University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Advances to NCAA College Cup Final Four
12/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
STORRS, Conn. -- The University of Connecticut men's soccer team used a first half goal by senior All-American Brent Rahim (Diego Martin, Trinidad) to down Brown University 1-0 Sunday in an NCAA Division I national quarterfinal round matchup.
The win, achieved before a crowd of 5,204, advances the Huskies to the NCAA Men's College Cup national semifinals to be held at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, NC. The Final Four trip is the second in as many years for the Huskies. UConn will battle Southern Methodist University, a 2-1 winner over Stanford in the quarterfinal round, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 8. The other semifinal game will see Creighton battle two-time defending national champion Indiana at 5:00 p.m. The national championship game will be played on Sunday, December 10, at 1:00 pm.
UConn, which improved its overall record to 18-3-2 with the win over Brown, got the only goal of the match 19:10 into the first half. Freshman Cesar Cuellar (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) received a long ball from junior Mansour Ndiaye (New York, NY) and delicately passed to Rahim, who was breaking in from the right, ahead of a Brown defender. Rahim calmly rifled a shot from 18 yards out pass the lunge of charging Brown keeper Matt Cross into the left corner of the net.
Other than UConn's one goal, defensive play dominated the contest. UConn held a slim 8-6 edge in shots on goal and both clubs managed three corner kicks apiece. Brown concluded its season with a 13-6-1 record.
Connecticut junior goalie Bryheem Hancock (Middletown, DE) made three svaes in goal to record the shutout, his 13th of the season.
The trip to the NCAA Division I College Cup national semifinals marks the fifth time in UConn men's soccer history that the Huskies have gained a berth in the "Final Four".
UConn won the 1981 NCAA Division I National Championship in its first trip to the "Final Four" and Connecticut returned to the national semifinals in both 1982 and 1983.
Connecticut head coach Ray Reid will be taking the Huskies to the NCAA "Final Four" for the second consecutive year. UConn dropped a 2-1 decision to Santa Clara in four overtimes in the 1999 national semifinals.
Connecticut 1, Brown 0?
Connecticut (18-3-2) 1 0 - 1 Brown (13-6-1) 0 0 - 0
SCORINGUC Brent Rahim (Cesar Cuellar, Mansour Ndiaye) 19:10
SHOTS - UConn - 8; Brown- 6
SAVESUConn - 3 (Bryheem Hancock)Brown- 3 (Matt Cross)
CORNER KICKS - UConn- 3; Brown-3
