Cal State Fullerton (2-3) is the first of four straight home games for the UConn women’s soccer team. These programs will square away this Thursday, Sep. 5 at 7 p.m.
The Titans went 8-5-7 in 2023 and claimed the number one seed in the Big West Tournament before losing 1-0 to the eventual tournament winners, UC Irvine, in the tournament semifinals. Cal State Fullerton come to Storrs on a three-game losing streak, including a 1-0 loss at the hands of the No. 2 ranked team in the country, Stanford. This is the first matchup between the Huskies and the Titans.
The goalie leads the way for CSF, as redshirt junior Mia Ranson took home all the hardware last season, winning Big West Goalkeeper of the Year and earning All-Big West first team honors. Forward Kaylee Noble is returning for her sophomore campaign after being the third Titan ever named Big West Freshman of the Year.
Three other players earned All-Big West first team honors. The junior tandem of midfielder Bella Cruz and defender Kaylin Raibon are joined by senior Makenna McGil on the first team.
Connecticut went 7-1-3 at home last season, but they have yet to enter the win column at Morrone Stadium this season. UConn tied with Vermont in their home opener and lost to Wisconsin, 2-1, in their last home fixture on Aug. 22. The latter game was also the final time the Huskies allowed a goal, as the reigning Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, graduate student Kaitlyn Mahoney, has made three saves over the past two games. Both games were winning efforts, versus University of New Hampshire and Boston University, and gave UConn a solid 2-1-1 record.
Junior forward Chioma Okafor leads the team with a pair of goals, while four other Huskies are tied for second, with one goal apiece. Other goal scorers include freshman forward Naia Ocio and junior transfer Lina Dantes from DePaul.
The team captains for the 2024 season are senior defender Yasmin Rosewell, senior forward Abbey Jones, and graduate midfielder Lucy Cappadona.
Jones, of Nottingham, England, was named All-Big East third team in 2023 after racking up four goals and a team-high four assists. She has already found the back of the net and tallied an assist in just four games this season.
Cappadona returns for her second season as captain and is fresh off a second team All-Big East nod. Her leadership on the defensive end, along with Mahoney’s skills in net, led to 11 shutouts last season—tied for 15th in all of Division I soccer.
Another key defensive anchor is Massachusetts native Yasmin Rosewell. The third captain will see a massive increase in playing time this season and will continue to gain the trust of head coach Margret Rodriguez, returning for her 7th season.
Thursday is student appreciation night at Morrone Stadium and the game can also be watched on UConn+.