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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team remained unbeaten at home after playing UConn to a scoreless draw on Wednesday night at Gettler Stadium. The draw moves the Bearcats to 3-5-3 on the season and 0-2-1 in the American Athletic Conference, while the Huskies now stand at 3-5-2, 1-1-1 in the league.
// Defensive First Half
Both teams struggled to click offensively in the first half, thanks mostly to defensive stands. The teams each registered two shots in the opening 45 minutes, with scoring chances few and far between. UC head coach Hylton Dayes was especially happy with his back four, particularly with Ben Keane (Mount Laurel, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep) making his first start since the season opener versus Northern Kentucky in center backfield. He started all 19 matches, but was playing alongside redshirt freshman Vebjorn Krovel (Aaelsund, Norway) for the first time. Dayes also emphasized the defensive improvement in the wake of allowing four goals at Tulsa last Saturday.
// Gill Strong
When the Huskies attack started to come together, UC keeper Alex Gill (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) was up to the task.
"He did his job," Dayes said. "That's what we expect of him but he earned the clean sheet tonight."
Gill made six saves, five in the second half, to help the Bearcats record their fourth clean sheet of the season.
// Friendly Confines
Not only did Cincinnati remain unbeaten at Gettler Stadium in 2014, they have also never lost to conference powerhouse UConn at Gettler. The Bearcats have hosted the Huskies three times now, with UC taking a win and the teams playing to a pair of draws. One of the ties came in 2010, when the teams played 110 minutes without a victor in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals before the Bearcats advanced on penalty kicks.
// Up Next
The Bearcats remain at home as No. 22 USF comes to Gettler Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 11. The match is set for 7 p.m.