After a thrilling 2-0 victory on the road against Creighton last Sunday, UConn hits the road once again. This time, it is a rematch with the No. 20 team in the country, the Georgetown Hoyas.
Georgetown came to Storrs in late September and handed Connecticut its first loss in Big East play. Two early scores proved to be the difference as Lizzie Heller and Maja Lardner both netted goals within the first 12 minutes of play. UConn’s star Chioma Okafor responded with a breakaway goal on a smooth center pass from captain Abbey Jones, mere minutes after the pair of Georgetown goals. Unfortunately, that would be the lone Connecticut goal, as goalkeeper Anna Karpenko subbed in for the second half and shut down the Huskies offense from that point on. The Hoyas would tack on a third goal as Natalie Means broke free of her defender and scored the dagger.
A story started brewing late in the 3-1 defeat to Georgetown. With 13 minutes left, reigning Big East Goalkeeper of the Year Kaitlyn Mahoney was pulled from the game and replaced by senior Marykate Ward. Mahoney was subsequently benched for two games in hopes that she would be ready to play upon return. Mahoney has been nails since her two-game hiatus, allowing only three goals in six games. UConn is 4-1-1 since Mahoney’s resurgence and is streaking at the perfect time coming into Thursday’s contest.
Connecticut and Georgetown have had their fair share of matches in the Big East Tournament, dating back to 1999. The Huskies took the first two at home before losing at Morrone Stadium in 2007. UConn bounced back with a win on the road in the 2008 tournament and returned to Washington D.C. in 2021 to announce their return to the Big East Tournament in style.
The Huskies lost a heartbreaking match to the Hoyas at neutral site Maryland SoccerPlex last year. Connecticut was holding their ground for most of the game but could not get the ball past Georgetown goalie Allie Augur. The lone goal came at the start of the second half when Tatum Lenain put one through in the 47th minute. The Hoyas beat Xavier in the Big East Tournament finals and advanced to the round of 32 in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
It has been eight years since the Huskies played in the NCAA women’s soccer Tournament. With a win on Thursday, UConn can almost guarantee a tournament berth for the first time since 2016. Last year, three Big East teams made it, including Providence, who lost to Xavier in the Big East Tournament semifinals and still earned a tournament spot. If Connecticut can beat a ranked team away from home, it would be a massive resume boost for the voting committee to acknowledge.
For the second year in a row, the game will be played at Maryland SoccerPlex and kickoff time is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.