Early Goals Sink Huskies Against Rutgers

Thursday, August 30

Joseph J. Morrone Stadium - Storrs, Conn.

7:00 PM

University of Connecticut

1-4-0

Rutgers

4-0-1

Rutgers

UConn

8/30/2018 9:38:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Palacios with Four Saves in the Loss.

STORRS, Conn. – Early goals proved to be too much for the UConn women's soccer team to overcome on Thursday night, as the Huskies dropped a 3-0 decision to Rutgers at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium in non-conference action.

The Scarlet Knights, who entered the match receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, tallied a pair of scores in the first 12 minutes of the contest – while tacking one on later in the 40^th minute to hand UConn (1-4-0) its fourth loss in five matches.

"I think Rutgers is a good team; they are very athletic. We dug ourselves into a hole early," said head coach Margaret Rodriguez. "When you give up goals early, the other team gains confidence and we got a little rattled…We had moments where we played well, but couldn't capitalize."

UConn had a golden opportunity to cut Rutgers' lead in half in the 36^th minute, as sophomore Yamilee Eveillard rocketed a free kick from the semicircle off the crossbar – keeping the deficit at 2-0. Four minutes later, Ashley Atubi scored for the Knights, making the lead 3-0.

"Right now it's about leadership and players stepping up and gaining confidence," said Rodriguez. "The biggest thing is communication. We get a little individual and it goes against what we work on, so making the team believe in itself when you're losing games is a challenge, but we're focusing on the process. If we can take something from each game, we'll be okay."

Rutgers outshot the Huskies, 11-9, including a 7-2 edge in shots on goal. Redshirt sophomore goalie Randi Palacios pitched a shutout in the second half, recording four saves on the night – including a great diving stop in the 75^th minute.

The Scarlet Knights scored in the 8^th and 12^th minutes to open the game, putting the Huskies in a 2-0 hole before the sun went down over Morrone. Physical play in the second half resulted in a scoreless 45 minutes, but UConn played more competitively with the Scarlet Knights as the game went on.

"The physicality was there…Rutgers was fast and aggressive and we had to match it, which I think we did," said Rodriguez. Eveillard recorded three shots for the Huskies in the loss, while junior midfielder Alexa Casimiro fired two shots of her own.

UConn returns to action on Sunday when it travels to play at Boston University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.