The UConn Huskies (10-4-4, 4-3-3) ended their regular season by securing their spot in the postseason tournament with a 1-0 win against the Seton Hall Pirates (4-11-3, 1-6-2) on Senior Night.
With so much at play, such a spot in the conference tournament, the pressure fueled UConn to put on a strong offensive effort early in the half, especially in their final game at home and of the season. The dominance displayed by the Huskies left Seton Hall scrambling to get anything started. In the 17th minute, junior Chioma Okafor nearly got a shot into the net with a header. The momentum never left UConn’s side and in the 19th minute, defender Laci Lewis buried one in with a right-foot shot to put the Huskies into the lead. For Lewis, this marked her first career goal.
The Pirates’ offense had a few opportunities, but the UConn defense shut down any chances. Okafor’s agility could not be detained by the Seton Hall defense, and she got a shot off in the 26th minute. However, it went over the crossbar. The Huskies’ leading goal scorer was keen on making this a blowout game.
The remainder of the half had both teams gridlocked. Mainly in the midfield, UConn was trying to recapture the early pressure of their frontline while Seton Hall was trying to find a response to their one-goal deficit. At the death of the half, UConn nearly doubled their lead with a shot within the penalty area by senior Maddie Fried. However, it was deflected by the Pirates right outside the box.
Once the second half began, the Huskies quickly regained the momentum that made them so dominant early on. In the opening minutes, Okafor once again created shooting opportunities, but they were stopped. Minutes later, the Pirates miraculously stopped multiple shots made by the Huskies that were sure to go in. Seton Hall narrowly avoided another goal and kept the fixture still in play for them. The game continued to be played well inside the penalty box area. The Pirates were able to hold off the onslaught of shots by UConn, many of which should have found themselves into the net.
Seton Hall was not going away; however, they were able to find some breakthroughs through the Huskies’ defense. The Pirates saw their first shot of the half in the 63rd minute, but it was off target and Connecticut quickly rebounded to find their rhythm and apply offensive pressure.
UConn’s ability to gain possession of the ball after Seton Hall’s attempts was consistent throughout the game. They also were proficient in creating great breakaways. In the 79th minute, Okafor was the one to take advantage and capitalized on the breakaway by making a shot, but again, it was off target. Things worsened for the Pirates when in the 83rd minute, Seton Hall player Brina Micheels received a yellow card.
While the game was slipping away for Seton Hall, UConn was still looking to bury the Pirates and increase their lead. In the 85th minute, Naia Ocio had an open net but slipped and her shot was off target. As the clock winded down to 90, Seton Hall continued to push the UConn defense in their effort to preserve the lead. In the closing minutes, goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mahoney had to come out of her area to save a shot and avoid a late-game equalizer. The Connecticut defense prevailed at the end and UConn earned a crucial three points that secured their postseason campaign.
With this win, the Huskies became the fifth team to secure a berth in the post-season tournament. While they have their bye for the last matchday of the season, the possibility of hosting the first round of the conference tournament will be in the hands of the other results on Thursday. The first round of the Big East Tournament is slated to begin on Nov. 3.