KUA (3) @ Vermont Academy (5)

On a tough away trip to Vermont Academy, the Wildcats battled hard on unfamiliar grass, ultimately falling 5–3 in an intense contest.

KUA nearly struck first in the opening thirty seconds when Alex broke through the back line and found himself 1v1 with the keeper, only to see his effort miss the mark. Alex would more than make up for it later, showing composure on two rare indirect free kicks inside the Vermont box—both calmly slotted into the net through traffic, with clever setups from Tomoki and Eli. KUA’s third goal came off a well-worked corner routine: Dani deflecting a sharp corner from Alex, into the mixer, and Rory coolly finished with the inside of his foot at the far post.

Despite KUA’s attacking creativity, the match swung on penalties. The referee awarded Vermont Academy three penalties, all converted despite Marco’s brilliant reads in goal—he guessed correctly and even got hands to each attempt, but the strikes were well-placed.

The Wildcats showed grit and attacking flair, but the penalty margin proved decisive. With the likelihood of a rematch later this season, KUA will take confidence from creating chances and finding the net from open play and set pieces alike.