Men's soccer beats UC Santa Barbara

[dbmill]

Ray Reid's squad came from behind in the rain with two late second half goals to beat Santa Barbara 2-1, overcoming a Gaucho goal that came from a penalty kick from what sounded like a questionable call in the UConn penalty box. UConn men's soccer thus accomplishes something this season that it could not do in several tries last season, that is, a win over a quality out of conference opponent. A lack of any such victories last year was a big reason why they did not make the NCAA tourney last season.

 

[ct06111]

Great win. Man, it was pouring! 2x goals for #11 and 2x assists for #7.
Glad I stayed.

 

[ct06111]

Coach Morrone was there the whole game.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Coach Morrone was there the whole game.

I didn't know that Coach Morrone was so ill. Terminal pancreatic cancer. Thanks for everything coach and prayers for his family.

http://www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-uconn-santa-barbara-soccer-0914-20150913-story.html

 

[NickyNewark]

I didn't know that Coach Morrone was so ill. Terminal pancreatic cancer. Thanks for everything coach and prayers for his family.

http://www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-uconn-santa-barbara-soccer-0914-20150913-story.html

Great win.....don't the Uconn woman also have a pretty darn good soccer team..Never mind...i followed the link....19th ranked nationally.

 

[ct06111]

This is my 1st yr as a UCONN ST holder for soccer and I'll
admit I don't know much about the history and never really paid attention to the program until this year. I know morrone was a famous coach ,starter/sustainer of the program and the stadium bears his name, but it was AWESOME to see that win and see the kids rush over to morrone in his wheelchair to celebrate. If this will be his last game to see in person, you couldn't have picked a better win.

 

[HistoryMajor]

Back in late 1970's or perhaps 1980, I was speaking to Dee Rowe. I was on my way to a soccer game and Coach Joe Morrone came up naturally in our conversation. Dee said, and this is very close to an exact quote, "Joe Morrone is so driven that someday he'll win a National Championship". It was only a few years after that that UCONN won it's first Soccer National Championship. I never knew Joe M but he was an excellent coach and he is a great man.

 

[Pudge]

1980 was a far different time and Collegiate Soccer was a far different game. Joe Morrone was a huge innovative leader. He had so many interesting elements to that Program that you had to step up & notice. He played top teams from other regions and forced that NC. I don't think we would have gotten to the title if he didn't push the schedule in 1975 or so. If you want to point to the one guy who really yanked UConn out of sleepy Yankee Conference mindset ... it was the guy tossing the clipboards.

 

[4in16]

I know the polls mean very little this early, but how did UConn not even receive a vote this week when UCSB received 14 votes(9th RV) after the loss Sunday??? Were the 3 shutout ties against those 3 ok teams that bad? No losses after 5 games and only 2 goals against has to count for something right?

http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d1

 

[2Infinity]

Back in late 1970's or perhaps 1980, I was speaking to Dee Rowe. I was on my way to a soccer game and Coach Joe Morrone came up naturally in our conversation. Dee said, and this is very close to an exact quote, "Joe Morrone is so driven that someday he'll win a National Championship". It was only a few years after that that UCONN won it's first Soccer National Championship. I never knew Joe M but he was an excellent coach and he is a great man.

Joe's tenacity and drive certainly helped lead the Huskies to becoming so competitive in men's soccer once again. Joe really transitioned us back onto the national scene. Though most of us weren't around at the time, nor aware of it later, Joe's team (1981) actually won the second national title for UConn in men's soccer. The first was won back in 1948* when they went 11-0. Since there was no playoff system at the time, they were voted the National Champions by the Coaches Association (NSCAA). I first learned about this from my father, who happened to be a member of that team. He worked closely with Joe during Joe's coaching years through the Friends of Soccer program. My dad has always talked about what a great impact Joe had in bringing UConn soccer back to such great heights and even further by making us competitive on the national scene on what seemed like, almost annually! Thanks Joe for all you've meant to and done for UConn soccer!!

* http://www.uconnhuskies.com/trads/national-champions.html

 

[4UConn]

I was around in those early days and a big fan of the soccer program. Coach Morrone was HUGE, not only for UConn soccer but for UConn period, and put UConn in national contention. In those pre-Calhoun and Auriemma days, UConn struggled to break out of its regional identity. Morrone built his teams with many American kids as opposed to the top soccer schools, which brought in a lot of foreign talent. Back then Hartwick, Philadelphia Textile, Brown had some really good teams.

The old stadium, which held, if I remember about 3600 people, was almost always filled to capacity, with a lot of people standing. Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper was blaring from the speakers. Good times, good memories. Thank you Coach Morrone for the legacy of winning you brought to UConn and placing UConn in national contention.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I was around in those early days and a big fan of the soccer program. Coach Morrone was HUGE, not only for UConn soccer but for UConn period, and put UConn in national contention. In those pre-Calhoun and Auriemma days, UConn struggled to break out of its regional identity. Morrone built his teams with many American kids as opposed to the top soccer schools, which brought in a lot of foreign talent. Back then Hartwick, Philadelphia Textile, Brown had some really good teams.

In the early 80's before basketball, UConn's two most successful teams were men's soccer and women's field hockey, both of which won national champions.

By time I arrived on campus in the early 90's, the men's soccer team had fallen back a bit as the game had changes a lot and some folks where critical that Morrone was not able to adjust his recruiting and tactics to compensate. That in now way takes away from the effort he put in to UConn men's soccer so that any year that UConn did not win the Big E and go to the NCAA playoffs was not good enough.

The early 90's was also the pinnacle of UConn's women's soccer team. They did not win a national championship, primarily because UNC women's team a the time was dominant and UConn lost to UNC several times I the NCAA semi-finals and finals. Sarah Whalen is agilely UConn's best women's soccer player of all time. The women's tema has been on slide lately, which some point to Tsantiris for the same reasons they were critical of Morrone for; but, I point to the amount of money that certain football schools have poured into women's soccer to address Title IX issues, i.e. the XII and SEC sponsors women's soccer, not men's (W Virginia's men's soccer team plays in the MAC).

 

[Adios]

Was Toner the man who hired Morrone?

 

[HuskyHawk]

I was around in those early days and a big fan of the soccer program. Coach Morrone was HUGE, not only for UConn soccer but for UConn period, and put UConn in national contention. In those pre-Calhoun and Auriemma days, UConn struggled to break out of its regional identity. Morrone built his teams with many American kids as opposed to the top soccer schools, which brought in a lot of foreign talent. Back then Hartwick, Philadelphia Textile, Brown had some really good teams.

The old stadium, which held, if I remember about 3600 people, was almost always filled to capacity, with a lot of people standing. Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper was blaring from the speakers. Good times, good memories. Thank you Coach Morrone for the legacy of winning you brought to UConn and placing UConn in national contention.

During my era 84-88, Soccer was right there with basketball as the dominant sport on campus, and Dan Donigan, the BMOC really. Basketball was certainly huge with Cliff Robinson, Phil Gamble, Jeff King, Murray Williams, and Steve Pikiell and exploded with the NIT win. But we went to every home soccer game and the North Goal Gang provided probably one of the best home field environments anywhere in college soccer at the time.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

UConn's Facebook page is reporting that Coach Joe Morrone has passed away. Damn. Glad the team got to give him that one last gift.

 

[huskymedic]

UConn's Facebook page is reporting that Coach Joe Morrone has passed away.

So is the Boneyard . http://the-boneyard.com/threads/it-...uconnmsoc-coach-and-legend-joe-morrone.80578/

 

[dbmill]

During my era 84-88, Soccer was right there with basketball as the dominant sport on campus, and Dan Donigan, the BMOC really. Basketball was certainly huge with Cliff Robinson, Phil Gamble, Jeff King, Murray Williams, and Steve Pikiell and exploded with the NIT win. But we went to every home soccer game and the North Goal Gang provided probably one of the best home field environments anywhere in college soccer at the time.

Most certainly true. I was at UConn for undergraduate and graduate school from 1978-1985. The passion for the soccer program at that time was absolutely amazing to witness. UConn owes Joe Morone a huge debt of thanks for his role in helping to push UConn athletics to bigger things on the national stage.

 

[ct06111]

Uconn beat Rhode Island 1-0 to go 3-0-3 in front of 4,000 or so.
1st career goal by #9.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

And then UConn loses to fracking BC 3 to 1 in Newton. I don't care how good or bad both teams are, UConn must beat the back-stabbing Eagles in everything!

 

[ASweet3781]

And then UConn loses to fracking BC 3 to 1 in Newton. I don't care how good or bad both teams are, UConn must beat the back-stabbing Eagles in everything!

How do you fall down 3-0 in the first 25 mins of the game when you haven't given up many goals at all this year? Not ready to play it seems. Kinda inexplicable considering the opponent.

 

[ASweet3781]

Lost again. 1-0 to USF.

Both soccer programs right now are the antithesis of the basketball teams (and field hockey). They seem incapable of pushing through and really making serious runs. Will they ever regain the early 80s runs?

 

[dbmill]

Lost again. 1-0 to USF.

Both soccer programs right now are the antithesis of the basketball teams (and field hockey). They seem incapable of pushing through and really making serious runs. Will they ever regain the early 80s runs?

UConn men's soccer is a very young team these days, right now starting no seniors and I believe only three juniors. Playing so many underclassmen is usually not a recipe for success in college sports. They are also dealing with injuries to returning players Greenberg and Zuniga which doesn't help. Defense for the most part has been good, but the question still remains where they are going to get goal scoring. Still, considering the youth of this team, this could be very good in a year or two, if they discover a goal scorer or two.

I noted in a post in the hockey thread that recruiting for the men's basketball team really seems to have picked up since the new basketball practice facility opened. The soccer teams have been playing in an old outdated facility for a number of years now, while many other schools have opened new soccer stadiums in the past 15 years or so. I would think building the new Morrone Stadium in the next few years could be a big help to the future success of the teams.

 

[ct06111]

Just got a call from ticket office:

Todays UConn vs Providence men's soccer game has been postponed. No make up date yet established.

 

[ASweet3781]

They just lost 1-0 in Double OT at Morrone to a Memphis team that had won one game previously.

Even with youth and after those injuries dmill Ray Reid said "We are going to be REALLY good this year". Exact quote. He also called out the AAC for not taking men's soccer seriously. Seems he's having a tough go competing as it turns out.

 

[ct06111]

They just lost 1-0 in Double OT at Morrone to a Memphis team that had won one game previously.

Even with youth and after those injuries dmill Ray Reid said "We are going to be REALLY good this year". Exact quote. He also called out the AAC for not taking men's soccer seriously. Seems he's having a tough go competing as it turns out.

I left morrone so pissed. 1st lost @ home and to a 1-5 team. That #10 on the other team was good. Crappy way to lose. Moose and the other d-man were being lazy on D. Dancing in front of Scotty and just couldn't clear the ball. I think it deflected to some Memphis player and in with like 5 or so left in double OT

Now we're 0-2 in AAC. We have to win conference games. Memphis should have been an easy win. We let teams settle and set up D. Horrible transitions and just not getting anywhere near the net. Yes, we had like 6 or 7 shots to Memphis' 2 shots on goal for a total 85 minutes. the 3rd shot in goal was the win.

I think Reid just pissed off the other AAC teams, but hasn't coached a win in the AAC all year. We need a win weds against Cindy.