Baseball: Beginning Wednesday, No. 2-Seeded Warriors Seek 10th LEC Tournament Title

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — The four-day, double-elimination  Little East Conference Baseball Tournament will start Wednesday at Monan Park on the campus of top-seeded UMass Boston.

Regular season champion and 2017 tournament champion UMass Boston will get the tourney started at 11 a.m. against 6^th-seeded UMass Dartmouth.

The 2^nd-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors’s first game will be against 5^th-seeded Plymouth State at 2:30 p.m., and No. 3 Southern Maine faces No. 4 Rhode Island College at 6 p.m.

Eastern finished the regular season going 22-14 overall and 10-4 in LEC play after sweeping No. 16 nationally-ranked Southern Maine last Friday. Unranked all season, Eastern moved into the New England poll in a tie for sixth after ending the regular season having captured eight of its last 11.

Eastern has reached the LEC championship game three times in four years under fifth-year head coach Matt LaBranche, winning in 2014 at home and in 2016 at UMass Boston and losing to host Southern Maine in 2015. Eastern is far-and-away the winningest program in 21 years of LEC play, having claimed nine titles and losing in the championship round only twice.

The Warriors’ offense is led by Alex Parkos (Meriden) and D.J Scavone (Auburn, MA), who have 37 and 31 RBI respectively. The 3-4 hitters for Eastern are responsible for over 30 percent of the team’s RBIs this season.

Starting pitcher Jordan Muchin (West Hartford) and spot starter/reliever Nick Rascati (Wallingford) look to carry Eastern’s pitching staff deep into the tournament. The conference leader in strikeouts, Muchin’s last start of the season saw the 6-2 righty pitch the program’s first ever complete game shutout at Southern Maine. Rascati has a 2-0 record on the season with a 3.67 ERA and is averaging just over one strikeout per inning.

Behind Muchin and Rascati, the success of pitchers Sam Kosterich (Stamford), a senior, junior Cole Ogorzalek (Portland) and sophomores Drew Alexopoulos (Hanson, MA) and Jack Risley (Willimantic) will play a large role in determining the Warriors status in the tournament.

Senior Merlyn Herrera (La Yaquiza, DR) will start behind the plate, with  freshman Kevin Murphy (Springfield, MA) ready to step in if necessary after seeing plenty of early-season action while Herrera recovered from injury.

In addition to Parkos at third and Scavone at first, additional infield starters figure to be senior Mike Funaro (Northford) at second and junior Dale Keller (Oxford) at short. Outfield starters include  juniors Alexander White (West Hartford) in center and Ryan Hood (Arlington, MA) in left and Anthony Stigler (Mansfield) – the only fulltime starting position player – in right.

Sophomore Jake LeFevre (Mansfield Center) has seen the most time at DH, but additional candidates include senior Collin Russell (Sandwich, MA), Alexopoulos, and freshman Jack Rich (Meriden), who have all taken turns at that position this year. LeFevre, Alexopoulos and Rich all join Scavone and Stigler as offensive threats from the left side of the plate.

Scavone is looking forward to his last LEC tournament, the first baseman said, “Going into the tourney we are looking to carry over some momentum from the regular season. Every team in this tournament is legit, and there’s no easy route for any team so it’s critical for our guys to be ready to compete every pitch this tournament and leave it all out on the field this week.”

If they win their first game, the Warriors will play against the winner of the Southern Maine-RIC game Thursday at 6 p.m. If the Warriors lose their first game, their second game will be against the loser of the UMass Boston-UMass Dartmouth game Thursday at 11 a.m.

 

http://www.gowarriorathletics.com/sports/bsb/2017-18/releases/lec_baseball_preview

 

‘Special’ Olympian Mike Calhoun an Integral Member of Warriors’ Softball Program

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — The 2018 Eastern Connecticut State University’s fastpitch softball team’s annual spring break trip was extra special this season. For the first time since his involvement with the team in 2012, ‘assistant coach’ and Special Olympian Mike Calhoun accompanied the team to Orlando.

Calhoun has a limited IQ which does not allow him to fully live on his own, so he has been living in a group home in Willimantic.

On the week-long trip to Kissimmee – where the team played ten games from March 11-16 – Calhoun was able to show off his own athleticism. During games, Calhoun likes to stand behind the backstop and help with foul balls.

Head coach Diana Pepin said, “He caught a foul ball the first day and everyone came up and gave him a hug and he was just so excited.” The director of the tournament, which was hosted at the Osceola Softball Complex, saw Calhoun’s work with the glove firsthand and gave Calhoun a hat and even posted a picture of him and the ball he caught on the tournament’s Instagram page.

During its time in Florida, the team was able to spend parts of two days at Universal Studios. Calhoun showed off his infectious smile throughout while posing with some of his favorite Universal characters.

“I think him (Calhoun) coming to Florida this year with us definitely helped him become more comfortable with us and has created a much closer bond this year.” said sophomore shortstop Sara Pisanelli of Wallingford.

After the trip to Orlando, Pepin mentioned that she had been in touch with Calhoun’s group home worker and that they had observed that Calhoun had become more independent and able to verbalize more. “This is very important since those are both things that he’s struggled with in the past,” said Pepin. “Previously, the group home would coordinate Calhoun’s rides to and from Eastern’s practices, but this year, Mike is walking himself to and from practice.”

When thinking about Calhoun’s contribution to the team, sophomore pitcher Morgan Sanson of Thomaston offered that “Mike brings a positive energy all the time. He’s always happy to be there and happy to cheer us on no matter what. Just having him there makes the whole experience a lot better.”

Pepin reflected that “I think if you’re able to meet him, you fall in love with him because he has that charisma about him and he’s just so positive and loves the girls.

Calhoun has always been an inspiration to the team with his big smile and never-ending positivity since he began helping the program in 2012. The trip this year has allowed the ‘assistant’ to become a lot closer and more comfortable with the players. However, it has not only helped the team but, more importantly, has helped him grow as a person.

The softball program helped promote “FREEZIN’ FOR A REASON!” which occurred Saturday March 25^th. It was a polar plunge at Coventry Lake co-hosted by Connecticut State Police Troop C and the Eastern Police Department, the proceeds going directly to the Special Olympics. The Eastern softball program raised over $665, and in total the 2018 plunge raised $11,673. To donate to the cause, you can do so at https://www.classy.org/team/159780

 

http://www.gowarriorathletics.com/sports/sball/2017-18/releases/mikey-feature-0418

D’Agata, Labrecque are Recipients of Prestigious Holly Zimmerman Memorial Award

 

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — Eastern Connecticut State University four-year women’s soccer letterwinner Michele D’Agata (West Suffield) and three-year letterwinner Kayla Labrecque (Westhampton, MA) have been named as the 42^nd and 43^rd recipients of the Holly E. Zimmerman Memorial Award. The presentation of the awards was made February 17^, prior to the start of the Little East Conference women’s basketball regular-season home finale at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

The Zimmerman Award was instituted in 1994 in memory of the late Holly Zimmerman, an Andover native and Physical Education major who attended Eastern from 1989 through 1993. Zimmerman was a member of the women’s basketball program and also served on the student training staff.

Female undergraduates who are junior or senior Health and Physical Education or Sport and Leisure Management majors are eligible for the award. Candidates must have made significant contributions to the Eastern intercollegiate athletic program as either members of an athletic team or as student athletic trainers and have an overall grade-point average of at least 2.70. The candidates must reflect Zimmerman’s qualities of loyalty, thoughtfulness and academic determination.

Head women’s soccer coach Chris  D’Ambrosio reflected on the two award-winners, stating that “both Michele and Kayla are excellent teammates who work extremely hard on the field as well as in the classroom. They both truly embody what it means to be a leader.”

A senior Sport and Leisure Management major with a concentration in Exercise Science, D’Agata has excelled both in the classroom and on the field for four years. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester as well as being a member of the Little East Conference All-Academic Team in all three years of eligibility and has earned an E-Club Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award in both years of eligibility. On the field, D’Ambrosio noted that his four-year starter at midfield and back was a great leader who led by example with her great work ethic and was willing to take the time to work with younger teammates and use her experience as an upperclassman to help them as both athletes and as students.

D’Agata will graduate in May and will continue her education at the University of Delaware to study Exercise Physiology, and eventually earn a doctorate and pursue a career in research.  “Michele simply does whatever it takes to complete a task and complete it well. She truly is committed to excellence in everything she does,” noted her professor, Dr. Daniel B. Switchenko.

As a Health and Physical Education major, Labrecque has excelled academically, reaching Dean’s List status each year, winning the maximum two Little East All-Academic awards and one E-Club Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award.

According to D’Ambrosio, Labrecque is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team as the squad’s starting goalie. D’Ambrosio added that Labrecque is a hardworking positive person who has played an intregal part in the soccer team’s success during her three-year career.

Labrecque is a member of the KPE-Sport Management Club and has excelled in several of the toughest courses at Eastern; among those in exercise physiology and anatomy. Switchenko reflected on Labrecque’s academic prowess, pointing out that “she has always exhibited an intellectual curiosity. She possesses an ability to reason, think critically, solve qualitative and quantitative problems and apply classroom concepts to a professional setting.”

Labrecque plans to teach physical education and pursue her Master’s Degree upon graduation in 2019.

A committee comprised of faculty, athletic administrators, coaches, and student-athletes selected D’Agata and Labrecque from among a distinguished list of candidates. It marked the third consecutive year that the Zimmerman recipients were selected from the women’s soccer program, following Rachel Berkowsky in 2017 and Maggie Sayers in 2016.

 

http://www.gowarriorathletics.com/releases/2017-18/zimmerman_award

Former Warrior Goalie Taylor Emmerson Joins Coaching Staff as Volunteer Assistant Coach

Four-year starting goalie Taylor Emmerson is excited to join the Women’s Lacrosse coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach.

The recent eastern graduate started every game for the team from 2014-2017 and ranks 2^nd all-time in minutes played with 3,920.

During her senior season, Taylor led the warriors to a 14-5 record, which is the second most wins a goalie has ever had in a single season.

At goalie, Taylor helped lead the warriors to back-to-back seasons with at least a share of the LEC regular season title during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Throughout her four years at eastern Taylor was very diligent in her volunteer work and that continued after she graduated in 2017. During the summer of 2017, Taylor embarked on a Public Health Field Internship to Ghana where she was responsible for conducting field research as well as experienced the public health condition in Agona-Asamang in the Ashanti region.

Her tremendous enthusiasm for the sport is going to play an integral role in her position. As a player, she was a tremendous teammate that was willing to push others and that is going to be more important than ever now as an assistant coach.

Over the course of the last three years, Taylor took the time out of her busy schedule, which consisted of being a full-time student athlete, to help The Williams School, where her father also coaches lacrosse, to help as a Volunteer Assistant Coach. She also will be working this season at East Catholic High School where she will be an Assistant Coach.

Eastern’s Women’s Lacrosse program will benefit greatly from her experience on the field as they attempt to bring another regular season championship back to Willimantic.

ECSU’s Women’s Lacrosse Welcomes Back Star Defender Devyne Doran as Assistant Coach

Born and raised in Wakefield Rhode Island, Devyne attended the Prout school in South Kingston Rhode Island where she was a member of the women’s lacrosse and volleyball teams. During her time there, she started all four years for the women’s lacrosse team and as a senior was named to second-team All-State squad.

After graduating in 2013 Devyne attended Eastern where she studied sociology and played for the women’s lacrosse team. She graduated in the spring of 2017 with her bachelor’s degree.

Devyne was a standout defender from 2014-2017 who could fill up a trophy case singlehandedly. During her four years on the team, she won the 2016 and 2017 LEC defensive player of the year award. Her only season where she was not a member of the LEC All-Conference First Team was when she was a freshman, where she was a member of the All-Conference Second Team.

As a senior, she participated in the IWLCA (Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association) Farewell Lacrosse Festival North-South All Star Game and was also a 2017 IWLCA Lacrosse All-region second team member.

Devyne ranks 3^rd in program history with draw controls and is tied for 3^rd for most caused turnovers in a season with 39.  Every season she led the warriors in ground ball controls and had 181 in her career, which ranks 8^th all-time in program history.

Due to her immense Lacrosse experience and knowledge, Devyne will help head coach Christine Hutchinson tremendously as they try and attempt to repeat as LEC Regular Season Champs.

As a player, she led her team by showing off her great work ethic and intensity and it surely will help her transition from player to coach.

Her experience working ECSU Women’s Lacrosse Clinics while she was a player will aide her in passing on her knowledge of the game to younger generations of women’s lacrosse players.

Men’s Basketball: Jordan Persevered Through Difficulties to Enjoy Fruits of his Labor

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — Cheshire native Collin Jordan was one of five seniors who were honored on Seniors’ Day prior to the final regular-season home game of his career Feb. 17. While each of the five seniors was duly recognized for completing four-year collegiate careers, the day may have taken on additional significance for Jordan and his family.

For Jordan – a  5-foot-10, 175-pound guard —  the road to Seniors’ Day was a bumpy one which he survived only through commitment, dedication, and persistence.

After strong seasons as a freshman and sophomore – as a freshman he started seven games in place of injured junior Trachone Preston — Jordan was involved an off-court incident as a junior which kept him off the roster during the fall semester of 2016-17, and which might well have signaled the end of his career.

Once he was re-instated to the team in the spring semester of 2017, the rotation of guards had been set with four returning backcourt players and newcomers Kendall Marquez, a transfer, and freshman Carlos Gonzalez. It was a team which was headed to another Little East Conference regular-season title and culminated in the LEC tournament title. Jordan was, effectively, the odd-man-out  as he averaged a career-low 3.8 minutes per game in 14 games.

While many would have been discouraged with the situation and decide to quit at that point, that was never a legitimate option for him. Collin said, “My mentality is that I don’t quit anything once I start it, so I decided I was going to use it as motivation coming into this season.”

The decision to stick it out has paid dividends during this, his senior season. While his only start this year came when all five seniors were given starts on Seniors’ Day, the impact of Jordan’s play off the bench – both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor — cannot be overstated.

At left: Collin Jordan and parents Sandra and Michael with head coach Bill Geitner during Seniors’ Day ceremonies Feb. 17. (Photo by Nick McAneny).

A case in point came in the first round of Tuesday’s Little East Conference tournament win, when his energy, ability to see the floor and steal the ball and quickness in driving to the basket, helped change the flow of the game against Plymouth State University. With the Warriors trailing by a bucket seven minutes into the game, Jordan replaced Gonzalez at point guard. His play over the next seven minutes allowed the Warriors to change the momentum with a 23-6 run that turned the game into a rout by halftime. Two minutes into his stint, Jordan grabbed a defensive rebound and scored at the other end to tie the game. Moments later, he stole the ball and scored again to give Eastern a five-point lead and after exchange of possessions, he then set up with passes three-point field goals by Jacob Collins and Kendall Marquez that made it a 15-point game with seven minutes left in the half.

For his part, head coach Bill Geitner says that he is extremely proud of the way Jordan reacted to a difficult situation a year ago. “I think it shows great perseverance and resiliency on his part, after going through last year with the difficult times, to have the competitive nature to come back this year and work extremely hard. He showed up in tremendous shape for our preseason and I think that shows his toughness and willingness to put in the time,” said the 16^th-year head coach.

During his first few seasons at Eastern, Jordan was known as a good offensive point guard who knew how to push the ball and get his teammates involved. Now, as a senior, he has evolved and is able to pester opposing point guards. Showing up in preseason in great shape certainly is an important factor however he gives all credit to Geitner, saying, “Coach really emphasizes defense every day in practice, so I’d say he’s responsible for the success I’ve had on that side of the ball.”

To be certain, Jordan’s contributions this year do not always show up in the box score. For the record, he has appeared in all 26 games this year, averaging 11.4 minutes, 2,1 assists, 2.7 points and 1.5 rebounds. More reflective of his worth is his assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.3. In the victory over Plymouth, he equaled his season-high with five rebounds, had three steals, and sank two of his four shots in 15 minutes.

Every season that Jordan has been a member of the team, the Warriors have been LEC regular-season champions. After reflecting, Jordan says, “Looking back at my career, this season means a lot to me. After everything that happened last year it’s awesome to be back and to be a contributing member.”

What remains for Jordan and his senior classmates after a fourth straight LEC regular-season title this year is a second straight LEC tournament title. The Warriors host Western Connecticut Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the LEC semifinals, with a win moving them into the title game at home Saturday at 5 p.m.

While an LEC tournament title this year would give the Warriors consecutive tournament titles for the first time in the 32-year history of the championship, it would also match the accomplishment of Collin’s his older brother, Mike, a lacrosse attackman who played on back-to-back LEC lacrosse tournament title teams in 2012 and 2013 at Eastern under former head coach Justin Axel.

A solid B student, Jordan expect to graduate in May with a degree in Sport & Leisure Management and is pursuing a coaching career.

http://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/releases/jordan-feature-feb21

Men’s Basketball: Tarchee Recognized by Home Crowd as Program’s All-Time Scorer

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — Before the Eastern men’s basketball game against Rhode Island College on Jan. 20, senior Tarchee Brown was honored in front of his home crowd after breaking the all-time scoring record earlier in the month. The crowd gave him a standing ovation as head coach Bill Geitner met the Rockville resident at half court with a commemorative ball recognizing this accomplishment.

“I knew I was going to be honored but it was pretty cool, being honored in front of everyone and hearing them cheer, it was nice because it makes all the hard work I’ve put in the last four years worthwhile,” said Brown, afterward.

The previous points record of 1,657 points, held by Nick Nedwick, survived only six years before being broken by Brown. Given Brown’s current season scoring average of 20.3 points per game, if the Warriors play 30 games — which they did last season — then he will project to end with 1,985 points. This means that if the Warriors’ season lasts just one game longer, the 6-foot-3 inch Brown could end up as the first Eastern men’s or women’s player to score 2,000 points in a career.

Scoring, however, isn’t the only way that Brown is able to affect the game. In addition to his scoring average this year — fourth-best in the Little East Conference — Brown also leads the team in rebounding (7.5) – two per game better than his previous season best – and he is second in assists (3.6) and steals (1.5). Having played more of a forward role this year, Brown has taken fewer three-point field goals, and thus, features a career-high 52.4 field goal percentage. When asked about what he saw in Brown when recruiting him out of Rockville High School, Geitner said, “I think besides what he can do individually, the thing that excited me about him was that he could make the other four players on the court better. I saw a very talented player who could score and rebound as well as help the other four players.”

Fellow senior Brenden Young of Amston has not only been a college teammate the last four seasons, but also played against Brown in high school as a member of the RHAM basketball team. Reflecting on their high school days, Young said, “He was just a straight athlete; he could jump over people and you could tell he had something special. He was always so hard to guard because he’s unpredictable and he never speeds his game up. When he has his mind set on doing something on the court, it’s very tough defensively, to force him to do something else.”

 

http://www.gowarriorathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/releases/brown-mitch_foster_feature

 

Eastern Men’s Basketball Wins; Brown Closes In On Scoring Title

ECSU Men’s Basketball dominates Plymouth State

Saturday December 13, 2017 at Geissler Gymnasium the ECSU Men’s Basketball team beat Plymouth State 107-55. The warriors dominated all aspects of the game, but it was their constant pressure on the defensive end that didn’t give Plymouth State a chance.  Senior Tarchee Brown led the way with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Had Brown not been pulled with 9 minutes left in the second half there’s no doubt he wouldn’t walk away with his first career triple-double

The highlight of the game came late in the first half on a fast break when Jake Collagan, transfer from Keene State, dropped a smooth behind the back pass to Tarchee Brown who threw down a thunderous dunk. Besides Tarchee’s game high 29 points the rest of the scoring was fairly balanced for the warriors. 12 different players scored for the warriors in the game with all healthy players getting in the game.

Conference games always bring added pressure because those games are so important to make it into the LEC tournament. The attention to detail on the defensive side was evident from the tip. In the first half alone, the warriors forced 19 turnovers which led to 29 points. With the warrior’s defensive pressure, the team was able to take complete control of the game early on, the majority of the game the warriors were winning by 40 points. The large lead allowed Head Coach Bill Geitner the chance to play his reserves.

Assistant Coach Trachone Preston gave his opinion on the game, “Today was a really good game for us. Everyone came to the game ready to play and brought constant energy. Tarchee was fantastic out there effecting the game in every facet.”

The next game for the warriors will be on December 19^th when they play Penn St.-Behrend in Miami. The win improves the warriors to 8-1 on the season and 2-0 in the LEC.

ECSU Senior Tarchee Brown guarding Plymouth State player.

ECSU Senior Tarchee Brown Continues Ascension up the All-Time Scoring List

Hartford native Tarchee Brown is now 72 points away from breaking the Men’s basketball all-time scoring record after scoring 28 points Saturday against Plymouth State. This season the 6’3 forward is averaging 23.5 points per game the highest of his career so far. The 3-time first team All-Conference player on his way to not only another All-conference team but maybe even All-American.

After the game Saturday, Brown said “It’s not just me. It takes 5 players out there playing together. Whether I’m setting up my teammates or they’re setting up me it’s a team effort. As far as the scoring record it’s definitely cool but I’m not focused on that. It’s all about the season and then winning the LEC tournament and further pressing on in the NCAA Tournament.”

On his current pace Brown is projected to break the 1,657-point record in four games which would be at Umass Amherst. That would leave the warriors with anywhere from 16 to possibly 20 games left in the season. Brown can do a lot of damage to those record books with 20 games.

Brown finishes through contact for the basket.

            Current assistant coach and former player Trachone Preston was also on pace to break the scoring record but unfortunately an ankle injury slowed his junior season. Preston ended up coming 78 points short of the record set by Nick Nedwick. Brown and Preston played 2 seasons together and both players averaged 14+ points per game in those seasons.

With Brown leading the way the warriors have a chance this season to really make a deep run into March.

 

 

The All-American who never planned on playing.

Sometimes in life you don’t always end up where you expect yourself to be. One day can change everything for a person. Hugh Lindo II was originally supposed to play Wide Receiver at Central Connecticut State University. The plan was to take one year before Central to go to a prep school in Maine however that would never happen. Everything changed in the summer of 2012. A motorcycle accident would take the life of Dominque “Dom” Lindo’s life, Hugh’s oldest brother. Dom would leave behind a daughter. Due to the tragedy Hugh was willing to put his prep year on hold for  in order to be there for his family. In the meantime, he stayed in shape by playing pickup basketball. “I was playing in a men’s league to stay in shape and one of the assistant coaches from Eastern noticed that I wasn’t playing football. So he talked to me about playing basketball there” says Hugh.

There are some things that you’re just born with. The ability to dunk from the free throw line, is one of those things. A gift that Hugh had that not too many Division III athletes shared. This raw athleticism combined with a motor that never turned off was one of the main reasons he shocked so many people during his career at Eastern. Here’s former teammate Matthew Sterner description “Hugh is the type of person who rarely takes a play off and if he did, the ball would still bounce in his direction.”

“I knew when I got to college if I grab every rebound then there’s no way they can take me off the court. So that was my goal, to grab as many rebounds as possible.” Said Hugh. There was a clear correlation between his thought process and the results on the court. Every single season he averaged at least 10 rebounds per game, and in his senior year he would average a career high 12.6 rebounds alongside another career high 15.1 points. Those numbers were enough for Hugh to receive a lot of trophies his senior year. Those trophies consisted of LEC Player of the Year as well as Defensive Player of the Year. The sweetest of them all however was the honor of being an DII All-American. Not a bad way to end your career. Head Coach Bill Geitner had a smile on his face talking about his career, “Coaching Hugh was great. Hugh was one of those rare individuals that came every single day to practice and gave 100%. He played extremely hard and was willing to learn and listen and wanted to get better. We saw progress each year and he got better.” This type of work ethic was a big reason he was able to break the ECSU rebounding record with 1297 for his career.

Currently Hugh is spending his time working and finishing his undergraduate degree. There’s a chance there’s more basketball in the near future. He recently participated in a try out for overseas basketball teams and out of 300 players he was selected amongst the top 40 to play in an all-star game. Whether he ever plays overseas or not doesn’t change the fact that he had one hell of a career playing college basketball.

 

 

Tough Loss For Uconn Men’s Soccer As #9 Notre Dame Scores Late

Saturday night Uconn Men’s Soccer lost a nail biter to Notre Dame 1-0. The Fighting Irish put the nail in the coffin in the 84th minute with a goal by Forward Jeff Farina. The Huskies were able to create some late chances however they couldn’t quite tie it up and send the game into overtime.

There was a controversial no call on a potential penalty kick for Uconn following the late goal. In the 87th minute Midfielder Niko Petridis got the crowd off their feet at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium with a shot from deep but ended up just a few feet left of the goal post.

Uconn’s best scoring chance came midway through the second half. Following a creative dribbling sequence and beautiful lead pass from Left Backer Dylan Greenberg, Midfielder Josh Burnett sent in a more than willing cross that landed right at the feet of substitute Nicolas Apostol who got the shot on goal however was easily smothered by the Notre Dame goalie.

Coach Ray Reid’s had this to share about the match “I thought we played well, thought we were the better team on the night. We didn’t finish our chances, they took advantage of the one chance they had. But I thought our guys did a good job last night.”

Throughout the match Greenberg and Burnett along with Freshman Forward Austin DaSilva attempted to spark the Huskies offense with fancy footwork and timely passes. There were several quality crosses made however no one was able to finish on the other side.

“That was a tough loss,” Uconn Senior Alex West said about the game. “The team played really well for 80 minutes however in the end they ended up falling short.” Fellow Uconn Senior Tony Bell said “That was a really good game. Uconn fought hard, just couldn’t finish when it mattered most.”

Notre Dame came into the match ranked 9th in the nation. With the loss Uconn drops to 1-3 overall, their next match is Saturday September 9th against Georgetown at home. “We play Georgetown next Saturday that’ll be a good test for us.” Said Reid.