Off the Pitch with Coach Ray Reid:
Oct. 10, 2007
Another week in
the books as the Huskies are now two-thirds of the way through the regular
season.
Outstanding
performances by Dori Arad, Akeem Priestley, Oscar Castillo and Greg King
helped to lead the Huskies this week. It is very difficult to single out
players for their performance, but the four mentioned above often "fly under
the radar screen" and don't get credit for the little things they do. O'Brian
White had a nice week as he was named Big East Offensive Player of the Week.
Also, I'd
be remiss if I didn't mention three other guys. First, Toni Stahl who
really holds our midfield together and is brilliant on both ends of the
ball. Also, Chukwudi Chijindu our super-sub who provides us with a great
spark off the bench. Chuki would start at any other Division I soccer
program in the country, but because of our situation he comes off the
bench. He is a real dangerous striker often changing the match when
inserted. He gives us a much more dangerous look as when he is inserted we
play a 4-3-3 and we are very offensive minded. His mentality, unselfishness
and commitment have been instrumental so far this year. In a generation of
me first people, he is an exception and UConn is lucky to have him. He most
certainly will be a professional player.
Roberto Sgueglia has really been a great injection the last two matches. He
is playing with a great deal of confidence.
Our crowd has been fantastic this year.
They are really coming out to our matches in swarms and their enthusiasm and
energy is contagious. We have the best fans in America and they create a
tremendous atmosphere. Great kudos on these crowds go to my assistant Kevin
Bacher who is relentless at promoting our matches. He has really done a
good job of cultivating the UConn crowd.
We have two
tough matches this week. Tonight, we host the Providence Friars at 7:00
p.m. at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium in a "Big East Match". Chaka Daley, their
Coach, is one of the best coaches in the league and has done a tremendous
job at Providence. His team reflects his discipline and approach to the
game. The Providence-UConn match is always one of the toughest of the year
for the Huskies.
On Saturday,
October 13th the Huskies will travel to South Bend, Indiana to take on the
the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Bobby Clark's team this year is the best
that he has had in his tenure at Notre Dame and will pose a great challenge
for UConn. The game will be at noon.
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