Scoring has been a tough obstacle to overcome for the UConn women’s soccer team this season. The team recorded its ninth draw on Wednesday night against the Butler Bulldogs and are one draw away from tying the NCAA record for draws in a season.
UConn finished the night with 18 shots, four of which were on goal. All eight of the Bulldogs’ shots came in the second half, four of them on target.
The Huskies started out by firing shots as usual. Ines Nourani had a pair of shots, one of which was on target. Nourani received a pass at the corner of the box; the Canadian drove in and shot at the keeper, Addison Ash, who charged for the ball. Nourani’s second chance came in the 6th minute as the ball found her feet at the top of the box; she fired a shot from the top of the box that was just wide left of a diving Ash.
Nourani did all she could in the first half to set up any chances for the Huskies. While the Huskies are typically an offensive powerhouse, finding the back of the net has uncharacteristically been a struggle for them this season.
The best chance of the first half belonged to Maree-Anne Van Doesburg; the sophomore sent in a shot from about 25 yards out that was tracking at the net and smashed off the crossbar. The rebound went out to Se-Hanna Mars, who flicked the ball at the net, but Ash made a beautiful save to keep the game scoreless.
The UConn attack kept knocking on the door midway through the first half when Alayna Taylor launched a long-range blast that Ash batted out. The rebound fell right to Anaya Taylor near the end line, who quickly fired back at the goal, but Ash was up to the challenge to secure her third save of the night.
The scoreline at halftime remained 0-0, with UConn firing off 13 shots while holding Butler to zero shots. Neither team lined up for a corner kick.
“I think that was the worst half of soccer we’ve played all season,” said Butler Co-head coach Rob Alman.
Butler fired their first shot on goal in the 50th minute, and it came from Riley Gumm, who sent in a shot from the top of the box. The keeper, Ava Yamas, did not need to move to make the routine save.
The Bulldogs stayed on the attack as they earned the game’s first corner of the night in the 52nd minute. However, they could not capitalize, as the kick went out of bounds for a goal kick.
In the 53rd minute, Chloe Shimkin fired a shot that Ash batted down. The deflection fell right to a wide-open Mars, who capitalized to put the Huskies on the board. However, the offside flag quickly dashed the celebration, leaving UConn dangerously close to breaking through.
Nourani had another golden chance in the second half, this time in the 71st minute as Maeve Staunton sent a cross to a cutting Nourani; the pass could not have been better as Nourani only had the keeper to beat. The sophomore sent in a shot that got by the keeper but went just feet left of the net.
UConn eased on the gas in the second half, putting up only five shots compared to their 15 in the first half. Butler looked more aggressive as they fired off eight shots; however, neither side converted in the 90 minutes.
UConn now looks to Halloween night as they host Georgetown. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.