UConn women’s soccer’s Kaitlyn Mahoney named Big East Goalkeeper of the Year

UConn women’s soccer’s Kaitlyn Mahoney won 2023 Big East Goalkeeper of the Year while she and five teammates were named all-conference selection — matching a program record.

Jessica Mazo and Chioma Okafor made the All-Big East First Team, Lucy Cappadona, Cara Jordan and Mahoney earned a spot on the second team — apparently, winning goalkeeper of the year isn’t enough to be on the first team — while Abbey Jones landed on the third team.

The Huskies also had six all-league players in 1996 and 1998. Head coach Margaret (Tietjen) Rodriguez and assistant Carey (Dorn) O’Brien were All-Big East players in both of those years.

Mahoney is the fifth UConn player to earn conference goalkeeper of the year, joining Maria Yatrakis (2002), Steph Labbé (2008), Emily Armstrong (2015, 2016), and Randi Palacios (2020-21 season played in the spring). Mahoney ranks 17th nationally with a .504 goals against average, 24th with a .859 save percentage, and is tied for the seventh-most shutouts with 10. She’s backstopped a UConn defense that sits tied for 10th nationally with a .500 goals against average.

Mazo is a three-time All-Big East player and a two-time first-team selection. She’s been the Huskies’ engine in midfield and set a career-high with four goals on the campaign. The fifth-year from Bridgeport has scored in back-to-back contests as well.

Okafor lands on the All-Big East First Team in just her sophomore season thanks to a team-high six goals to go along with three assists. In UConn’s Big East Tournament quarterfinal victory over Butler, Okafor scored a pair — including the game-winner with less than 90 seconds left.

Another fifth-year, Jordan is second behind Okafor in goals scored with five and also has three assists to her name. The Cromwell native has started every game and has put the team’s second-most shots on goal with 17.

As for Cappadona, she’s anchored UConn’s stout defense from the centerback spot. She’s played the second-most minutes among outfield players and scored the game-winner in the Huskies’ crucial win over Providence in their penultimate regular season contest.

Jones has been a steady attacking force for UConn with a team-best four assists to pair with four goals while playing both in the central midfield and on the wing.

The Huskies will look to continue their march in the Big East Tournament with a semifinal matchup with 2-seed Georgetown on Thursday at the Maryland SoccerPlex. The two teams played to a 0-0 draw in Washington, DC back in September, though the Hoyas have not lost a conference game this year and only have a single defeat in the entire campaign.

A victory could push UConn from the outside of the NCAA Tournament picture onto the bubble. The Huskies currently sit at No. 42 in RPI but are facing a Georgetown team that’s No. 14 in the rankings. They’d likely need to push into the top 30 to have a chance at an at-large bid, so Thursday’s contest has the chance to be a late resume booster.

Kick-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET with the Big East Digital Network (essentially FloSports) on the broadcast.