Pep rally
Students gathered at the Davis Center on Jan. 26 to pick up hot chocolate and national championship gear in preparation for the men’s soccer parade on Burlington’s Church Street.
Freshman Nicholas Jandrue from Norwood, Mass. was sure to watch the America East semifinal, final and first round of the College Cup, all hosted at Virtue Field.
“I still have the ticket on my corkboard … that’s history I’m witnessing,” he said.
Students were excited for next year’s men’s soccer games, where they expect to see bleachers full of new and committed followers.
“Now I know that the crowds next year are going to be amazing,” Jandrue said.
First-year and Vermont native Avery Noel also spoke about her plans to become an invested fan.
“I feel proud, I feel like this puts us on the map,” she said. “I’ll be at a lot more games next season.”
For junior Noa Pinkston, the championship run was a bonding experience for her and her family who watched together in her hometown of Pittsburgh.
“Even though we werent projected to win … we proved them wrong and were able to show that we can win and be champions,” she said before heading down the hill towards Church Street to celebrate.
Championship parade
Fans at the parade were quick to claim the 2025 national title with a proud embrace of Vermont’s small-but-mighty stature.
The crowd filed onto Church Street by the thousands to celebrate and high-five UVM’s men’s soccer team after its historic 2-1 win over Marshall University on Dec. 16, 2024.
Mardi Gras beads, families in matching wigs and newly minted “national champions” merch formed a layer of green and gold over Church Street’s brick walkway.
Players, coaches and staff addressed fans after their five-game, coast-to-coast trip in pursuit of the trophy they lifted one more time in Burlington.
“We’re a great little state but we’re just a little state, so the fact that we can pull it off on the national stage, it’s awesome,” said Colin Crawford-Stempel, a UVM alumni from Northfield, Vt.
After topping the regional tournament for a spot in the College Cup, the Cats made more history as the first of eight schools in the America East conference to compete for or win a national championship.
“They’re expecting the Syracuses’, the Wake Forests’, those teams to win—they’re not expecting Vermont,” said Amadeo Pulley, a North Carolina native whose son is on the team’s coaching staff.
Pulley reflected that followers of college soccer around the country were mistaken in passing the Cats off as underdogs.
“They’re not considered one of the best teams but … it’s no surprise to people who follow them.”
Others were already looking ahead to what the future holds for UVM, predicting the attention will draw more world-class athletes and students to the school.
“Who doesn’t want to go to a national championship program?” asked Rem Kielman, ’10, a former UVM men’s soccer player, from Hinesburg, Vt.
Winning a national championship over teams like Marshall, who frequently appear in the late rounds of the College Cup, could be a new era for the men’s soccer team, Kielman said.
“I fully expect that from UVM now,” he said, raising his voice over the vigorous ringing of a cowbell by a young fan sitting on his shoulders.
Over a month after the final, excitement at home is far from fading and reminiscence among Vermonters about the “Cardiac Cats” promises to last long after the parade.
