Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

BURLINGTON – Caitlin Bucksbaum broke a 2-2 tie with a goal in the 82nd minute to lift the New Hampshire Wildcats to a 3-2 victory over Vermont in America East women’s soccer action at Virtue Field on Thursday.

New Hampshire improves to 4-5-3 overall and remains unbeaten in America East (2-0-0). Vermont falls to 4-5-1 and suffers its first league loss (1-1-0).

New Hampshire gained a 1-0 advantage in the 21st minute after a misplayed touch from a UVM player resulted in an own goal.

The Wildcats held onto the 1-0 advantage for the remainder of the half as the teams headed into the break.

Vermont answered quickly to open the second half scoring just 47 seconds into the stanza. Colby Snyder slipped a ball from the top of the penalty box to Nikki McFarland who got behind the UNH defense and beat Wildcat goalkeeper Mimi Borkan in a one-on-one situation.

The Catamounts took a 2-1 lead in the 55th minute behind an individual effort by McFarland. She beat a defender and fired in a shot from well inside the penalty area to net her second goal of the contest and fifth of the season.

New Hampshire came back to level the score in the 68th minute. Caroline Murray’s corner kick was tipped by UVM goalkeeper Ally Ramos, but Kirsten O’Neil was able to finish off the volley to knot the game up at 2-2.

The Wildcats’ game-winner was a combination play between Brooke Murphy and Bucksbaum. Murphy laid a ball off to Bucksbaum who was able to bury a shot from close range.

UNH finished the game with a 13-11 edge in shots. Borkan made five saves in the New Hampshire net, while Ramos was credited with seven stops for Vermont.

The Catamounts travel to UMBC for the first conference road game of the year on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Catonsville, Maryland. The game will be streamed online for free via the America East Digital Network at AmericaEast.tv.