Coming off a week of back-to-back draws against Providence and Villanova, the UConn women’s soccer team now looks to finish the regular season off strong against Seton Hall on Thursday. Despite previously looking formidable, the Huskies’ offense has stagnated over the past week, but their defense has remained strong and shouldn’t see much trouble.
The Pirates are coming off a 2-2 draw against Butler last week, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Seton Hall remains just a head above DePaul in last place, and both teams boast only one win in conference play. The Pirates’ offense matches this placement, with the squad averaging under a goal scored per game. Their defense, however, has been relatively solid throughout the season and will be interesting to watch against the Huskies. UConn has yet to lose to the Pirates in its history (13-0 in competitions), and the teams’ matchup last season ended in a 2-1 Huskies victory.
Seton Hall does have the pieces to surprise UConn, with both senior Abbie Roberts and freshman Emma Sheehan having recorded two game winning goals apiece. Senior Grace Gordon will also be a key part of the Pirates’ upset attempt. Gordon is third in the Big East in save percentage, first in saves and first in saves per game. She’s played and started in all games in the past two seasons, so that experience is expected to pay off.
As previously noted, the Huskies are coming off a pair of ties that should’ve probably resulted as wins. UConn still remains one of the best goal-scoring teams in the league, sitting third in the Big East despite adding zero in their past two games. The Huskies look to bounce back to finally support their strong defense, which is fourth in goals allowed and has conceded the fewest fouls. Despite this, they are stuck in the middle of the Big East table.
Sophomore Abbey Jones will be a big piece of UConn’s effort to finish the season with eight wins in conference play. Jones remains a key creator to the team and is second in the conference in assists. With limited creation in recent matches, she might be the difference maker.
Don’t forget to catch the Huskies’ kick-off at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. The game will also be live streamed on FloSports.
