The Daily Campus

Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ryan Sayers Greg King winds up to kick the ball in a game at Morrone Stadium.

The men's soccer team's bid to make this season much like the ones in 1948, 1981 and 2000, when UConn was the last team standing as national champions, took one step closer towards reality, as the Huskies (11-1-0, 5-1-0 Big East) took over the No. 1 spot in all four major soccer polls as of yesterday. The last time this was the case was exactly seven years ago - Oct. 9, 2000 - on the team's way to its third national championship.

The next obstacle in the Huskies' quest for a championship is Providence (5-4-1, 2-2-1), which is the second of four consecutive Big East opponents. The game will be at 7 p.m. tonight at Morrone Stadium and will be the last game at Morrone for 17 days, as UConn hits the road for a very difficult three-game stretch at No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 19 West Virginia and Yale.

Head coach Ray Reid is downplaying the significance of the new ranking, as he usually does, and appears apathetic to where the team is standing nationally, as he only worries about who is next on the schedule.

"It's a popularity vote and it's nothing we've earned," Reid said. "It hasn't changed one thing and shouldn't have anything to do with anything. If our guys are intelligent they should know that we still have to win. It means nothing."

Chukwudi Chijindu echoes the sentiments of Reid, and it is obvious Reid has made it clear to his players what they should be striving for this year.

"We don't really look at the rankings," Chijindu said. "The rankings aren't going to make us play any better; they're only going to make our opponents play harder. We need to focus on ourselves and the next game."

The 'one game at a time' mentality is one that has been successful for UConn so far this season. The Huskies keep their heads down to look at whoever is next on the schedule in the hopes of looking up at the end of the year to absolutely no one.

The entire team is repenting for last season. When the Huskies did not live up to the expectations they set for themselves.

"Last year we were a highly-underachieving group," Chijindu said. "This year there is a fear to lose and we go into games with a better mentality. The way the leaders are carrying themselves - we learned a lot from last season."

"If we lose the last six games of this year and finish 11-7, this season will be just as disappointing as last year," Reid said. "Providence is now our biggest game of the year, and they need the three points we're trying to get."

In both the past two championship seasons, the Huskies ended up with a record of 20-3-2 on the year. This year, the Huskies have more than a legitimate shot at matching or eclipsing that record held by former UConn championship teams.

O'Brian White also notched his third Big East Offensive Player of the Week award for his hat trick against Pittsburgh. He will look to add his 12th goal of the year as the team looks to add its 12th win against the Friars.



Matt Flaschsenhaar can be reached

at Matthew.Flachsenhaar@UConn.edu.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools