Huskies seeing crimson

Unbeaten since Sept. 20 and leading the Big East's Blue Division by one point following a 0-0 draw at West Virginia over the weekend, the No. 17 men's soccer team returns home to Morrone Stadium Wednesday night at 7 p.m. to take on No. 6 Harvard.

The Huskies (6-2-3, 5-1-1 Big East) are in a position that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given the program's success in recent years, along with a pre-season ranking inside the top 20. Still, coach Ray Reid wasn't sure what to expect when he opened the year with new starters at several key posts within the offense. The team's first 11 games have helped him decide a few things.

"We've got a fantastic group of guys," Reid said. "I've said this to them. I've been doing this for 19 years. These guys are fun to come to practice with everyday. I think our seniors - Kwame, Michael, Toni and Cruz - have been fantastic. They've provided good leadership, they've been focused. I don't know if it's a surprise but I'm enjoying it."

UConn closed out a successful week on Saturday with the tie in Morgantown. The game was supposed to take place a night earlier with coverage of the Big East showdown slated for the Fox Soccer Channel. Weather pushed the game back, halted the TV coverage and cooled down the hype. Reid was just pleased to come away with a point away from home.

"We'll take it," Reid said. "On the road it's not an easy place to get points. I thought our guys were focused. Having to wait in the hotel another day, our legs were a little bit heavy. Our guys did a good job."

The West Virginia game was preceded by a 4-0 rout of Providence for which sophomore midfielder Tony Cascio was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week. He scored twice and added two assists to register six points against the Friars, pushing his team-high point total to 14. The scoreless battle with the Mountaineers ended a stretch where Cascio scored five goals in as many games.

"[Tony's] made improvements from this time last year that are significant," Reid said. "The best thing about him is he's a real soccer junkie. He loves the game and he just works at it and we just want him to keep making improvements."

Goalkeeper Josh Ford hasn't been scored on since UConn's 2-1 loss at Rutgers some three weeks ago. He leads the conference in shutouts with seven. He was honored as the Big East Goalkeeper of the Week for his efforts against Providence and West Virginia. Freshman forward Carlos Alvarez rounded out the team's recognition for last week, taking home the Big East Rookie of the Week award after notching his first goal and a pair of assists against Providence.

The Crimson (8-1-1, 1-0-1 Ivy League) represent the Huskies' first non-conference opponent since they earned a draw against Iona on Sept. 13 as part of the Dartmouth Tournament. Reid said Harvard forward Andre Akpan is the best player his team will see in 2009. Akpan leads the Crimson in goals (7), assists (5) and points (19) and is a major reason for Harvard's near-perfect start.

"They're very good," Reid said. "[They] play the 4-4-2, they're very organized. They're a handful up front and they're very well-coached. This will be a very good game."