The UConn men’s soccer team fell 3-0 to the Maryland Terps in their Sweet 16 matchup, eliminating them from the NCAA tournament.
After an impressive regular season, UConn played in the Big East tournament where they made it to the finals and lost to Georgetown. Their season was not over as they were selected to play in the NCAA tournament. With a first round bye, they faced Cornell in the second round where they were victorious and sent to the Sweet 16.
The Huskies had countless chances throughout the game to get shots on net, but it was all Maryland who stayed consistent in UConn’s zone resulting in a shutout victory.
Terps freshman Rocket Ritarita was the standout player netting a goal and an assist in just the first half. Ritarita had the lone goal for his team in their second-round matchup against the University of North Carolina where Maryland advanced following a penalty kills win.
Senior Albi Ndrenika got the scoring started with his fourth goal of the season for Maryland. Ritarita got his assist of the game through this play as Ndrenika picked up the freshman’s rebound and sent it past UConn goalie Kyle Durham.
Throughout the entire game UConn struggled to get shots, having only five throughout the 90 minutes compared to Maryland’s 23. The Terps also led the Huskies in shots on goal (8-3).
Durham closed out the season with a 0.803% save average showing that he is a force in the net. He made crucial saves for the Huskies throughout their regular season, the Big East tournament and the NCAA tournament but struggled to stop the ball during this game, letting in three goals.
Durham had an impressive year with a season-high 10 saves in UConn’s matchup against Creighton on Oct. 3. He also started in all the games for the Huskies this season, averaging a full 90 minutes each game.
In this matchup, the Huskies looked towards their leading goal scorer Austin Brummett to get the scoring started, but Brummett only had one shot across the entire game. Junior Ayoub Lajhar led the game in shots (two) and shots on goal (one) yet failed to get anything past the Terps goalkeeper sophomore Laurin Mack.
Similar to Durham, Mack has been a key goalkeeper for the Terps starting in each game for them this season with a 0.783% save average. Mack was the standout player for Maryland’s win against North Carolina during penalty kicks stopping the Tar Heels from getting the ball in the net.
Mack made saves throughout the game, preventing the Huskies from scoring, and with their lack of offense, the Terps were able to easily defend the net.
Maryland closed out the first half outshooting UConn 11-1 and sent the Huskies down by two into halftime.
The second half was not much better for UConn as they continued to spend more time in their own zone rather than the Terps. Maryland added to the scoreboard after junior Luke van Heukelum netted the third and final goal of the game with just two minutes remaining to send the Terps into the Elite Eight and the Huskies back to Storrs.
Despite the season not ending how UConn hoped, they still managed to accomplish great things across the entirety of their season. The Huskies ended with a 12-5-4 overall record and a 5-2-1 Big East record. They reached the Big East Championship Final for the first time in 14 years and were selected to the NCAA tournament where they made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
Standout players for the Huskies include Brummett who led the Huskies in goals (10) and points (24). Along with him, graduate student Balthazar Saunders had 16 points and six assists, proving to be a strong midfielder for UConn.
This season proved to be a huge step foward for the UConn men’s soccer team under head coach Chris Gbandi. By making not only the Big East Championship Final but the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, UConn proved to be a team to beat.
In years prior, the Huskies struggled to make post-season appearances as they failed to show consistency in regular season games and wins. However, this season, Gbandi pushed the team to their limits, having improved their organization as a whole on the field and their defensive structure to create a more consistent approach for each game.
Despite their exit in the NCAA tournament, UConn made remarkable progress this year, proving that they are a team with a bright future ahead.