UConn women’s soccer wins Big East championship

The Huskies will head to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

UConn women’s soccer is heading back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. On Sunday, the 5-seeded Huskies defeated the 2-seed Xavier Musketeers 2-1 in overtime to claim the 2024 Big East Tournament championship and with it, an automatic bid to the big dance.

Alayna Taylor scored the golden goal winner with 1:22 remaining in the second overtime period on a shot from well outside the box. It was the Glastonbury native’s first goal of the season and just the second of her career.

This is the third Big East Tournament championship for UConn (2002, 2004), sixth conference tournament crown (2014, 2016 in the American) and 14th league title overall (1995, 1998-2003, 2005 Big East regular season). The Huskies will now head to the NCAA Tournament for the 32nd time, though this will be their first trip under head coach Margaret Rodriguez.

UConn went behind 1-0 in the 21st minute but Laci Lewis answered back in the 51st minute. The senior right back from West Haven got to the back post and tucked a deflected cross from Naia Ocio inside the post to even the score at 1-1.

The two sides were still knotted at the end of regulation, which sent it to sudden death overtime. With penalty kicks looming, Taylor launched a shot from deep and found the back of the net to give the Huskies the title.

UConn enters the NCAA Tournament with a 12-4-4 record, though the team struggled to a 4-3-3 mark in conference play. The Huskies didn’t secure their place in the Big East Tournament until the final game of the regular season, which sent them on the road for the quarterfinals.

There, UConn took down Creighton 2-0 to set up a showdown with rival Georgetown. The top-seed and regular season champions, the Hoyas ended the Huskies’ season with a 1-0 defeat in the semifinals last year. This time, UConn got revenge with a 2-0 victory to advance to its first Big East final since 2008.

The Huskies then earned their first-ever victory over Xavier in the title game.

The NCAA will reveal the 64-team bracket on Monday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. ET on NCAA.com. The top-seeded team will host in the first round, which will be held from Friday, Nov. 15 through Sunday, Nov. 17.