While Men's Soccer has had success at UConn since the late 70's, the names don't jump off the page like they used to when they were the "rock stars" on Campus. While Kemba Walker, Shabazz Napier, Stephanie Dolson and Bria Hartley were leading the basketball teams to great success, a young man from Jamaica was turning heads on the pitch at Morrone Stadium keeping the ball out of goal....That would be 6-4 Andre Blake, a finalist for the Hermann Trophy in 2013 as the Nation's Top Player.
Coach Ray Reid is good at recruiting International Talent, otherwise Blake wouldn't have come here. Already a member of the U-17 and U-20 Jamaican Teams, Blake arrived in Storrs and immediately made a huge impact on the program. If fact, he'd start all 68 games he'd play as a Husky. 19-3-3 in his Freshman Year where he was the first freshman to win Big East Goal Keeper of the Year. A first team selection in Conference and a Freshman All American that would record a program tying 15 shutouts and run a scoreless streak over nine games.
Blake repeated his Big East Accolades and was named All American in his Sophomore season in 2012, where he went 17-4-1 with 12 shutouts and a .840 save percentage....And in the Huskies first season in the American in 2013, Blake again was Goalkeeper of the Year with 10 shutouts in a 10-3-8, All Conference and All American where Blake was also named a finalist for the MAC-Hermann Trophy as the Nation's Top College Soccer player.
In 2014's MLS Super Draft, the Philadelphia Union made Blake the first overall pick, but he didn't make a splash until late 2015 when he started in 5 of their last 8 matches. That included a Team Record 10 save effort against the New England Revolution. Since 2016, Blake has cemented himself as the Union's Starting Keeper where he's named to the MLS All Star Team twice. In 2016 and just last season as the Team's lone representative.And in the 2016 year, Blake was named the league's top keeper.
Internationally with his Jamaican National Team, he earned the Golden Glove as top keeper in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup while making 45 appearances for The Raggae Boyz. And at 29, he's got more great years ahead of him not only representing his home country, but keeping the ball out of goal in Philadelphia. Andre Blake, arguably the best keeper in the History of UConn Men's Soccer