STORRS, Conn. – The UConn men’s soccer team opens the 2018 season this weekend, beginning with a match against Lehigh on Friday night before finishing with Niagara on Sunday at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. for both contests.

The Huskies – led by 22-year head coach Ray Reid – enter the season with high expectations due to a talented group of 13 newcomers and returning senior experience. This weekend will mark the first two games of an 11-match home schedule, with season tickets and game tickets available for purchase now! 

Admission is free at both games for all UConn students (including transfers). Students interested in joining the Goal Patrol – the Huskies’ devoted fan section – will have the chance to buy season tickets ($22, or $10 with purchase of football season tickets) to become official members.

Goal Patrol members who sign up for season tickets will receive a t-shirt at Sunday’s game against Niagara. Gate 3, the student tailgate, is where tickets can be purchased on either game night this weekend, while serving as the t-shirt pick-up location on Sunday.

Coming off two exhibitions against Colgate and Syracuse, the Huskies have experienced some live game action before beginning the 2018 campaign. UConn knocked off the Raiders on Aug. 13 in the Shenkman Training Facility, 5-2, before playing to a scoreless draw with Syracuse on Aug. 18 at Oakwood Soccer Park.

UConn was picked to finish third according to the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll, accumulating 38 points and one first-place vote. Senior captains Abdou Mbacke Thiam, Dylan Greenberg and Jacob Hauser-Ramsey all earned spots on the Preseason All-Conference Team, with Hauser-Ramsey named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

It is just the second all-time meeting for UConn with both Lehigh and Niagara, holding a 1-0 series edge over each program. Previous meetings with the Mountain Hawks and Purple Eagles were in 1992 and 1997, respectively.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION

The Mountain Hawks are coming off a strong 2017 campaign, going 11-7-1 before being eliminated by Holy Cross in the Patriot League quarterfinals. Senior forward Mark Forrest returns as the team’s leading scorer, accounting for 15 goals and eight assists (38 points), on his way to being named Third Team All-America by United Soccer Coaches. Lehigh enjoyed a four-win improvement between 2016 and 2017 under longtime head coach Dean Koski.

Niagara had a down year in 2017, winning just two games and ending the season on a six-game losing streak. The Purple Eagles were just 1-8-1 in MAAC play. Goalkeeper Steve Casey returns after making 77 saves last season between the posts, tied for second-most in the conference.

WELCOME TO UCONN

The Huskies have 13 new players joining the program in 2018, including two transfers (Robin Lapert and Alex Patz) and five from Connecticut. Immediate impact has been felt by a handful of new faces, including freshman forward Ibrahima Diop, who tallied three goals in the exhibition

against Colgate. Goalkeeper Gianluca Catalano pitched a total of 90 scoreless minutes for UConn in the exhibitions against Colgate and Syracuse.

SCORING ATTACK

Thiam, one of the most prolific scorers in program history, is coming off his third-straight, double-digit goal season with 10 tallies as a junior. His 31 career goals put him just four away from entering UConn’s top 10 all-time scoring list. He has led the Huskies in goals and points in each of his first three years with the team. In each of the last two seasons, he has been selected First Team All-Conference.

FOLLOW ALONG

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