WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's soccer team bounced back from an early deficit by scoring two goals in three minutes to hand 23rd ranked UConn its first loss of the season by a score of 2-1.
 
Junior Diego Arribas assisted fellow junior Adrian Barajas on the Knights' first goal that tied the match at 1-1 in the 28th minute. Three minutes later, Arribas was on the finishing end of the Knights' go-ahead goal, with an assist by senior Daniel Lasarte.

"A very solid effort on all accounts tonight," head coach Seth Roland said after the match. "I'm especially pleased with our response after they went up 1-0," Roland said. "We didn't hang our heads or get down. Rather, we stayed positive and responded with two quick goals to take the lead. I like that mentality."
 
The Knights (2-1) then solidified on defense to not allow the Huskies (2-1) a tying goal over the remaining 69 minutes of the match. Junior goalkeeper Jahmali Waite turned away two second-half shots on goal to help FDU win its third straight game against a ranked opponent.

"We defended in an extremely focused and disciplined manner, and showed improved confidence in our ability to possess the ball," Roland added. "Everyone expended a good deal of energy physically and mentally, but I never felt as if we were overwhelmed or scrambling. I felt that we had things reasonably under control."
 
Both teams played a possession game in the opening minutes, with both defenses preventing shots through 15 minutes of play. The Huskies then struck first on a goal by Jordan Hall in the 19th minute.
 
Barajas then answered for the Knights in the 28th minute, heading in a curving 35-yard free kick from Arribas for his second goal of his career.
 
After a UConn shot in the 31st minute that went wide, the Burgundy and Blue pressed on the counter attack, with Lasarte chipping a through ball over the UConn backline to Arribas, who made a diagonal run to meet the ball and volleyed a shot over the goalkeeper to rattle the net and give the Knights a go-ahead score. The goal for Arribas was his second of the season.
 
The Knights then played tough on defense, with Waite making his first save of the match in the 59th minute on a Ibrahima Diop shot. The Knights then turned away three UConn corner kick opportunities, allowing only one blocked shot out of those possessions.
 
Freshman Jared Dillon later looked to add to the FDU lead, lining up a shot on goal in the 68th minute that was saved by UConn goalkeeper Gianluca Catalano.
 
The Huskies continued to press for an equalizer over the final 20 minutes, lining up two corner kicks that were turned away by the Knights, and Waite then stopped another shot in the 74th minute to help preserve the advantage.
 
With time winding down, the Knights only allowed UConn, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a season ago, two more off target chances over the final 10 minutes.
 
The win now makes the Knights 5-2-1 this decade against ranked foes, with FDU also defeating no. 21 American in 2015 (4-3, 2OT) and no. 14 St. John's in 2013 (2-1, OT) in their last two matches against ranked foes. The Knights also toppled a ranked St. John's team and eighth-seeded Saint Louis on their way to advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 back in 2012 before ultimately falling to North Carolina by a 1-0 margin.
 
Ten of FDU's 11 starters played all 90 minutes in the match.

"Diego, for sure, deserves the headline with a goal and an assist, but all the guys did so many good things both defensively and offensively," Roland continued. "It was the definition of a total team effort, and it provided us with, arguably, our biggest win since 2012."
 
The Knights next return home for their first match of 2019 at University Stadium, facing Gonzaga on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will also feature a Poster Day giveaway, with Knight players available to sign team posters after the conclusion of the match.