Connecticut vs. Creighton Men's Soccer Quarterfinal Breakdown
#4 Connecticut vs. #12 Creighton
UConn takes on Creighton for the chance to move on to the semifinals of the College Cup. UConn faced off against New Mexico and was able to come out on top after two overtimes thanks to Nicholas Zuniga’s game winning goal early in the second OT. The freshman scored his first collegiate goal after receiving a pass from Carlos Alvarez and beating out Lobo’s keeper Victor Rodriguez to find the lower left corner of the net. UConn’s defense held New Mexico to just one goal and keeper Andre Blake logged four saves. The Huskies’ defense has played a major roll as UConn made their way through the Big East and into the quarter finals of the NCAA tournament. Allowing just 11 goals on the season shows why they are one of the best defenses in the league. With the help of Blake in the net tallying 61 saves for the Huskies, the team has dominated all kinds of offenses that were thrown at them. But will it be enough to fend off Creighton’s aggressive offense? Creighton took Akron to a shoot-out after two overtimes of play. Akron started off early with a goal by Reinaldo Brenes in the first half. Creighton finally answered back with just eight minutes left of regular time play in the second. After two overtimes it came down to shootouts and Creighton was able to find the net on all five while Akron was held to four. Creighton’s offense has been aggressive all season but they will need to attempt more shots on goal against UConn than they did against Akron with just two. Creighton’s defense also has held their own especially against some of the top ranked teams. Keeper Jeff Gal showed off his ability against Akron logging eight saves and keeping all five shootout attempts from entering the net. Both Creighton and UConn have tallied 39 goals, but the defensive advantage plays in the favor of the Huskies going into the quarterfinal match. With the less aggressive offense the Huskies will need to control the ball more and keep it away from the Blue Jay’s offense.
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