University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Rider University
Hall Shines in Husky Debut, Reid Earns 300th UConn Victory in Season Opener
8/30/2019 10:20:00 PM | Men's Soccer
STORRS, Conn. – Senior transfer Jordan Hall shined in his UConn debut, tallying two goals to help lead UConn to a 2-0 shutout victory over the Rider Broncs Friday night at Al-Marzook Fields. Dayonn Harris dished out two assists while sophomore Felix Metzler and freshman Moussa Wade each notched assists of their own.
Friday night's season-opening win was a special one for the Huskies, as 23rd-year head coach Ray Reid surpassed the 300-career win milestone at UConn. Reid, who ranks second among active coaches with a .742 win percentage, now boasts a mark of 446-130-75 in 31 seasons as a head coach.
Following a few near scoring opportunities early in the match, UConn finally broke through in the 19th minute on a Jordan Hall tally. Senior Dayonn Harris raced up the far right sideline and sent a pass inside the box to Moussa Wade. Wade then delivered a pass to Hall and the senior rocketed his shot past the Rider keeper into the bottom left corner of the net.
The Huskies had a couple more chances to extend the lead prior to the half, their best opportunity coming on a Jordan Hall breakaway that just nicked the keeper's glove, forcing the shot off target.
UConn doubled its lead just 10 minutes into the second frame on another strike from Hall. After clearing the ball out of traffic, Felix Metzler headed the ball over to Dayonn Harris, who then sent a cross towards a sprinting Jordan Hall. Outleaping his defender, the forward headed his shot into the far right corner to give the home team at 2-nil advantage at 54:48.
Despite being ahead two goals, the Huskies continued to put the pressure on the Broncs late into the second half, nearly finding the back of the net for the third time when Metzler's shot was blocked by the Rider keeper. UConn would cruise the rest of the way, coming away with a 2-0 victory.
Husky Highlights…
- Senior transfer Jordan Hall tallied two goals to lead the Huskies to a 2-nil victory on opening night, both off feeds from redshirt-junior Dayonn Harris. Felix Metzler and Moussa Wade also added assists.
- UConn earned their first shutout of the season behind three saves from goalkeeper Gianluca Catalano and a stifling UConn defensive unit
- Ray Reid earned his 300th victory at UConn, pushing his total to 446 career wins in 31 years as a head coach.
