After their fourth 0-0 draw of the season against Bryant on Tuesday Oct. 15, the UConn men’s soccer team (7-2-4) is set to take on the Butler Bulldogs (3-7-3) in Indianapolis on Saturday night.
The history between these two Big East foes dates to 2021, where the Bulldogs shut out the Huskies on their home turf. Since then, they have only faced one other time on Sept. 24, 2022, where the Bulldogs beat the Huskies in Storrs 4-1.
A Butler player the Huskies will have to look out for is junior forward Josemir Gomez who has 16 points this season, with seven goals and two assists.
Like the Huskies, the Bulldogs have had tough stretch these past few weeks and are currently on a six-game losing streak. Their most recent loss against Seton Hall last Saturday resulted in a score of 2-1.
The Huskies have not scored a goal since their shutout win against Villanova on Oct. 4 and are looking to shake off the rust and get themselves in the win column again.
In order to win this matchup, the Huskies will need to utilize their best offensive player, senior Scott Testori, and couple that momentum with persistent defense from sophomore Kieran Chandler.
During Tuesday’s matchup against Bryant, Testori had great opportunities, but none of them seemed to connect to the net, especially his two chances in the late end of the second half.
“I think it was one of those games where we had a lot of ball, a lot of chances and just couldn’t put it away,” head coach Chris Gbandi said on an interview posted on the team’s Twitter page. “I think it’s been our Achilles’ heel at home this year, we just haven’t been able to put the ball in the back of the net. Overall, it was a decent performance despite not putting the ball in the back of the net.”
Gbandi also touched on how to get more wins as their season winds down and they pursue the Big East Championship. He said that he wants more performances similar to the Bryant game in terms of intensity and physicality.
If the Huskies take advantage of their solid defensive skills and maintain consistency in Butler’s box, that will help them shake off the challenges of the past few weeks, especially before they face tough Big East opponents in their schedule.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Bud and Jane Sellick Bowl. If Husky fans wish to tune into the match, they can do so by streaming it on Flo Sports.