Oct. 17, 2015
STORRS, Conn. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF senior midfielder Mason Miller scored an equalizing goal early in the second half, but UConn came back to record a 2-1 victory Saturdayt on a header by Jake Nerwinski in the 80th minute. The match was played in front of a sellout crowd of 5,100 at Marrone Stadium.
"I am proud of the player's effort tonight . We went toe-to-toe with a very good UConn team that is better than its record indicates," head coach Bryan Cunningham said. "It was a good match that went end-to-end with both teams connecting on a lot of passes and creating chances."
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MILLER'S EQUALIZER
- On the sixth corner kick for the Knights, Miller found the equalizer in the 57th minute.
- The corner taken by sophomore Matias Pyysalo was knocked around before coming free to Miller in the middle.
- The Dallas, Texas, native beat the keeper with a low strike from 10-yards out.
- It was the first goal of the year for the senior and the third of his career.
"I was really pleased with our possession," Cunningham said. "We extended UConn and had them on the run. The goal came on an extended period of possession. We were able to have back-to-back corners and Mason was able so sneak in there and get a nice equalizing goal."
RENNIE SOLID
- Freshman goalkeeper Brendan Rennie made his second-career start in a hostile environment with a sellout a 5,100 fans at UConn.
- He made five saves in the contest including a pair from point-blank range.
"He handled himself very well," Cunningham said. "He made some critical saves to keep the game at 2-1 and provide us with a fighting chance at the end. He played bigger than the person that he is. We had a very young group out there tonight and did some things very well that were extremely positive."
AT THE HALF
- UConn struck just before the break on a marker by Abduo Thiam off a feed from Kwame Awuah in the 43 minute.
- The Knights held a 4-3 advantage in corners and managed to get a pair of shots on target.
NEXT UP
- The Knights continue a two-match road trip on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. match at in-state rival USF.
- UCF returns home on Oct. 24 with a 7 p.m. contest against Memphis on homecoming. The Knights' football team plays earlier in the day at noon against Houston.