| Connecticut Huskies men's soccer |
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| University | University of Connecticut | ||
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| Conference | Big East | ||
| Founded | 1939 | ||
| Location | Mansfield, CT | ||
| Head Coach | Ray Reid (15th year) | ||
| Stadium | Joseph J. Morrone Stadium (Capacity: 4,407) |
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| Nickname | Huskies | ||
| Colors | Blue and White
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| NCAA Tournament Champions | |||
| 1948, 1981, 2000 | |||
| NCAA College Cup Appearances | |||
| 1981, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2000 | |||
| NCAA Quarterfinal Appearances | |||
| 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2007 | |||
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |||
| 1960, 1966, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 | |||
| Conference Tournament Champions | |||
| 1983, 1984, 1989, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007 | |||
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |||
| 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009 | |||
The Connecticut Huskies men's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of the University of Connecticut. The team is a member of the Big East Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
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Connecticut soccer existed prior to 1969, but was not considered a major sport and did not even have a real stadium. However, in 1969, Joe Morrone was hired as head coach, and made significant changes that would make the Huskies a premiere program. He started by building Connecticut Soccer Stadium, which now bears his name as Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. Eventually, in Morrone's words, the team became "the Notre Dame of college soccer".[1] Morrone would ultimately coach the team until he retired in 1994.
In 1981, the Huskies won their first NCAA-sanctioned College Cup, defeating Alabama A&M 2-1 in overtime at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. The Huskies also won a title in 1948, although that was before the NCAA. The Huskies, under coach Ray Reid, would win their second title in 2000, beating Creighton 2-0 in Charlotte.[2]
However, in the latter part of the 2000's decade, the Huskies struggled in the NCAA Tournament, losing their openers on penalty kicks in both 2009 [3] and 2010.[4]. The Huskies would advance to the 2011 Quarterfinals, but PKs would once again prove to be their undoing, losing to Charlotte at home in a shootout.
UConn's student section is known as the Goal Patrol, and as of 2007, it is the largest in America with 540 members.[5] The Goal Patrol is known for being very rowdy, and has made Morrone Stadium one of the toughest places to play. In 2011, College Soccer News ranked the rivalry between UConn and St. John's as the sixth best college soccer rivalry in America.[6] The Huskies and Red Storm have consistently been among the best teams in the Big East, and games between the two are always fiercely competitive.