A windy and rainy Friday night served as the bleak prelude to an incoming nor’easter in Storrs, setting a gloomy backdrop at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium.
The University of Connecticut women’s soccer team (2-2-4) wrapped up non-conference play on Friday night against the University of Vermont’s Catamounts (3-4-3), who entered Storrs riding a three-game winning streak. UConn and Vermont finished in a scoreless draw Friday.
The Huskies outshot Vermont 17-4 with 6 shots on goal while the Catamounts had none. UConn had many chances but couldn’t break through. 10 corners for UConn were not enough to get the job done. It was an unfortunate result Friday, as the Huskies failed to score in two straight games.
The rain started to come down in the second half, as the Huskies kept the pressure on in Vermont’s final third. The chances in the second half fizzled out as the rain accumulated on the field, slowing down the action.
In the final minutes of the game, Mars had the best chance of the second half. An open shot on net from about 10 yards out was fired to the top right of the net, and Kling made another fantastic diving save.
The Huskies responded with several late chances before the break. In the 38th minute, Se-Hanna Mars turned and fired from inside the box, putting her effort just over the bar. Five minutes later, UConn recorded its second shot on goal of the half, and best scoring chance, when Tea Reyes threaded a through ball to senior Alayna Taylor in the box. Taylor struck a shot low toward the bottom-right corner, but Kling made a brilliant diving save to keep the game scoreless.
By halftime, UConn had racked up six corner kicks, matching its full-game season average of six. UConn also held a 5-2 advantage in shots, with Vermont failing to put a shot on target.
The third shot on goal for the Huskies came in the 73rd minute as Nourani sent in a ball from 30 yards out to Kling, who jumped up, catching the ball on the right side of the net.
Vermont’s lone chance of the second half came off a free kick in the 76th minute from Eleni Stowell, who shot the ball over the net from 25 yards out.
Vermont created a pair of dangerous looks midway through the half. Ella Hall uncorked a 30-yard strike that missed just high of the crossbar, and minutes later, Madeline Gardner took advantage of a loose ball inside the 18-yard box, driving a shot past a diving Yamas that trickled just left of the post.
A strong first-half wind gusting up to 34 mph toward the Vermont goal played heavily into UConn’s favor. The Huskies capitalized by controlling possession and earning three corner kicks in the opening 16 minutes. The third corner nearly broke the tie as Texas transfer Chloe Shimkin whipped a ball in to a leaping Anya Montano, whose header narrowly missed putting UConn ahead.
UConn kept pressuring as the first half progressed. Junior Olivia Beauvois lofted a shot from the right wing that drifted over Vermont goalkeeper Sophia Kling’s head in the swirling wind, rolling just wide of the net.
Sophomore defender Ines Nourani made her season debut for UConn after returning from international duty with Team Canada at the U-20 World Cup. Nourani made an immediate impact just over a minute in, forcing a corner kick after her centering pass was deflected out by the Vermont defense.
“It’s great to have her back. She’s our most dynamic player on the field,” said head coach Margaret Rodriguez on the broadcast. “The kid is electric.”
Goalkeeper Ava Yamas earned her second consecutive start following Sunday’s match against Harvard. The sophomore led the Big East last season with 10 shutouts. Senior Anaya Johnson also made her season debut for the Huskies.
The Huskies now turn their attention to Big East play as they travel to Queens on Wednesday to face St. John’s (3-5-1). The Red Storm opened their conference schedule at Villanova on Saturday with a 2-0 loss.