Spring Break
Castillo Shines Off Bench In Win
Junior's Play In Place Of Injured Schilling Testament To Huskies' Depth
Justin Verrier
Issue date: 9/11/07 Section: Sports
Within less than a minute from when he stepped on the field, Castillo received a pass on a clearing situation and quickly shot it up to midfielder Mike Pezza. But as South Carolina forward Schuyler Reardon arrived a second late, he gave Castillo a little shove after the play. But instead of making a scene, the junior acted as if nothing had ever happened and began to trot downfield.
Only minutes after his first action, Castillo dished the ball off to forward Chukwudi Chijindu and was again given a small push. But this time, Castillo ran farther up the field, and off a give-and-go pass from Chijindu, shot a laser at the net. The ball careened off the top cross bar to the dismay of the crowd, making a noise like a church bell that was louder than anything the reserved Castillo could have said.
"He hit the bar from 30 yards," Reid said, chuckling. "We haven't had a right back hit the bar in six years."
Although the shot was the only one the junior would record, Castillo and the rest of the back four would go on to limit the Gamecocks to only three shots in the game - only one of which was on goal - as the Huskies prevailed 3-0.
"He was pretty good for a guy who had played about 8 minutes at UConn prior to [Friday] night," Reid said. "That's why we brought him in. We brought him here because we thought he would add a dimension of being a tough guy - a team guy. He's not Karl - he's a different look. But he's a very good player."
The defense would continue their tough play the next night. In a defensive battle that left both offenses struggling for the majority of the game, the Huskies refused to bend. Frustrating FIU and holding them to only four shots, the defense provided the time for O'Brian White to hook up with Akeem Priestley for the score with just nine seconds left in the 1-0 win.
While the diagnosis on Schilling - an MCL sprain that could leave him sidelined for 10 to 14 days, or more - wasn't good, Reid said his defense should be just fine without him.
"Losing Karl Schilling is huge, but having Oscar Castillo is a good thing," Reid said.
Enough said.
Contact Justin Verrier at Justin.Verrier@UConn.edu.
Only minutes after his first action, Castillo dished the ball off to forward Chukwudi Chijindu and was again given a small push. But this time, Castillo ran farther up the field, and off a give-and-go pass from Chijindu, shot a laser at the net. The ball careened off the top cross bar to the dismay of the crowd, making a noise like a church bell that was louder than anything the reserved Castillo could have said.
"He hit the bar from 30 yards," Reid said, chuckling. "We haven't had a right back hit the bar in six years."
Although the shot was the only one the junior would record, Castillo and the rest of the back four would go on to limit the Gamecocks to only three shots in the game - only one of which was on goal - as the Huskies prevailed 3-0.
"He was pretty good for a guy who had played about 8 minutes at UConn prior to [Friday] night," Reid said. "That's why we brought him in. We brought him here because we thought he would add a dimension of being a tough guy - a team guy. He's not Karl - he's a different look. But he's a very good player."
The defense would continue their tough play the next night. In a defensive battle that left both offenses struggling for the majority of the game, the Huskies refused to bend. Frustrating FIU and holding them to only four shots, the defense provided the time for O'Brian White to hook up with Akeem Priestley for the score with just nine seconds left in the 1-0 win.
While the diagnosis on Schilling - an MCL sprain that could leave him sidelined for 10 to 14 days, or more - wasn't good, Reid said his defense should be just fine without him.
"Losing Karl Schilling is huge, but having Oscar Castillo is a good thing," Reid said.
Enough said.
Contact Justin Verrier at Justin.Verrier@UConn.edu.
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