After suffering their earliest regular season defeat since 2006 at Morrone Stadium Saturday night, the No. 25-ranked men's soccer team is on the road for the first time in 2009 this weekend for a two-game tournament at the home of No. 13 Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.
The Huskies (1-1-0) will battle host Dartmouth (2-0-0) tonight at 7 p.m. at the Big Green's Burnham Field. It's their second straight tussle with a ranked opponent following their 3-0 loss to Boston University (now No. 14 in the NSCAA/adidas Division I rankings). They will follow that up with a noontime pairing with Iona (3-0-0) on Sunday.
UConn sustained a decisive loss to the Terriers in their second home contest, but the lopsided final tally isn't indicative of the action. The Huskies had several opportunities to get on the board but couldn't put any of their offensive chances away, while the Terriers clung to a 1-0 advantage for more than 85 minutes. Two late goals from Boston's Aaron O'Neal - both on counter attacks - put the game out of reach.
Coach Ray Reid has made the offense a focal point in practice all week following the shut out, honing in mostly on the young players who've taken on important positions within the attacking front.
"We're working a little more with the front of the team getting some experience," said Reid. "We're working on some movement off the ball and we're working on some stuff in the final third."
As expected, newcomers have usurped several key roles in Reid's offense. Freshman Jossimar Sanchez has made consecutive starts at center midfield and junior college transfer Alan Ponce has provided quality minutes at striker in the first two games of the post-O'Brian White era.
Freshmen Carlos Alvarez and Stephane DIOP were also featured prominently throughout the team's first two games. Alvarez, a forward from Los Angeles, drew praise from Reid for his efforts against the Terriers. Reid expects more of the same from Alvarez and his fellow rookies as they all adjust to the collegiate ranks.
"They're new and they're young," Reid said. "We're asking them to provide us a lot but they'll be okay."
The Huskies prevailed 2-1 in their most recent outing with Big Green, held last October in Storrs. In a series between the two programs that dates all the way back to 1935, UConn has had the better of it, posting a record of 23-16-1 versus Dartmouth.
The Big Green is perfect after home battles with St. Peter's - who the Huskies beat 2-0 in their season-opener - and Northeastern. Darmouth drubbed the Peacocks 7-0 in their first game before blanking Northeastern 1-0 in their most recent outing on Sept. 6.
Freshman midfielder Kevin Dzierzawski was tabbed as the Ivy League Rookie of the Week for his performance against St. Peter's, in which he notched a goal and three assists.
Tonight's matchup is one Reid feels will push his players, as always, opposite The Big Green.
"Dartmouth's got nine starters back and they're very organized defensively," Reid said. "They've got a kid who can throw the ball 60 yards. It'll be a very good test for us on the road."
Iona should pose a threat also after emerging victorious from their first three games. In the Huskies' only meeting with the Gaels, held on Sept. 13, 1995 at Morrone, they won handily by a score of 8-1.
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