UConn Steams Past South Florida

Advance to Semifinals Against Louisville

November 12, 2007

STORRS, Conn. – After over 80 minutes of scoreless soccer, UConn’s Ryan Cordeiro scored twice in the last seven minutes to lead the No. 1-ranked and top-seeded University of Connecticut men's soccer team to a 2-0 win over No. 22 South Florida in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals Saturday night at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium.

UConn, which improves to 16-2-1 on the year, will advance to play Louisville in the semifinals Friday in Storrs. The Cardinals advanced past West Virginia with a 3-1 penalty kick advantage after playing to a 2-2 tie through 110 minutes.

The UConn Huskies are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Redshirt goalie Josh Ford recorded his 11th shutout of the year and the Huskies controlled the ball from the opening whistle, putting up several legitimate scoring chances in the opening half and limiting the Bulls to just one shot. It was in the second period, however, the Husky offense tallied nine shots in the second stanza before converting on an opportunity as the half started to draw to a close.

Cordeiro finally put the Huskies on the board in the 83rd minute off assists from Mike Pezza and Castillo. Pezza, the nation's leader in assists, started the play that ended with Cordeiro receiving a centering pass about six yards out from the goal and chipping it high into the net to make the score 1-0.

The senior midfielder sealed the deal early in the 90th minute with his second tally of the night and eighth goal of the year with 47 seconds to play. Akeem Priestley brought the ball through the center of the field, dishing it out to Cordeiro on the left side of the penalty box for him to launch a shot into the lower right 90 to give UConn the 2-0 lead and ultimately the win.

Even though they didn't score until late in the game, the Huskies controlled the tempo from the opening whistle. They ended the night with a 15-4 advantage in shots and a 6-0 margin in corner kicks, marking the 10th time this season the Huskies have limited the opposition to fewer than five shots. USF did not tally its first shot of the night until the 41st minute and saw little time inside of its offensive penalty area before or after.