The Men’s Soccer team face off against the Memphis Tigers for Senior Night on Saturday Oct. 28. Although UConn outshot the Tigers 16-12, the Huskies came up short, losing 2-1. (Jon Sammis/The Daily Campus)
The UConn men’s soccer team will play their final home game of the regular season Tuesday when they host Yale.
The Huskies (7-6-2, 4-2-0 in the American) have been reeling as of late, currently on a three-game losing streak following a nine-game run. The team lost one and catapulted itself into the No. 25 spot in the country.
Saturday, the Huskies lost 2-1 at home to American Athletic Conference rival Memphis. UConn got off to an early lead after freshman Nicolas Apostol scored. In the second half, the Tigers roared back with two goals to win the match. As has been the case this season, the Huskies outshot their opponent but could not capitalize on their chances.
“We’ve gotta regroup and get ready for Yale,” head coach Ray Reid said following Saturday’s match.
Yale (4-8-1, 1-3-1 in the Ivy League) is coming into the match on a two-game losing streak and has lost four of their last six. Last time out, the Bulldogs lost to Columbia 1-0 on the road. Yale has only won once on the road this season and will be hoping to pick up another against their in-state rivals.
The Bulldogs are a very balanced team and have five players with two goals each. In addition to two tallies, junior Kyle Kenagy has three assists on the season.
UConn won the matchup between the two last season 1-0 with an Abdou Mbacke Thiam goal and boast an 40-26-4 all-time record against the Bulldogs in a series that dates back to 1935. The Huskies last lost to an Ivy League opponent in 2010, when they lost to Brown in a penalty kick in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The last time UConn lost to an in-state rival was in 2006, when they fell to Fairfield 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament as well.
Despite ranking first in average attendance (3,688) in the country, the Huskies have gone 4-5-2 at home this season.
UConn returns to action when they take on SMU in their final match of the regular season. A win would land the Huskies the top spot in the American, although they have already clinched a spot in the conference tournament. The Huskies will likely need to win the tournament in order to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Antonio Salazar is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at antonio.salazar@uconn.edu.
