Men’s soccer: UConn hosts Marquette as regular season winds down 

As the season begins to come to a close, UConn takes on another Big East opponent in the Marquette Golden Eagles. Following a disappointing performance against Assumption this past Tuesday, the Huskies will look to right the ship against Marquette heading into the final four games of the season. 

The Huskies rested their starters for the majority of the game against Assumption, looking to give their bench players more experience. Both teams battled and it was the Greyhounds that found the back of the net first. In the 69^th minute, the Greyhounds got their first shot on goal, and it proved to be enough to give them the lead. The goal forced the head coach of the Huskies Chris Gbandi, to bring in his starters with just 20 minutes left in the match. A penalty goal by Adil Iggoute made the teams even, and that’s how it would end.  

Marquette is coming off a tough game as well, losing in the final minute against the Xavier Musketeers at home last Saturday. Both teams held each other scoreless in the first half, and it was Xavier that took the lead first. A 58^th minute penalty kick by Guilherme Vivaldini put the Musketeers on top. Nico Pendleton of the Golden Eagles tied the game late in the second half, but a 90^th minute goal by Xavier’s Jermone Jolly destroyed any chance of a tie.  

Graduate student Brooklyn Merl leads the Golden Eagles in points with 15 (six goals and three assists) while sophomore goalie Ludvig Malberg has four clean sheets. As for the Huskies, Iggoute’s goal against Assumption ties him with Scott Testori in points with eight (both have three goals and two assists).  

UConn holds the all-time head-to-head record at 5-1-2 and is 1-0-1 since rejoining the Big East. Their last matchup came in Milwaukee almost exactly a year prior, resulting in a 1-1 tie between the two schools. The Golden Eagles took the lead at the start of the second half, but UConn’s Scott Testori tied it up with one a piece in the 68^th minute to complete the draw. 

As for Big East play, UConn has fared slightly better with a 2-2 record in conference play against Marquette’s 1-3 record. Georgetown still leads both the East and Midwest Division with a 4-0 conference record and an 8-1-1 record overall.  

The game will be played this Saturday at 7 p.m. at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. For those who can’t attend, Saturday’s game can also be streamed on FloSports.