There’s a new No. 1 in college soccer.
The early dominance of an experienced Connecticut side continued over the weekend, as the Huskies defeated St. John’s 2-0 in both teams’ Big East opener.
Freshman Allando Matheson scored the game-winning goal for UConn in the 74th minute, before Mamadou Doudou Diouf added an insurance tally in the last minute of the game. It was the eighth win in a row for the Huskies, and a fifth straight shutout for one of the nation’s best programs.
Here’s how the rest of MLSsoccer.com’s Top 20 fared over the weekend:
MLSsoccer.com's Top 20
Rank |
School |
Record |
Last Week |
1 |
Connecticut |
8-0-0 |
2 |
2 |
Maryland |
8-0-1 |
1 |
3 |
Creighton |
8-0-0 |
3 |
4 |
Akron |
5-0-2 |
4 |
5 |
North Carolina |
7-1-0 |
6 |
6 |
Indiana |
6-0-2 |
7 |
7 |
UC Santa Barbara |
6-1-1 |
9 |
8 |
UC Irvine |
8-1-0 |
12 |
9 |
Louisville |
6-2-0 |
5 |
10 |
Notre Dame |
5-1-2 |
13 |
11 |
New Mexico |
6-0-2 |
16 |
12 |
Boston College |
6-2-0 |
8 |
13 |
Georgetown |
5-1-2 |
17 |
14 |
Central Florida |
6-1-1 |
10 |
15 |
UCLA |
5-3-1 |
11 |
16 |
Penn State |
5-2-1 |
14 |
17 |
South Florida |
5-2-1 |
19 |
18 |
St. John's |
5-2-1 |
15 |
19 |
Furman |
7-1-2 |
NR |
20 |
Old Dominion |
4-1-0 |
NR |
After a scoreless midweek draw against Seton Hall snapped their seven-game winning streak, Maryland remained unbeaten in ACC play with a 2-0 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, with John Stertzer and Casey Townsend providing the goals.
The Terrapins face stern tests this week, hosting Charlotte and Creighton. Under new coach Elmar Bolowich, Creighton have yet to allow a goal this season, a streak which continued against Saint Mary’s in a 1-0 win on Saturday. Ethan Finlay’s goal from the penalty spot proved to be the difference.
One week after notching a huge win at home, UCLA fell to SMU on Sunday. The Mustangs’ Arthur Ivo got the game off to a dream start, scoring just a minute in, before UCLA’s Chandler Hoffman equalized. Juan Castillo’s goal in the 26th minute ended up the difference in a big 2-1 win for SMU.
A highly touted ACC matchup between Virginia and North Carolina in Charlottesville resulted in a surprise rout by the visitors. Billy Schuler’s first-half goal got the night started off right for the Tar Heels, before Enzo Martinez and Carlos McCrary each tallied in the second half to send the Cavaliers to their worst home defeat in seven years.
There will be little rest for the Heels, however, as they host underrated Old Dominion on Tuesday night, before playing an improved Duke side in a Tobacco Road rivalry on Friday.
Indiana won their Big Ten opener, a clash of two Top-20 teams, edging Penn State 1-0. Senior midfielder Alec Purdie scored the game’s only goal in the 78th minute.
Louisville, one of the preseason favorites to win the national title, suffered a second loss on the season, a 1-0 defeat on the road against Notre Dame. Danny O’Leary’s goal in the fourth minute of the game was all the Irish needed as the two opened Big East play.
Defending champion Akron continued to bounce back from a couple of early season hiccups. Sophomore forward Darren Mattocks was the star, scoring a hat trick in a 3-0 rout of Tulsa.
The Zips host Ohio State on Wednesday, before opening conference play Saturday on the road against Western Michigan.
Travis Clark covers D.C. United, College and Youth soccer for MLSsoccer.com.
