BIG EAST Champs! Arad Leads Huskies In 2-0 Win Over Notre Dame

Box Score [pdf] [html]

Statistics [pdf] [html]

PHOTO GALLERY

STORRS, Conn. (November 18, 2007) – Dori Arad (Hahotrim, Israel) scored two goals as the No. 2 nationally-ranked University of Connecticut men's soccer team captured the 2007 BIG EAST Championship title with a 2-0 win over Notre Dame at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. This is the conference-leading seventh BIG EAST Tournament title for the Huskies and the third in the last four years.

With the win, UConn (18-2-1), the top seed out of the BIG EAST Blue Division, earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship. The bracket will be announced on Nov. 19 by the NCAA men’s soccer selection committee. The selection show will be aired on ESPNews between 5:30-6:00 p.m. with the bracket available on ncaasports.com immediately following the show.

Arad's two goals for Connecticut were both scored in a 10-minute time span in the first half. He was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player for his combined three goals in the championship weekend, while senior UConn keeper Josh Ford (Liverpool, N.Y.) earned Defensive MVP honors. Ford finished the day with seven saves.

Connecticut struck at the 7:13 mark of the first half. Arad knocked in a header off an Akeem Priestley (Kingston, Jamaica) corner kick. Priestely, a junior, sent in the kick from the right side, and Arad knocked the ball to the left of Notre Dame keeper Chris Cahill.

The second tally was scored just over 10-minutes later at the 17:29 mark. Arad again sent the ball into the left side of the net on a header, this time off a corner kick by Mike Pezza (Jackson, N.J.) from the left side. The ball went in over the out-reached hands of Cahill.

The Fighting Irish (12-4-5) continued to produce offensive pressure late into the first half. Notre Dame’s first good look of the period came with 15:14 remaining as senior Ryan Miller sent a header just wide of the net.

The Huskies used two saves from Ford to preserve the 2-0 advantage heading into the intermission. The first Irish attempt came from freshman Jeb Brovsky, who collected a pop up and sent a shot on goal that Ford dove to his left to save. In the 39th minute, sophomore Justin Morrow sent a shot on frame that Ford corralled in.

At the end of the first half, Connecticut held a 7-5 advantage in shots and ended the day with a 15-11 advantage.

The second half was scoreless for both sides, despite several close calls by NCAA-leading scorer O'Brian White (Scarborough, Ontario). Notre Dame made a keeper change to junior Andrew Quinn, who made five saves on a flurry of Connecticut shots.

Goals by period       1      2     Tot
Notre Dame             0    0     0
Connecticut            2    0     2

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 7:13 UCONN ARAD, Dori (2) (PRIESTLEY, Akeem)
2. 17:29 UCONN ARAD, Dori (3) (PEZZA, Mike)

Shots: Notre Dame 11, Connecticut 15
Saves: Notre Dame 6 (CAHILL, Chris 1; QUINN, Andrew 5),

Connecticut 7 (FORD, Josh 7)