Posted by Brackett Lyons | November 19, 2021 | Men's Football, Sports, Uncategorized | 0 |

Durham, New Hampshire — The University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (UNH) lost 1-0 to Vermont (13-4-2). Not only did they lose to the US East (AE) Championship for the fourth consecutive time, but they also watched By the time their national rankings range from sixth to 16th in the country. This was a slip and almost knocked the Wildcats out of the first round bye, but the committee let UNH miss their teeth in the first round. Now in the same quadrant as the No. 1 seed Oregon State University (12-2-3, 7-1-2), UNH will be the toughest way to the College Cup of any top 16 team. The "Cats" will face the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (11-6-1, 4-4-0) in the second round at the Wildcat Stadium on Sunday.  

Head coach Marc Hubbard doesn't seem to have phased the prospect of traveling across the country to the Beavers.  

"I think this is a simple motivating factor," Hubbard said after the selection program. "If we are lucky enough to advance this weekend, then we can do our best, and [during the championship] we kind of feel that our season is not over. So now we are in a do-or-die position, this kind of motivational factor Hopefully it will inspire us to perform at our best level." 

good news? UNH will be much healthier than they are in the AE Championship. Hubbard said the team suffered some blows in the game against Vermont, but these decisions were made to keep some players on the bench instead of risking further injury. He explained that if the game were won or went home, some of his players could have finished the game. 

Sunday's first round bye against New Hampshire will greatly improve the team's physical and energy levels.  

Hubbard said: "We have always been a team like this. They have to play on Thursday and then turn around quickly on Sunday. This is not an easy task." "So, Sunday is definitely our first game. It’s an advantage. This will give us more time to prepare for the next opponent."  

Of course, UNH cannot surpass itself. As Hubbard said, they must beat the UNC Tar Heels to have a chance to face Oregon St. fifth-year captain Jacob Gould said that regardless of the opponent, it is exciting to be able to hold an NCAA tournament.  

"We will continue to have this experience which is really cool," Gould said. "No matter who comes here, just to be able to host and show our football brand to our fans, to play football, to play a big team, it is really exciting, I think." 

'The Cats were defeated by a Vermont team that is no stranger to the cold weather and the Wildcats Stadium. Gould said the two teams that could have come to Darlem on Sunday were not so lucky.  

"They are used to playing on the beautiful grass of a football stadium," Gould said. "And we have been [at Wildcat Stadium] for four or five years. So maybe this gives us a little advantage."  

UNH's 42-2-7 record at Wildcat Stadium shows that the advantages brought by football lines and artificial turf are more than just a little advantage. Gould added the loss to Vermont, but keep going and it will provide plenty of motivation.  

"We are definitely upset about this, but we are very happy to continue playing football and look forward to the game," Gould said. "So I hope we can apply this energy to our next game." 

The next game will be held at the Wildcat Stadium at 2pm on Sunday. Either win or go home, so get ready for a full-scale Wildcat show.  

Photo courtesy of China Yellow 

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