The University of Connecticut men’s soccer team hosted Bryant University on Tuesday night at Morrone Stadium. UConn looked to extend its winning streak to two games while Bryant looked to start one of its own.
UConn (5-5-2) entered the matchup on a two-game winning streak following its first shutout victory of the season against Villanova last week. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Kyle Durham had made 28 saves this season entering Tuesday’s faceoff, including two in the 1-0 win against Villanova.
In the matchup against Villanova, the Huskies recorded a season high in shots (24) and shots on goal (11). The Huskies also recorded 12 shots in just the first half compared to Villanova’s five, while UConn goalkeeper Alex Yagudayev was forced to make four saves within the first 20 minutes.
UConn scored in the 36th minute when senior Rashid Nacif Joffre earned his first goal of the season. Despite Villanova’s efforts to score late in the game, UConn’s defense remained strong to secure a 1-0 victory.
The Huskies were unbeaten in seven of their last eight games before facing off against the Bulldogs. Despite outshooting Bryant 11-6 throughout the game, UConn was unable to get past Bryant goalkeeper Ramon Camejo as the Bulldogs took home a 1-0 victory.
When the two teams last faced off against each other last season, Bryant took home a 4-1 win.
In the first half, both teams struggled to generate consistent offensive opportunities. UConn created some of its best chances in the middle of the first half, including a shot from freshman Owen Bland in the 22nd minute that forced Camejo to make his first save of the game.
The Huskies continued to pressure Bryant’s defense during the first half. Freshman Justin Hubbard and junior Aidan Sheppela each recorded shots while sophomore midfielder Preston Alessio attempted two shots. UConn also earned two corner kicks before the first half concluded.
Durham was pressured across the first 45 minutes from Bryant’s offense. The Bulldogs’ best shot came in the 13th minute when Marcos Blasco sent a shot toward the bottom-left corner of the net, but Durham made the save and kept the Bulldogs off the board.
Fermin Rodriguez, who leads Bryant with 11 points, forced Durham to make a save in the final seconds of the half to send the game into the break tied 0-0.
The Huskies earned a corner kick in the 54th minute before Sheppela attempted to give UConn the lead in the 63rd minute. Sheppela sent a shot toward the bottom-center but Camejo was there to make the save.
UConn continued to generate opportunities following Sheppela’s early attempt. Senior defender Johan Hamel sent a shot wide almost two minutes later but was unsuccessful in finding the back of the net. The Huskies continued to put pressure on Bryant’s defense, but it was ultimately the Bulldogs who struck first in the 73rd minute.
Rodriguez found the bottom-right corner of the net to give Bryant a 1-0 lead. Fernando Guerrero and David Vilan recorded assists on the goal.
UConn attempted to make a comeback with strong offensive efforts following yet another shot from Alessio in the 78th minute and two corner kicks in the final 13 minutes, including one where there was just 15 seconds left in the game.
The Huskies were unable to capitalize on these chances, leaving Durham to make two more saves during the 84th and 85th minutes to prevent Bryant from adding to their lead.
Durham finished the game with four saves, while Camejo also recorded four in the shutout victory for Bryant.
While outshooting the Bulldogs, UConn also generated multiple corner-kick attempts and shots but ultimately could not find a way to the back of the net past Camejo.
This loss marked UConn’s first since the 3-1 defeat against St. John’s on Sept. 27.
Looking ahead, the Huskies will face DePaul in another Big East matchup this Saturday back at Morrone Stadium. UConn is 1-1-0 in Big East play and will look to add another win following their first conference win against Villanova.
From this point forward, the Huskies will face only Big East opponents as they enter the final stretch of their regular-season schedule. After the matchup against DePaul on Saturday, UConn will travel to face Marquette on the road on Oct. 16, before returning home to face Providence on Oct. 24. Two away games will follow when the travel to St. John’s and Xavier before returning home on Nov. 6 to close out the regular season against Georgetown.