After a heartbreaking first loss of the season to the Vermont Catamounts on Tuesday night, the UConn men’s soccer team (7-1-3) is set to face Georgetown (5-3-4) on Saturday in Storrs.
The Hoyas are coming into this matchup after a recent scoreless draw against University of Maryland, Baltimore County on Tuesday night and a 3-0 shutout win over Providence last Friday.
Since Georgetown occupies the No. 2 spot in the East Division Big East, just below Connecticut, they may be the toughest conference opponent the Huskies face this season.
The history between the Huskies and the Hoyas dates all the way back to 1990, but the most recent time these two teams faced each other was on Nov. 9 of last year. In the matchup, Connecticut was shut out by Georgetown 2-0, with the Hoyas scoring their two points in the second half of the match.
Another important thing to note is that the Huskies have not won a single match against the Hoyas since 2012.
A player the Huskies will have to look out for is freshman forward Mitchell Baker who leads his team in points. The native of Melbourne, Australia, has notched four goals and two assists in the 10 games played throughout his first-year campaign.
Baker has made himself the focal point of the team’s offense and is just one of the Hoyas’ competitors that will require the Huskies to play their hardest in order to add another win to their season resume.
One of Connecticut’s secret weapons is freshman goalkeeper Max Kerkvliet. The two-time Big East Freshman of the Week has been a constant for the Huskies and was their saving grace versus a tough Vermont team.
Kerkvliet has a 0.848% save percentage on the season so far and will be one of the key parts for Connecticut to take this win.
Georgetown is the beginning of many tough opponents that Connecticut will have to face in the latter half of their season. Along with Kerkvliet, players like Scott Testori, Eli Conway and Sabri Hanni will have to step up on the offensive side of the ball. This also includes Kwame Adu-Gyamfi who has also been consistent about the midfield line for the Huskies.
Kickoff between these two Big East Foes is scheduled for 7 p.m., under the lights at Joseph J. Morrone Field for a whiteout game. If Husky fans cannot make it to the match, they can tune in through the UConn+ livestream.