After sneaking past No. 19 Akron in the Big East semifinals, the UConn men’s soccer team (11-4-4, 5-2-1) fell just short of victory in the Big East Conference Championship game on Sunday, Nov. 16, falling to defending champion and eleventh-ranked Georgetown by a score of 3-1 at the Maryland SoccerPlex. 

The Huskies’ appearance in the championship marked their first since 2011, and had they won, the victory would have marked their 20th Big East Tournament championship. 

UConn Men’s Soccer with a 2-0 win against Butler on Nov. 1, 2025, on a cold Saturday night. With two crucial goals in the second half, the Huskies extend their record to (9-3-4). Photo by Hannah Grimes/The Daily Campus

On the other hand, the championship marks the Hoyas’ fourth Big East title in six seasons and their seventh in program history. 

The match remained scoreless throughout the entirety of the first half of play, with both teams recording four shots on goal each. UConn goalkeeper Kyle Durham, who recently earned All-Big East Second Team honors, amassed two saves, while his Georgetown counterpart, Tenzing Menske, saved two shots himself. 

The Hoyas finally broke into the scoring column during the 66th minute of the game, as two-time All-Big East First Team honoree Zach Zengue struck a corner kick off the head of teammate Mitchell Baker, who directed the ball to Mateo Ponce Ocampo. Ponce Ocampo then snuck the ball out of Durham’s reach, making the score 1-0. 

Georgetown built up their lead a minute later, when Ponce Ocampo fired another goal past Durham to take a solid 2-0 lead with 22 minutes left of regulation. 

At the 72-minute mark, the Huskies made things interesting. 

Midfielder Balthazar Saunders finally buried the Huskies’ first goal of the game, coming within one score of tying the game. The goal was Saunders’s fifth of the season, assisted by Austin Brummett and Max Gummesson. 

UConn Men’s Soccer with a 2-0 win against Butler on Nov. 1, 2025, on a cold Saturday night. With two crucial goals in the second half, the Huskies extend their record to (9-3-4). Photo by Hannah Grimes/The Daily Campus

But this opportunity was short-lived, as freshman Loukas Maroutsis buried his second goal of the season to regain a 3-1 lead with only 18 minutes remaining. 

After several scoring opportunities, the Huskies’ offense failed to capitalize, losing the game by a 3-1 margin. 

The Hoyas outshot UConn 15-12 in the contest, with seven shots on goal compared to the six collected by the Huskies. Georgetown’s Menske, who recorded five saves, was awarded the win in the net, while Durham, who finished the game with four saves, was given the loss. 

Ponce Ocampo was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player, and sophomore defenseman Tate Lampman received Most Outstanding Defensive Player honors. 

Along with Ponce Ocampo and Lampman, Georgetown’s Mitchell Baker and Eric Howard were both named to the All-Big East Tournament Team. UConn’s Saunders, Brummett and Preston Alessio were awarded all-tournament honors as well. 

The win punches the Hoyas’ ticket to the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament for the 13th season in a row. Meanwhile, the Huskies await Monday’s NCAA selection show to see if they’ll receive an at-large bid to the tournament. This would be their first tournament berth since 2018. 

The selection show will take place on Monday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m., with the tournament’s first round beginning on Thursday.