After suffering its first loss of the season, the UConn Huskies women’s soccer team (1-1) returns to campus for the first time in 11 days to face the Army Black Knights (0-3-1), who have yet to win a match this season.
It’s Huskies & Heroes Night, their first since 2021, where UConn beat Marquette 3-0. This night honors service members and veterans from all branches of the military for what they have done for the country. UConn provides them with an opportunity to be recognized and spend time with friends and family without having to purchase tickets.
It will be Army’s third match in the past week, suffering a shutout loss at Wagner last week and a 3-2 loss to Auburn on Sunday. They took the lead multiple times against the Tigers, but could not score in the second half.
Army midfielder Brigid Duffy is one to look out for tonight, as the sophomore was responsible for both goals against Auburn. With that performance, she became the first Patriot League player to have a multi-point game against an SEC opponent since 2017.
Other scorers to look out for include defender Jordan Follenweider and forward Jasmine Talley, while midfielder Kaelan Bradley, defender Elizabeth Oberhaus and forward Kaitlin Palaian all have recorded an assist so far this season.
The Black Knights are statistically inferior to UConn, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be tough to beat; they allow fewer shots on goal per game (10.5) and were selected to finish second in the Patriot League preseason poll. They also foul more, which can intimidate opponents.
Goaltender Sage Strohman has been the only player in the net for Army but is not faring well statistically. She allows 1.75 goals per game, which is tied for eighth out of 10 goalies in the Patriot League. She has only 12 saves in four games, which is also tied for eighth in the conference.
Another Okafor is leading the Huskies as forward Chioma Okafor leads the team with a goal and an assist in the first two games of the season. Forwards Cara Jordan and Abbey Jones have also scored goals so far this season.
Despite senior Kaitlyn Mahoney already recording a shutout this season, she only averages one goal allowed (eighth in Big East) through two games, with seven saves (tied for ninth in Big East). Her save percentage (.778) ranks tied for last in the conference. However, she averages 3.5 saves per game, which is fourth in the Big East so far. It’s early in the season, but the two goalies’ statistics make it seem like we could be in for a high-scoring match tonight.
Last year, the two teams tied to open the 2022 season in West Point, New York. Jones, a junior from Nottingham, England, scored the only goal in that matchup. Overall, UConn has fared well against Army, with a 2-0-1 record.
Connecticut has already faced a Patriot League team against Boston University, where they shut them out 2-0 earlier this month. However, this will be the last time they face a team from that conference this season, with four more games in the non-conference schedule after tonight.
Army’s road trip doesn’t end in Storrs, as they’ll quickly travel to face Princeton before returning to their home along the Hudson River.
The Huskies will stay at home after facing the Black Knights, continuing a three-game home stretch on Sunday against the University of New Hampshire.
Tonight’s match will begin at 7 p.m. from Morrone Stadium, but the game is available to stream on UConn+ for thoseunable to make tonight’s game.
