STORRS, Conn. – University of South Florida midfielder Edwin Moalosi tallied the game-winner in the 91^st minute, scoring off a rebound to push the Bulls to a 1-0 victory over the UConn men’s soccer team Saturday night at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium in front of a crowd of 4,602. The Huskies, who lost a conference opener for the first time since 2005, drop to 2-5-1 overall with the loss, while The Bulls improve to 4-3-0 on the year and now sit at 1-0-0 in the American Athletic Conference.

Moalosi’s goal was set up by USF midfielder Lucas Baldin, who found some space near the top of the box and ripped a shot that was saved by Connecticut redshirt junior goalkeeper Jacob Wagmeister (River Edge, N.J.). Neither Wagmeister nor the UConn backline could corral the rebound before Moalosi stepped up and fired the ball into the empty net to secure the victory for the Bulls.

The Huskies had multiple scoring chances in the first half, starting in the 20^th minute when sophomore defender Jakob Nerwinski (Lawrenceville, N.J.) gathered the ball in the attacking third after stealing it away from the South Florida defense. Nerwinski charged into the box and slipped it to sophomore forward Cyle Larin (Brampton, Ontario), whose shot missed wide right.

Less than 10 minutes later, it was sophomore forward Ethan Vanacore-Decker (Manahawkin, N.J.) who had a chance to put UConn on the board after receiving a great pass from Larin from the top of the box.  Vanacore-Decker met the ball deep in front of USF goalkeeper Spasoj Stefanovic and rifled a shot that was blocked by a Bulls defender.

In the second period, the Huskies had another great look at goal following a free kick from senior midfielder Adria Beso Marco (Lleida, Spain). His shot on was saved by Stefanovic and the ensuing Connecticut corner kick found senior defender Sergio Campbell (Clarendon, Jamaica), who headed the ball towards fellow center back Elliott Ackroyd (Nottingham, England). The freshman put the ball on net, but his shot was cleared off the line by the South Florida defense.

Wagmeister made three saves in the loss and the Huskies held a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks. The Bulls, who earned their first victory ever against Connecticut, outshot UConn 12-8 for the match.

The Huskies return to action on Wednesday, as they host former conference rival Providence at Morrone Stadium. The match kicks off at 7 p.m.     

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