UConn women's soccer needs a win, tie or some help

After a nine-day hiatus, the UConn women’s soccer team will have an opportunity to play its way into the postseason when it hosts Providence on Saturday night. The Huskies need either a win or a tie to ensure a playoff spot.

The Big East is broken into two divisions, American and National. The top four teams from each division make the playoffs and the next two best records, regardless of division, also advance. The Huskies are currently in fourth place in the American Division with 10 points, only one point ahead of Providence, which lurks right behind in fifth place. A UConn win or tie would clinch the fourth spot in the American Division, and a playoff berth.

However, if the Friars win, they will jump the Huskies, leaving their playoff aspirations up to the two wild card spots. In the National Division, Rutgers is in fifth place with 13 points, and DePaul is in sixth with 10. In the event of a UConn loss and a DePaul tie or win against Notre Dame, the Blue Demons would steal the final wild card spot and UConn’s season would be over.

The Huskies have hit a poorly timed slump in recent weeks, losing a series of hard-fought games to conference opponents. After a 3-2 win over DePaul on Sept. 28, they have gone 0-3-1. They are coming off a particularly disappointing loss to Pittsburgh on Oct. 11, when the Panthers upset UConn with a score of 2-1.

None of that will matter, however, if they are able to get back on track against Providence. The Friars enter the weekend at 8-8-1 (3-6-0 Big East), while the Huskies are 7-7-2 (3-5-1). Similarly to the Huskies, Providence has struggled mightily in the past month. In its previous seven games, it is 1-6, scoring only one goal.

For senior forward Danielle Schulmann, the game not only offers an opportunity to extend her collegiate career, but also a chance to cap off what has been one of the most prolific seasons in program history. She is leading the team in virtually every offensive category, including goals (nine), assists (seven), points (25), shots (39), shot percentage (.231) and shots on goal (19). She is among the Big East leaders in all of these categories.

The critical contest between two teams battling for their seasons will take place at Joseph Morrone Stadium on Saturday night at 7 p.m.