UConn Men Defeat Canisius 3-2 in Season Opener

The UConn men got their soccer season off to a winning start with a 3-2 win over Canisius on Friday night. The win would have been much more convincing but for a late-game rally that saw Canisius claw back two goals in the final ten minutes.

U Conn junior O'Brian White scored two goals, in the 9th and 14th minutes, while Senior Chukwudi Chijindu tallied the other in the 31st. Senior Karl Schilling of Canton, CT and sophomore Mike Pezza each had two assists and junior Akeem Priestley had one.

The Griff's late rally consisted of a penalty kick from Alan McGreal in the 80th minute, and an 84th minute strike from Adam Studniarek.

UConn's offense put up some impressive numbers, tallying 22 shots on goal, but it was the defense that led the way restricting Canisius to just two shots, and both of those in the waning minutes of the second half.

The fact taht both of those shots went in will no doubt be cause for some concern for Ray Reid and his staff, but both goals came when several of the UConn starters were on the bench allowing some of the younger players to gain experience.

The starting lineup was then reinstituted for the Huskies and Canisius was shut down for the remaining six-plus minutes of play.

Attencance at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium was 3,604.

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