The final road game of the regular season was not as successful as previous Husky matchups. A battle on the defensive end and a few missed scoring opportunities left both teams with no goals after 90 minutes.
Chioma Okafor, who has not scored in two games, was one of the first Huskies to take a shot but ultimately finished unsuccessful. Sophie McCarthy also took a shot, but the ball made its way into the hands of Villanova goalie Hannah Dickinson.
The Wildcats took their first attempt on net moments later as Madison Shumate’s shot was saved by a jumping Kaitlyn Mahoney. Abbey Jones then pushed the pace for the Huskies, sending a ball to Okafor, who was tackled cleanly in the box. Former Villanova Wildcat Maddie Fried tried to follow up on the play with a header, but the senior’s shot was too high.
Gabby Koluch attempted a shot on goal, which was snagged by Mahoney. Morgan Kotch had a great opportunity after faking her defender out and going the opposite way, but she was tackled before getting a proper shot off. No foul was called, so play continued.
Captain Lucy Cappadona also tried to put the team on the board; however, a header went out of bounds. UConn goaltender Mahoney made another smart play as she left the net to race Alex Little to the ball. The sliding Mahoney beat Little and sent the ball out of play.
Okafor then made an exceptional run at the net, starting from the UConn box all the way to the Villanova box. Although her efforts were unsuccessful, Okafor nailed another shot before the half that was saved by Dickinson.
A defensive first half ended with both teams knotted up 0-0.
The defensive theme continued into the second half as the first five minutes of the half were conservative. Alayna Taylor attempted her first shot for Connecticut, but the ball was deflected before it could make it to the goal.
Villanova’s Elon Rutty then had an opportunity inside the box for the Wildcats, but her shot was deflected by a Husky defender and cleared by UConn.
Although Shumate was then able to get another shot on goal, it was just wide to the left and out of play. The shot was the last real chance for the Wildcats, as the final twenty minutes were controlled by the Huskies in search of their first goal of the day.
Lina Dantes started the chances for Connecticut as she found Okafor for a one-timer in the box. Okafor, who did not have much time to think, fired a shot towards the center of the net, which Dickinson got a finger on to force it out and keep the game scoreless. Anaya Johnson had two shots in the final 10 minutes to try and get the Huskies on the board; however, neither were successful.
UConn almost pulled off a miracle as in the waning moments the ball ended up at the feet of Taylor. The sophomore did not get a clean shot off as there was a defender blocking her path.
Afterwards, the referee blew the final whistle and Connecticut walked away with a single point after the draw. Connecticut had scored in all 15 games prior to Sunday afternoon.
With just two games remaining in the regular season, the Huskies still sit in the middle of the pack in the Big East standings. Finishing with a 3-1-3 road record, UConn aims to finish the season strong in Storrs and punch their ticket to the Big East Tournament.
The next chance for Connecticut to get in the win column is Thursday night against the DePaul Blue Demons.