of the net, giving Vermont a 4-0 lead.Crasilneck also put in a goal in the 13th minute. After being tripped up on the right side by Seawolf defender Damion Brown, he was awarded a penalty kick. Crasilneck snuck the ball in the lower right corner on the penalty kick, giving Vermont their final goal of the game. Stony Brook scored a goal with 24 minutes remaining, but by that point the result of the game was a forgone conclusion. Vermont walked away with a 5-1 victory and a strong start to conference play.”We talked about defending our title all week,” McFadden said. “It was a good way to start our title defense.” Gore attributed the commanding start to a tough non-conference schedule, which featured multiple Big Ten teams and the University of Massachusetts, which was a final four team last season. “Playing high-caliber teams in the non conference really gets us ready to play in the America East,” Gore said.Gore’s two goals were the first two of the season for him, while McFadden now has four goals on the season.