David Ismail provided the offense. Niklas Herceg pitched a shutout. And Islam Houssni was among the newcomers to impress.
It's hard to argue for a better way to kick off Adrian Dubois' head-coaching debut with Vermont soccer.
Behind Imail's two goals including a brilliant half-volley strike late in regulation, Herceg's clean sheet and Houssni's poise on the back line and clinical passing, the No. 13-ranked Catamounts turned back George Mason for a 2-0 victory on Thursday, Aug. 20, in front of 2,125 at Virtue Field.
"Fantastic," Dubois said of the 1-0 start to his Catamount era. "I thought the boys were unbelievable ... the energy, the collective spirit. Yeah, it was a really good game by the boys.
"Everyone in the organization has done an incredible job," said Dubois, who was on former head coach Rob Dow's Vermont staff from 2019-2023. "It feels great to get this win for the university, it feels great to get this win for the community."
Houssni, a 6-foot-2 outside back from Morocco, picked up two assists in his first official Catamount game. He was also part of a brand-new starting back line with Stepan Fiker and Jean-David Mougenot Koffi who limited the Patriots to just two shots on target, none in the first half.
Houssni also set up Vermont's first goal. Staying true to their game plan to attack George Mason's high line, Houssni, from his left-back postion, pinged a perfect ball over the top to Philipp Schmidtke for a breakaway chance. Schmidtke fought off a defender, cut back and slid a pass at the top of the box for Ismail, who knocked a shot inside the right post for a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute.
"We knew if we timed it well, put the right guy in behind, it was going to hurt them," Dubois said.
THE BIG MAN DAVID ISMAIL COLLECTS THE CATAMOUNTS' FIRST GOAL OF THE SEASON!!
Vermont takes the 1-0 lead 😼#LetsRallypic.twitter.com/cbdgRPugFL
In the 62nd minute, George Mason goalie Jack Desroches received a red card for handling the ball outside his box. Desroches exited for backup Angel Hernandez and George Mason played with 10 field players for the remainder of the match which freed up even more space for Vermont to send runners.
Houssni's vision, again, helped the Catamounts double their advantage. His curling, lefty chip into the box swung over George Mason defenders, falling to Ismail, who waited for the ball to bounce up before unloading a rocket into the back of the net in the 76th minute.
"The most important thing is to win and that's what we did (Thursday)," Ismail.
David Ismail. 🤯
First game of 2026, first BRACE of the season for 1⃣3⃣
And how bout that feed from Islam Houssni 😮💨
Catamounts take a 2-0 lead 😼#LetsRallypic.twitter.com/j57WUr58F8
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: David Ismail powers Vermont soccer in Adrian Dubois' debut
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