Defender Elliott Ackroyd dribbes up the field against St. Francis College at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium on Aug. 30, 2015. The Huskies drew the Terriers 0-0. (Amar Batra/The Daily Campus)
The UConn men’s soccer team earned a 0-0 draw (2OT) in their season opener the against St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers on Friday night at Morrone Stadium.
Both teams struggled offensively during Friday’s match, as neither team was able to record more than one shot for the first 25 minutes of play. However, UConn would finish with a 10-7 shot advantage.
Corner kicks proved to be Connecticut’s kryptonite in the opener as the Huskies failed to convert on any of their 12 corner attempts.
“We sent the ball in the box,” UConn defender Jakob Nerwinski said. “We just couldn’t get it to go in. We are disappointed in how we played, but it is a learning experience.”
One of the UConn’s best scoring chances came from Nerwinski in the 52nd minute when he beat two defenders on the right side before sending a quick pass to Kwame Awuah at the top of the box. However, Awuah lost control of the ball when two Terriers quickly met him on the field.
UConn senior Nicholas Zuniga almost put the Huskies up again in the 74th minute when he fired a beautiful curling shot from 25 yards that was saved by the Terriers’ goalkeeper Jack Binks.
The offensive stalemate continued through both overtime periods. The Huskies managed to get two shots on net in extra time but neither could seal the deal. UConn head coach Ray Reid said that the team is a work in progress, but that doesn’t mean there should be any excuses.
“These are a young group of guys that have to go through battles,” Reid said. “There should not be any first game jitters. If there are, then they should be playing at another school.”
One concern UConn soccer fans will have this season is the health of sophomore defender Dylan Greenberg. Greenberg went down early in the first half with what appeared to be a collar bone injury. He walked off the field but did not return for the rest of the game. He announced on social media Saturday that he would be out for the rest of the season with a broken collar bone.
UConn will host Quinnipiac in their next game that is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. on Monday Aug. 31.
Eddie Leonard is a staff writer for The Daily Campus, covering UConn men’s soccer. He tweets @EddieLeonard23.
