UConn will host Providence College on Thursday in a matchup of historic foes. Connecticut first played the Friars in 1984 and have had their number for the most part. From 1984 to 1993, the Huskies rallied off the first 10 wins of the series, until PC pulled out a victory in Storrs. UConn dominated until they departed from the Big East in the early 2010s, winning 16 more fixtures and only conceding one loss and one draw a piece.
However, the return to the conference has not been kind to the Huskies. In the six games since 2019, both squads sit at a record of 2-2-2. The last contest saw UConn come out with a 2-1 victory. Lucy Cappadonna recorded her first goal of the season, which proved to be the game winner that day. Chioma Okafor and Abbey Jones recorded assists for Connecticut on the respective two goals. The lone goal scorer for Providence that night was Marryn Gruhn, who will see some action on the pitch Thursday night.
The Friars are coming off a 10-5-5 season with a 4-1-5 record in conference play, enough to earn them the No. 4 seed in the Big East tournament. After defeating St. John’s in the quarterfinals, Providence was defeated 2-0 by Xavier. This season, PC has gotten out to a 5-4-1 start, including home wins over St. John’s and Butler, making them undefeated in conference competition at 2-0.
Providence will be without their lone All-Big East First Team member, Meg Hughes, as she transferred to Michigan State after a stellar freshman campaign. All-Big East Second Team member Kayla Briggs will return for her sophomore season after the forward tallied nine points in 2023. Emma Bodmer is back for the Friars as a graduate student. The goalie was named All-Big East Third Team last year, alongside Massachusetts native Gillian Kenney. As a junior, Kenney had six goals, although she is still searching for her first in 2024.
Connecticut is still searching for their first win in Big East play as they come into play with a record of 0-1-2. The Huskies have not gone out without a fight in any of their three previous matches. They were in wire-to-wire ties with St. John’s and Xavier, while the Georgetown game was only a one goal deficit until about midway through the second half.
Kaitlyn Mahoney tied a season-high in saves on Sunday with five, bringing her season total to 31. The defending Big East Goalkeeper of the Year was pulled in the 77th minute against the Hoyas and replaced by MaryKate Ward. UConn has allowed seven goals in the last three games after blanking Texas A&M on September 15. Connecticut will look to clean up errors on their own side of the pitch when the Friars come to town on Thursday.
Scoring has not been a problem for the Huskies, as they have found the back of the net in all 11 of their games. Seven of those 11 games have been multi-goal outings, including a six-goal outburst in the shutout of the Aggies. Okafor has 9 goals this season and has also set up players for goal chances. If Okafor begins to see heavier defensive pressure, look for Lina Dantes, Abbey Jones and Maddie Fried to get one past the goalkeeper. The trio has five total goals on the year, and they are all well into double figures for shots on goal.
The intensity will be up for this contest and the Huskies must overcome any adversity necessary to get in the win column against a conference foe.
Thursday is Game Night themed at Morrone Stadium and the game is slated for a 7 p.m. kick. Fans can also tune in to FloSports to catch Connecticut in action.
