UConn Legend Ray Reid Named Technical Director for Athletic

By Bob Phillips

HARTFORD—Ray Reid, the legendary UConn men’s soccer coach who led the Huskies to the national championship in 2000, has been named Technical Director for the USL’s Hartford Athletic. Reid, who led the Huskies to four Big East Tournament championships and was named NCAA’s Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year four times, will oversee all aspects of the first team including personnel decisions, selection of coaches and technical staff, player identification and scouting, as well as oversight of the Hartford Athletic Academy.

“Over the past few months, I’ve really missed the locker room and the camaraderie of being part of a team,” said Reid, who retired as UConn’s head coach after last season—his 25th with the Huskies. “I’m honored and excited to join Hartford Athletic. I’ve been very fortunate to work at two outstanding Universities in UConn and Southern Connecticut State University. They will always hold a special place in my heart. My goal now is to help Hartford Athletic be a team that the entire state of Connecticut gets behind.”

The 61-year-old Reid, who retired in December 2021, coached 33 seasons overall, including 25 at UConn, where he won 312 matches, garnered eight regular season titles in the AAC and Big East, won four Big East championships and one national title. He was inducted into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003.

Before coming to Storrs, Reid led his alma mater Southern Connecticut State University Owls to three DII national championships in eight years at the helm. UConn has produced 41 MLS draft picks including 14 first-round picks, including three overall No. 1 overall—including Jamaican National Team goalkeeper Andre Blake and Canadian star Cyle Larin—under Reid’s guidance.

“Ray Reid is a Connecticut soccer icon, and we are thrilled to be adding him as our Technical Director,” said Hartford Athletic Chairman Bruce Mandell. “He has a proven record of success both on and off the pitch and his experience will perfectly complement Coach Watling and the rest of our technical staff as well as provide unique opportunities for our organization as a whole.”

Reid has one of the broadest coaching trees in all of soccer, having developed over 19 coaches at the D1 and professional levels. Presently, nine NCAA DI head coaches have served under Reid’s tutelage, eight of whom were former players. He also is a founding board member of the Clive Charles Initiative, a platform designed and engineered to increase coaching opportunities at all levels for underrepresented and minority coaches in college and professional soccer. .”

“Ray is one of the most influential people in soccer in Connecticut and his experience and knowledge of the American soccer system are welcome additions to our organization,” said Hartford Athletic Head Coach Harry Watling. “I’m very pleased that he has decided to come on board and look forward to working with him.”

Hartford Athletic will be back in action on Saturday, May 14, when they host New York Red Bulls II at Trinity Health Stadium at 7 p.m. Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the match should click HERE.

Gabriel to Transfer from UConn

STORRS—Sophomore forward Piath Gabriel will transfer from the UConn women’s basketball program it was announced on Thursday.

A native of Manchester, NH, Gabriel appeared in 35 games at UConn where she scored a total of 54 points and grabbed 37 rebounds, averaging 4.9 minutes played in 13 games this past season. Her best game came against Xavier on Feb. 18 when she scored 11 points and grabbed four boards in eight minutes on the court. Gabriel sat out a handful of tames this season, including UConn’s appearances in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of the NCAA Tournament due to academic obligations.

She is the first player to enter the transfer portal since the Huskies lost to South Carolina in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Game last week in Minneapolis. Gabriel is the third player to leave to program within the past year, following Saylor Poffenbarger and Mir McLean.

“Thank you to my coaches and support staff for the last two years at UConn,” Gabriel said. “I’m grateful for my time in Storrs but after talking it over with my family, I’ve decided it’s in my best interest to enter the transfer portal. I will forever cherish the relationships I've built with my teammates and I'm glad to say they are my sisters for life.”

The Manchester, N.H. native played in 13 games this season, averaging 4.9 minutes per game. Gabriel’s best performances came at Xavier on Feb. 18 (11 points, four rebounds in eight minutes) and against Xavier at home on Jan. 15 (nine points, five rebounds in 10 minutes). She sat out a small handful of games this year, including most recently the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds of the NCAA Tournament, due to academic obligations.

“We appreciate Piath’s time at UConn,” head coach Geno Auriemma said. “She was a great teammate and has a lot of potential. We wish her and her family the best with her collegiate career.”

Islanders Stop Phantoms

BRIDGEPORT—Kyle MacLean’s shorthanded goal in the final two minutes proved to be the difference as the Bridgeport Islanders earned a 4-2 win against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms before 3,127 fans at Total Mortgage Arena on Sunday afternoon. Cory Schneider, who improved to 12-10-4 between the pipes, made 42 saves for the Islanders. It was two shy of his AHL career high, Andy Andreoff, Austin Czarnik and Simon Holmstrom also scored for the Islanders, who went 2-1-0-0 during its seventh and final three-in-three series of the season and improved to 3-1-1-0 against Lehigh Valley.

MacLean’s ninth goal of the season came at 18:18 of the third period following a delay of game penalty assessed to Michael Dal Colle. He raced down the left side of the Phantoms’ zone and cut to the doorstep where a backhanded attempt didn’t beat goaltender Felix Sandstrom. However, he immediately beat out two Lehigh Valley players below the goal line and brought the puck back in front, where he lifted a forehand shot over Sandstrom to make it 3-1.

Andreoff drew first blood at 11:46 of the first period, just a few hours after he was returned to Bridgeport by the New York Islanders after playing in the parent club’s setback against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. Andreoff’s 17th marker of the AHL season came on a rebound from the bottom of the right circle set up by Chris Terry’s deflection on a Robin Salo shot. Terry extended his point streak to seven games (seven goals, two assists).

Czarnik doubled the advantage at 17:39 of the second period by skating to the slot and capitalizing on Parker Wotherspoon’s pass. It was Czarnik’s 11th goal of the campaign, and his third since Mar. 27.

The Phantoms nearly got one back towards the end of the second frame, but Wade Allison missed an open net on a 2-on-1 rush in transition, hitting the right post. It was one of three times that Lehigh Valley drew iron in the period and one of five times in the game. The visitors eventually broke through at 13:16 of the third when Adam Johnson deflected Brennan Menell’s lengthy shot to end Schneider’s shutout bid (38th shot against).

The Phantoms continued to apply pressure, but MacLean provided much needed insurance with his first shorthanded goal of the season just over five minutes later. The Phantoms made it 3-2 when Garrett Wilson scored with an extra attacker at the 19:24 mark, jamming the puck in after a scramble in front of the net.

Holmstrom added the final touch with an empty-netter with just 3.3 seconds remaining in the contest. The Islanders went 0-for-2 on the power play, and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

With the win Bridgeport improved to 29-28-7-4, while Lehigh Valley dropped to 26-29-7-4. The two teams will meet again on Friday—this time at the PPL Center in Allentown—with faceoff scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard online via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network, or seen via AHLTV, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.