University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Open Title Defense With Tie
8/31/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
STORRS, CT (Aug. 31, 2001) – If history is any indicator, the University of Connecticut men’s soccer program should not be alarmed following a 3-3 double overtime tie against Akron as it began its national title defense Friday night in Storrs, CT, in its opening game of the 2001 Bob’s Stores UConn Soccer Classic. As it turns out, the Huskies have began the last two seasons which ended with national titles with contests that slipped into extra periods. A season ago, it was Wake Forest that took a 2-1 win from the Huskies before the Huskies went on to win the school’s third national championship. In 1981 the season concluded in similar fashion although the outcome of game one was in UConn’s favor with a 2-1 OT victory over St. Louis.
In a game that had enough ups and downs to last a season, Akron struck first as Torbjorn Birkeland beat senior Bryheem Hancock (Middletown, DE) to make it 1-0. UConn senior Sam Forko (Houston, TX) evened the contest at 21:15 as he sent one into the goal off a junior Anthony Curtis (Kingston, Jamaica) corner kick. Akron went ahead at 50:55 when Orjan Bjaneso intercepted a pass back to the keeper. UConn’s sophomore Cesar Cuellar (Santa Cruz, CA) took advantage of a penalty kick at 81:26 to knot the contest at 2-2 before junior Damani Ralph (Meridian, MS) put the Huskies up 3-2 at 88:25. Just as it seemed Connecticut was on its way to the victory, Birkeland came up the side and tied it once again with just six seconds left.
Hancock played the entire game recording one save, while Dan Pinho worked the goal for the Zips and totaled seven saves.
The Huskies return to action on Saturday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. eastern time when it meets Washington in its second game of the home classic. The meeting will be the first-ever between Connecticut and a Pac-10 team in the Ray Reid era.
