Huskies grind out late overtime win

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Sep 28, 2011

[CONNECTICUT-YALE] No. 1 Connecticut got all it could handle from in-state rival Yale, only preserving its perfect season when defender Nickardo Blake scored with 61 seconds remaining in overtime to beat the Bulldogs, 1-0, before more than 2,200 fans at Morrone Stadium.

Mamadou Doudou Diouf's corner found Allando Matheson, whose driving header was stopped by a Yale defender. The rebound came 12 yards out, and Blake stepped up and lifted a shot into the top right corner to the delight of the UConn faithful.

Freshman keeper Andre Blake recorded five saves to extended his shutout streak to 587-plus minutes.

Coach Ray Reid's advice to his players? “At halftime and at the start of the overtime, I told them, ‘Be patient.  Don’t panic.’  I give these guys credit though, it took 109 minutes, but they did it.  We’ve played a grueling schedule.  I think they were fatigued tonight.  This is a tough sport.  If we didn’t have such good athletes, we probably don’t win tonight."

The Huskies (9-0-0) outshot Yale, 25-9, but lacked the finishing touch in regulation. Yale goalkeeper Bobby Thalman finished with seven saves and got a break in the 8th minute when a Diouf free kick from 23 yards out hit the left post and crossed along the goal line and away from danger.