For the first time in 14 years, the UConn men’s soccer team will be playing for a Big East conference championship.
The No. 3 seed Huskies (10-3-4) took down No. 2 seed University of Akron (11-3-3) by a score of 2-1 in a come from behind win in the Big East semifinals Thursday night.
“We’ve worked so hard all season, and we’re finally showing that we deserve to win a championship,” said freshman Preston Alessio in a postgame interview with ESPN. Alessio scored the game-winning goal for UConn.
Most of UConn’s offensive production came in the second half. The Huskies did not make redshirt senior goalkeeper Mitch Budler work very hard in the first period, not getting a shot off until over 30 minutes into the contest. UConn repeatedly looked to work the ball through the right side with junior Ayoub Lajhar and senior Charlie Holmes.
Budler, the 2025 Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, made an easy save on UConn’s only shot of the first period. Senior forward Austin Brummett put one in the air with Budler out of goal, but Budler recovered with plenty of time to spare.
Akron got six shots off in the first half, but redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Durham kept them off the board. The All-Big East second team selection snuffed out a late corner attempt by coming off his line and picking the ball out of the air over multiple Akron players.
“I think we’ve got to be a little bit better with our passing,” said Akron head coach Jared Embick in a half-time interview with ESPN. “A couple key moments where we had some space, we didn’t deliver the pass.”
Akron showed immediate improvement in their passing coming out of the locker room.
Sophomore Jack Roman sent a pass from the left side near the end line towards the middle of the goal area. 2025 Big East Offensive Player of the Year Stefan Dobrijevic tipped it towards redshirt freshman Thomas O’Rourke, who put it away passed an outstretched Durham.
UConn finally broke through when Lajhar sent a ball towards the middle of the pitch, where he found Brummett streaking towards the goal. Brummett sent it into the top left corner to tie the game at one a piece.
With the score even and Akron struggling to respond to the UConn equalizer, the game began to get a bit chippy between the two teams. UConn senior defender Khaya Roudette-Gregory shoved Remi Agunbiade to the ground and proceeded to step over him, prompting a yellow card from the referee.
UConn was assessed with a second yellow card when Lajhar collided with O’Rourke while attempting to corral a pass. Lajhar tried to let up but hit O’Rourke in the neck with both hands, leaving O’Rourke on the ground.
Despite the penalty-induced setbacks, it was UConn who struck next.
Graduate student Balthazar Saunders sent a pass into the box in the direction of Brummett, who slipped moving to receive the pass. Freshman Preston Alessio backed up Brummett and sent the pass screaming on the ground towards the bottom right corner for UConn’s second score of the game.
“In the first half, we kind of won the ball and then played it back,” said Alessio in the postgame interview with ESPN. “Versus [in the] second half, we were more direct and urgent to get a goal.”
Akron pressured the UConn defensive half heavily in the last two minutes, with Budler leaving the net to add an extra offensive player for the Zips. Senior Ashten Camden attempted to drive down the left side with less than a minute left, but Plummett slid in and sent the ball ricocheting off Camden’s leg and out of bounds, essentially ending the game.
The Huskies head back to the Big East Championship for the first time since 2011 and the first time under Head Coach Chris Gbandi. For Akron, Thursday’s loss marks the second time in two seasons that the Zips have lost in the Big East semifinals.
UConn will be back in action Sunday for the Big East Championship game at noon at the Maryland SoccerPlex. They will take on the winner of the Georgetown-Providence semifinal matchup (not yet played at the time of writing). That game will stream live on ESPN+.