Sep 6, 2013

Box Score

STORRS, Conn. - Ranked No. 1 in the nation by Soccer America, Connecticut scored late in the first half and prevented the Boston University men's soccer team from converting on any of its four corner kicks in the second to defeat the Terriers, 1-0, on Friday night at Morrone Stadium in front of 4,243 fans.

Dropping its second consecutive one-goal game in another hard-fought, physical contest, BU falls to 0-2-0, while the Huskies improve to 2-0-0. Two-time Big East Goalkeeper of the Year and preseason MAC Hermann Award watch list member Andre Blake had one save to preserve the shutout and avoid a repeat of last year's 1-1 draw.

UConn found the back of the net in the 41st minute when Edir Dagraca shot from six yards out toward the bottom left side of the goal past redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Matt Gilbert. Mamadou Diouf assisted on the score. 

BU came out attacking early but was unable to connect on a cross inside the box during the third minute of action. The Terriers earned their first corner at 20:42, but the Huskies easily cleared it away before entering the locker room with a 1-0 lead and 9-2 edge in shot attempts.

Despite facing a one-goal deficit in front of an energized, hostile crowd, the Terriers did not back down in the second half. Freshman David Asbjornsson had a hard shot attempt blocked out of bounds leading to a corner kick at 52:56. Junior Jordan Barker placed it in front of the net and after a couple of headers, Asbjornsson made another attempt at a score. However, UConn's defenders were in position for the stop.

The Terriers kept the pressure on UConn but suffered a blow in the 64th minute when Gilbert was given a red card. The Huskies created a turnover and were looking for a quick goal. Gilbert came out toward the ball and made a save but was just outside the box with his hands.

Junior Nick Thomson replaced Gilbert, as BU dropped to 10 players on the field. UConn posted three shots, including the free kick, following the card, but Thomson and the Terriers' backline held strong.

Looking for the equalizer, senior Ali Sozeri fired a shot wide of the net at 69:01. Sophomore Jeroen Blugh also sent one wide four minutes later before BU went two men down.

Senior Kelvin Madzongwe was handed a second yellow card at 74:02 when he made a tackle from behind on a UConn player moving the ball up toward the box. The Huskies tried to add more goals with an 11-on-9 advantage, but BU held them to just three shots in the final 16 minutes.

The Terriers played the ball toward the top of the box, and with two defenders in front, Barker sailed a shot high over the net with one minute left on the clock.

UConn finished the night with a 19-8 lead in shot attempts and 6-5 advantage in corner kicks. Gilbert had four saves for the Terriers, while Thomson had three.

The Terriers will next return home to host Hofstra on Wednesday (Sept. 11) with action slated to begin at 7 p.m.