UConn welcomes the Villanova Wildcats for their third Big East game of the season. The occurrence marks just the third time since 2006 that Villanova will play here in Storrs. In the last matchup between these schools, Eli Conway gave the Huskies the lead with a 76th minute score as the Huskies secured the 1-0 victory on the road. UConn leads the all-time head-to-head record at 14-4, but Villanova has won two out of three games since the Huskies rejoined the Big East in 2020. Here’s how each team has been doing recently.
In their last game, UConn had a three-game winning streak snapped following a loss to Seton Hall. The Pirates took an early lead and looked to have the game under control after going up 3-0. Two second half goals by Max Gummesson and Nicolas Tomerius brought the Huskies within one late in the match, but an 89th minute penalty kick put the comeback to rest. It marked the first Big East loss for the Huskies this season, giving them a 1-1 conference record following a win against St. John’s a few weeks back.
Villanova comes into Storrs having struggled in the first few weeks. The Wildcats started the year 0-3-3 until they finally won their game against Providence in their game last Saturday. What started to look like another tough loss for Villanova ultimately became an impressive win. Both teams traded blows in the first 25 minutes of play to tie the game at 2-2. A 69th minute goal by Pearse O’Brien gave the Friars the lead heading into the later stages of the game, but the Wildcats proved to be resilient. Marcus Brenes tied the game up in the 77th minute with his second goal of the game, and Balthi Saunders scored the game winner in the 88th minute to earn Villanova their first win of the season.
Scott Testori (three goals, two assists) and Balthi Saunders (three goals, two assists) lead UConn and Villanova in points, respectively. As a unit, UConn is outscoring opponents 18 to 11 on the year while Villanova has been outscored 14 to 9. Both teams are tied in the Big East standings with a conference record of 1-1.
Gametime for tonight’s game is set for 7 p.m. at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. For those attending the game, the theme is “Bleed Blue, Wear White.” If you cannot make it to the game, it can be streamed on FloSports.