UConn freshman forward Abdou Mbacke Thiam dribbles downfield during the Huskies’ game against UC Santa Barbara at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. (Amar Batra/The Daily Campus)
The UConn men’s soccer team (5-5-4) will conclude regular season road play on Saturday, Oct. 24 against the Tulsa Hurricane (6-6-2).
The Huskies head into Saturday’s game fresh off an important conference victory against the Temple Owls. Freshman forward Abdou Mbacke Thiam netted two goals for the Huskies at Ambler Sports Complex to improve their conference record to (2-3-1).
“He’s starting to get better. We know he’s very talented. He’s adjusted to being in America, he’s adjusted to having two games a week, four practices a week,” said UConn head coach Ray Reid. “He’s making his improvements and we know he’s going to be a good one for us.”
UConn goalkeeper Scott Levene also had a big game for the Huskies Wednesday. The red-shirt sophomore recorded his fifth shutout of the season.
The Hurricane head into Saturday with a conference loss to SMU in their rearview mirror. The No. 12 Mustangs handed Tulsa a 3-2 defeat on Wednesday.
The Hurricane have not had much luck against ranked opponents this year. They are (0-5-1) against ranked teams, three of those teams being in the top five.
Saturday marks the fourth time the two programs have met since 2008. UConn holds a 2-0-1 series edge. The Huskies won the last game 2-0 on Oct. 11.
The most recent NCAA rankings have the Huskies ranked No. 2 in the American and No. 31 nationally with .80 goals against average. This ranking has been a testament to UConn’s stellar defense. They have played very well despite the lack of offensive production this year.
“I sense that it’s coming with this group. Training has been great the last three weeks,” Reid said. “We have a young team, so we have to teach them how to train, about the environment and culture (at UConn). The last three weeks it’s been a lot better. We have got to start burying chances. It’s a very simple thing. We’ve had plenty of chances; we’ve been dangerous. We just have to take advantage of it.”
Kickoff at Hurricane Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
Eddie Leonard is a staff writer for The Daily Campus, covering UConn men’s soccer. He tweets @EddieLeonard23.
