UConn men’s soccer team players, coaches and staff stand on the sideline at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium prior to the team’s game against Rhode Island in Storrs, Connecticut on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (Jason Jiang/The Daily Campus)
The UConn men’s soccer team (3-4-4) will try to end their five-game winless streak against the Louisville Cardinals (4-5-3) Tuesday night on the road at Lynn Stadium.
UConn dropped another conference game Saturday night at Westcott Field to American Conference leader SMU. UConn was unable to register a goal for the sixth time this season, despite having 11 shots and six corner kicks in the match. The Huskies are currently (0-3-1) in conference play.
Today’s matchup marks the seventh time the Huskies and Cardinals have met since 2005. The Huskies hold a (4-1-1) all-time record in the series. However, the last time the two teams took the field in 2013, they finished in a 2-2 draw. Former UConn striker and current Orlando City forward, Cyle Larin, scored the equalizer to force the draw.
Louisville enters Tuesday in a funk of their own. They are currently riding a three game losing streak. The Cardinals have had a brutal schedule to start the 2015 season. Louisville has faced five ranked (1-3-1) opponents in their first 12 games.
The Huskies have played mediocre soccer against non-conference opponents, holding down a (3-1-3) record. Some of their best moments of the season came from their wins over Harvard (Sept. 10), UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 13) and Rhode Island (Sept. 19). It appeared the Huskies were over their drought during this three-game winning streak. However, that proved not to be the case.
The Huskies scored more goals in those three games than they have in their other eight games combined. UConn head coach Ray Reid has acknowledged the team has not found the net, but has assured the media that the goals will come. He has continued to say the team needs to capitalize on opportunities.
“We had plenty of opportunities,” Reid said after the Memphis game. “If you don’t bury them, they come back to haunt you like it did tonight. We got to do better finishing off all of the things we’re creating.”
One concern for the Huskies this season has been the number of overtime games the team has played. UConn has already played five, but fitness has not seemed to be a problem so far.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with fitness,” said UConn defender Andrew Geres. “We dominate the game of possession and we just need to take our chances more clinically.”
Eddie Leonard is a staff writer for The Daily Campus, covering UConn men’s soccer. He tweets @EddieLeonard23.
