After a two-game homestand with both matches ending in a 0-0 draw, the UConn men’s soccer team (6-0-3) is set to travel to Philadelphia this Friday to face the Villanova Wildcats (0-5-4).
The last time these Big East foes faced each other was last year on Sept. 29, when the Huskies shut the Wildcats out 1-0. In this game, sophomore defender Kieran Chandler would scored his first goal of his collegiate career, which would also be the game winning goal.
The Huskies are coming off of a top 25 matchup at home against Seton Hall, where neither team got themselves up on the board, ending in a 0-0 draw.
With the team coming into this matchup hungry for a win, a player they’ll have to look out for is forward Balthi Saunders, who has 16 points in his 2024-2025 campaign and is the main force of the Wildcats’ offense.
Freshman goalkeeper Max Kerkvliet is coming into this matchup after receiving the Big East Freshman of the Week award. Just to list some things off his resume, he’s eleventh in the country for shutouts, fourth in the country in save percentage and has already received Big East Goalkeeper of the Week.
To win this match, Connecticut will need to be persistent and aggressive, not only on the defensive side of the ball, but on the offensive side as well.
Sophomore Sabri Hanni and junior Eli Conway both still sit at the top of list, leading their team in points, but have yet to see the ball connect to the net for the past few games.
Not only does the team need their star players to step up, but their behind-the-scenes players will need to as well, like senior Scott Testori, who acts as quarterback in setting up goal opportunities for his teammates.
The team often finds themselves in scoring slumps, specifically in the first half of matches, but with Villanova not having won a single game so far this season, this will be an easy game for the Huskies to get themselves back in the swing of things.
With Connecticut looking to build on their unbeaten streak, this game is a must-win for UConn. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. from the Higgins Soccer Complex. If Husky fans wish to tune into the match, they can do so by streaming in on FloFC.