University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies shut out Minutewomen, 5-0
9/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
AMHERST, MA (Sept. 5, 2001)— Freshman Kristen Graczyk (Albuquerque, NM) served the gamewinning assist and added an insurance goal to lead the No. 9 University of Connecticut women’s soccer team past No. 19 Massachusetts with a 5-0 shutout in Amherst, Ma., on Wednesday afternoon. With the win, UConn moves to 2-1 on the season, while UMass falls to 1-1.
Graczyk dished a pass to junior Megan Almanzo (New Hope, MN) just 4:08 into the game which Almanzo converted from 25-yards out with help from a deflection off the crossbar. The goal was Almanzo’s first of the season and was all UConn would need on the afternoon. Senior Kaycee McElree (Davis, CA) gave UConn a 2-0 lead going into the half when she took a thru-pass from sophomore Shelby Brownfield (Snohomish, WA) and chipped the ball over the head of UMass goalie Julie Podhrasky.
The Huskies added three more goals late in the second half, starting with sophomore Jessica Gjertsen’s (Stony Plain, Alberta) second tally of the season at 73:27, which she controlled off a header from senior Alexa Borisjuk (North Haven, CT) and sent to the back of the net. Graczyk kept the scoring going at 81:16 on a give-and-go from junior Salla Ranta (Helsinki, Finland), while senior Lacey Toups (Richardson, TX) closed the game out with just 29 seconds left on the clock when she headed a ball past Podhrasky off a corner kick from senior Jen Amaio (Wethersfield ,CT).
The Huskies outshot the Minutewomen 22-4 on the afternoon.
Sophomore Erin Rice (Keller, TX) and junior Maria Yatrakis (Brooklyn, NY) combined for four saves in the net with Rice playing the first half and stopping one UMass shot and Yatrakis coming in at the half for three saves. Podhrasky made six saves for UMass.
The Connecticut women’s soccer team returns to action this weekend when it hosts the UConn/Diadora Classic at Morrone Stadium on Friday and Sunday, Sept. 7 & 9. Georgia and Boston College open the tourney action at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, while UConn will face Ohio State at 7:00 p.m. that evening. On Sunday afternoon, Ohio State and Boston College will compete at 11:00 a.m., and UConn will face off against Georgia at 1:30 p.m.
