If you fire away 28 shots in a 90-minute soccer match equates to a shot attempt every 3.21 minutes. The UConn women’s soccer team did just that on Wednesday night, but none of them found the back of the net as they finished in a scoreless draw against Seton Hall.
This result marks Seton Hall’s sixth straight game with a clean sheet. Their defense has been the stellar part of their game this season, as they had seven straight shutouts. Their 2-0 loss to Xavier on Oct. 3 snapped the streak, but they picked back up on Wednesday night, shutting out the Huskies.
UConn couldn’t convert on the season-high 28 shots, remaining scoreless at the final whistle despite eight different Huskies recording multiple attempts. UConn had eight shots on goal, and none could get past Seton Hall’s Katherine Kleinsmith.
The Huskies dominated the corner kick advantage as well, 13-2, a brutal break in what looked like a one-sided match in the box score.
UConn goalkeeper Ava Yamas had a much quieter evening compared to Kleinsmith, as Seton Hall had just 2 shots, none of which was on goal.
The Huskies came out aggressive in the first six minutes and did not let off the gas anytime soon, picking up four shots in the first six minutes while holding the Pirates to zero.
Seton Hall’s first scoring chance came in the 10th minute as Gianna Angelillo received a through ball towards UConn’s final third and she sent in a pass to a wide-open Kileigh Gorman, who sent the ball high over the bar.
UConn launched another heavy attack in the 16th minute when Chloe Shimkin rifled a centering pass from the left corner to Ines Nourani, who flicked a clever back-heel to Se-Hanna Mars. Though Mars misfired, the ball bounced out of the box to Maree-Anne Van Doesburg, whose tough effort sliced just right of the net, denying the Huskies what would have been an early 1-0 lead.
Another look arrived in the 19th minute as Alayna Taylor sent a high cross into the box to the leaping goalkeeper Kate Kleinsmith, who punched the ball away into trouble as Nourani sent a shot by Kleinsmith. Fortunately for the Pirates, Cassidy Brown cleared the ball away after it got past Kleinsmith. A tough break for the Huskies as they left the chance empty-handed.
The teams went into the halftime break all square, as the Seton Hall defense held up, as they have done for all of this season. For the Huskies, it was the same: they have had numerous chances but can’t catch a break in their favor to get them the lead. UConn had four shots on goal to Seton Hall’s zero. The Huskies also led the corner kick advantage three to none.
The second half kicked off and in the 47th minute, Mars was fortunate not to have received a yellow as the junior bolted into the keeper Kleinsmith as she cleared the ball away.
The second half started slow, with chances few and far between on both sides. UConn spent most of the early second half pinned in Seton Hall’s final third, controlling possession and applying continuous pressure. The best look UConn came in the 58th minute from Tiana Righetti as she fired a shot from outside of the box just feet from converting on the chance.
Seton Hall won their first corner of the night in the 61st minute and applied pressure by playing the ball short and fired a shot that deflected off a defender, which led to their second corner kick. That kick was whipped into the final six, where it was headed just over the net for a UConn goal kick.
Maeve Staunton made her return to the field on Wednesday in the 66th minute after missing time due to a muscle injury, as UConn Head Coach Margaret Rodriguez told the ESPN broadcast. Staunton fired her first shot back on the field, a chance in the 77th minute at the left side of the box. She received the pass from Taylor and fired away on the first touch, but Kleinsmith placed herself perfectly for the routine save.
Staunton kept firing away just moments later, on the first touch again as she sent the Huskies 21st shot of the night just left of the net.
In the 80th minute, Staunton received a cross from Shimkin as the freshman jumped and headed the ball over the net. Yet another chance the Huskies could not convert on.
In the 82nd minute, UConn earned three consecutive corner kicks, repeatedly knocking on the door but failing to find a finisher.
The Pirates’ defense held their ground up until the final whistle, when they were finally able to breathe after nearly 90 minutes of UConn’s attack in their final third.
The draw is a tough pill to swallow for the Huskies, but they must quickly refocus for a challenging road test. UConn travels to Cincinnati on Saturday for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff against Xavier in a high-stakes rematch of the 2025 Big East Semifinal, in which the Musketeers won 7-0.