After racking up a 0-0 draw versus Providence last weekend, the UConn men’s soccer team (8-3-4) will return to Storrs this Saturday, Nov. 1, to take on Butler (5-9-1) for the UConn’s annual senior night.
Despite neither Providence nor UConn not being able to put a point up on the board, the Huskies still earned a point towards Big East standings.
On Saturday, the squad will honor seniors and graduate students Adam Carter, Khaya Roudette-Gregory, Nicolas Tomerius, Marco Valentic, Austin Brummett, Balthazar Saunders, Charlie Holmes and Elijah Hope.
The last time Butler and UConn faced each other was last year on Oct. 24, when the Huskies took the shutout win 1-0, thanks to a goal by former Husky Scott Testori.
On Butler’s squad, the Huskies will have to look out for a player who was not on the squad last year. That player is freshman Aiden Benitez, who leads the team with 12 points, comprised of four goals and four assists.
In order to shut down Benitez from scoring any goals against the Huskies this weekend, it will be beneficial for the Huskies to have goalkeeper Kyle Durham at their disposal.
Durham put on a performance against the Friars, putting up six saves on the night and earning his seventh shutout of the season. This was the fifth time the New York native Big East Goalkeeper of the Week accomplished that feat this season.
In addition to Durham, seniors Tomerius and Valentic also had a successful night, but on the offensive side of things. They both notched two shots on the day, including one shot on goal.
“There’s still a lot of work for us to get into the conference tournament, but RPI-wise we’re sitting in a good place,” Head coach Chris Gbandi said on the program’s X, formerly known as Twitter, pageafter the game against Providence, “And certainly, for the last remaining games, we know we have to find a way to get results.”
With just under two games left in the regular season, the Huskies have a tall task ahead of them with this match against Butler, as they are just a short stretch away from earning a berth to the Big East Tournament.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1, from Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. If Husky fans cannot make it to the pitch, they can stream the match on ESPN+.