The University of Connecticut men’s soccer team was shutout in a tough matchup on Saturday versus the No. 8 Bulldogs of Georgetown University, 3-0.
The Huskies were able to challenge their opponent throughout the first half, not allowing the powerful Bulldogs to score any goals. Both sides saw a number of opportunities narrowly slip by as the two teams combined for 10 shot attempts over the first 45 minutes, unable to put one in the net. With each scoreless minute that passed, both Connecticut and Georgetown elevated their intensity; in total, nine fouls were called between the two teams in the first half.
It was the Bulldogs who were the first and only team to strike when play resumed for the second half. In the 50th minute, Kyle Linhares volleyed a pass into the UConn goal box for Maximus Jennings. Jennings elevated for the header, squeezing the ball just out of reach of Connecticut goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert for the score.
Georgetown extended their lead to two in the 61st minute of play. Jacob Murrell had the ball outside of the Connecticut goalbox and volleyed the ball into traffic. UConn’s Josh Morgan attempted to head the ball away and placed the ball at the feet of the Bulldogs’ Trevor Burns right in front of the Husky goal. Burns dumped a short pass off to teammate Marlon Tabora, who converted the short kick for Georgetown’s second score of the contest.
For good measure, the Bulldogs tacked on one more goal in the 71st minute to firmly put away the Huskies. Joe Buck placed a soft pass into the Connecticut goalbox for Tabora. Like a rocket, Tabora stepped up to receive the ball and turned around a rifle into the back of the Husky goal before anyone could blink an eye. It was the second score of the contest for Tabora, who entered Saturday’s match with just one goal on the season. Down by two before the goal, UConn’s defense seemed to lack any intensity on the play, leading to the easy score for Tabora.
“I thought it was a tale of two halves,” UConn head coach Chris Gbandi said after the match. “In the first half, we played pretty well and created some very good chances, we just couldn’t capitalize. In the second half, [Georgetown] had a few chances that they put away… [Our] guys worked hard, they played hard. Obviously, it’s a long season and we still believe that we have a lot to play for so we need to keep our heads up and keep going.”
With the loss, Connecticut drops to 6-5 overall this season, now having lost two games in a row for the first time this year. The loss also makes the team 2-2 in Big East conference play. Meanwhile, the win moves Georgetown to 8-1-1 on the year; they are now a perfect 4-0 versus Big East opponents.
Over the course of the match, the Huskies actually outshot Georgetown 17 to 11 but were unable to capitalize on any of their attempts. In the goal, Hibbert was able to corral three saves for Connecticut while the Bulldogs’ Ryan Schewe also tallied three saves over the entire 90 minutes of play. UConn attempted more corner kicks (10-5) and committed more fouls (14-10) than Georgetown in the contest.
The Huskies will look back to their winning ways as they return home to host the Greyhounds of Assumption University this Tuesday. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium in Storrs, Connecticut. Fans can watch the Huskies live with a subscription to UConn+.