STORRS, Conn. — It was a battle between two dog breeds on Monday night as the UConn men’s soccer team (4-0-1) defeated Siena College (1-2-2) at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium at Rizza Performance Center.
The Huskies were coming off a 2-1 win at Central Connecticut State University on Friday night after putting up a scoreless draw against Long Island University in their previous home game.
It was dead even after the first 45 minutes of play. Each team recorded four shots, but only one for Siena was on target, forcing UConn goalkeeper Max Kerkvliet to make a save. The Saints had two corners to the Huskies’ one.
In the ninth minute, Connecticut had an early chance to break through first as Sabri Hanni’s shot found the crossbar but did not find the back of the net.
However, the sophomore from Paris, France redeemed himself early in the second half, striking a bullet from the right side of the net in the 52nd minute.
Hanni, who plays midfielder for the team, did not see any game action last fall. However, in his first five games on the field for the Huskies, he quickly took the team lead in goals with four in five games. He also has the team lead in points with nine so far.
“He’s doing a good job,” head coach Chris Gbandi said during a postgame interview for the team’s X account. “He’s the one guy that does things a little different for us.”
He also said that when teams scout him and find ways to stop him, it will open up more opportunities for players to contribute.
UConn didn’t give the Saints any chance to breathe after the team’s first goal. Forward Evan Pickering scored his first career goal off a point-blank shot to get past Siena goalkeeper Bennet Glinder. The freshman from Carlsbad, Calif.’s first career goal was assisted by forward Scott Testori and defenseman Kieran Chandler, two Connecticut natives.
Gbandi said following the win that he thought the team played a better second half but was pleased with the overall performance.
“I thought our intensity defensively just picked up,” Gbandi said.
Thanks to an own goal let up by UConn in the 81st minute, Siena was back in the game with a one-goal deficit. However, the Huskies were able to hold off any comeback attempt from the Saints as they remain undefeated this season.
The shot count continued to be a neck-and-neck battle, as both teams had five shots in the second half to finish with nine shots overall. Each goalkeeper had to make a save in the second half. A difference in the second half is that the Huskies had double the number of corners the Saints had, with four compared to two.
It won’t be the only time Siena goes against a Big East team. In fact, in their next game on Friday, they will host Xavier University at Hickey Field in Loudonville, N.Y. In mid-August, they played a scrimmage at Providence College.
Like Siena and taking on Big East foes, it won’t be the last time the Huskies go against a team from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Fairfield University is also on their schedule this season.
As Gbandi said after the win on Friday night against Central Connecticut, the team will look to move on as the Big East is on the horizon now. This was a game that the Huskies were expected to win. Siena now has a losing record and was ranked 124th in the country coming into this game according to Massey Ratings. To compare, UConn was ranked 54th in the country heading into the game.
The Huskies will be on the road for a bit, including to begin their Big East schedule. They have a road game on Friday at Dartmouth College, ranked 138th in the Massey Ratings, before starting Big East play at DePaul University, ranked 123rd in the Massey Ratings. The next time Connecticut will be in front of a home crowd will be Sept. 24 as they host Fairfield, ranked 208th in the country.