diff --git a/src/netops.c b/src/netops.c
index bda064cfb..aca46245d 100644
--- a/src/netops.c
+++ b/src/netops.c
@@ -579,23 +579,29 @@ static const char *prefix_https = "https://";
 int gitno_connection_data_from_url(
 		gitno_connection_data *data,
 		const char *url,
-		const char *service_suffix,
-		const char *original_host,
-		bool original_use_ssl)
+		const char *service_suffix)
 {
-	int error = 0;
+	int error = -1;
 	const char *default_port = NULL;
+	char *original_host = NULL;
+	bool original_use_ssl;
 
 	/* service_suffix is optional */
 	assert(data && url);
 
+	/* Save these for comparison later */
+	if (data->host)
+		original_host = git__strdup(data->host);
+	original_use_ssl = data->use_ssl;
+	gitno_connection_data_free_ptrs(data);
+
 	if (!git__prefixcmp(url, prefix_http)) {
 		url = url + strlen(prefix_http);
 		default_port = "80";
 
 		if (data->use_ssl) {
 			giterr_set(GITERR_NET, "Redirect from HTTPS to HTTP is not allowed");
-			return -1;
+			goto cleanup;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -607,7 +613,7 @@ int gitno_connection_data_from_url(
 
 	if (!default_port) {
 		giterr_set(GITERR_NET, "Unrecognized URL prefix");
-		return -1;
+		goto cleanup;
 	}
 
 	error = gitno_extract_url_parts(
@@ -620,7 +626,7 @@ int gitno_connection_data_from_url(
 		size_t suffixlen = service_suffix ? strlen(service_suffix) : 0;
 
 		if (suffixlen &&
-			!memcmp(path + pathlen - suffixlen, service_suffix, suffixlen))
+			 !memcmp(path + pathlen - suffixlen, service_suffix, suffixlen))
 			data->path = git__strndup(path, pathlen - suffixlen);
 		else
 			data->path = git__strdup(path);
@@ -636,6 +642,8 @@ int gitno_connection_data_from_url(
 		}
 	}
 
+cleanup:
+	if (original_host) git__free(original_host);
 	return error;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/netops.h b/src/netops.h
index 0c6e571d9..5c105d6e3 100644
--- a/src/netops.h
+++ b/src/netops.h
@@ -84,9 +84,7 @@ typedef struct gitno_connection_data {
 int gitno_connection_data_from_url(
 		gitno_connection_data *data,
 		const char *url,
-		const char *service_suffix,
-		const char *original_host,
-		bool original_use_ssl);
+		const char *service_suffix);
 
 /* This frees all the pointers IN the struct, but not the struct itself. */
 void gitno_connection_data_free_ptrs(gitno_connection_data *data);
diff --git a/src/transports/winhttp.c b/src/transports/winhttp.c
index 7ec936d69..e2a4acf61 100644
--- a/src/transports/winhttp.c
+++ b/src/transports/winhttp.c
@@ -73,17 +73,12 @@ typedef struct {
 typedef struct {
 	git_smart_subtransport parent;
 	transport_smart *owner;
-	char *path;
-	char *host;
-	char *port;
-	char *user_from_url;
-	char *pass_from_url;
+	gitno_connection_data connection_data;
 	git_cred *cred;
 	git_cred *url_cred;
 	int auth_mechanism;
 	HINTERNET session;
 	HINTERNET connection;
-	unsigned use_ssl : 1;
 } winhttp_subtransport;
 
 static int apply_basic_credential(HINTERNET request, git_cred *cred)
@@ -155,7 +150,7 @@ static int winhttp_stream_connect(winhttp_stream *s)
 	unsigned long disable_redirects = WINHTTP_DISABLE_REDIRECTS;
 
 	/* Prepare URL */
-	git_buf_printf(&buf, "%s%s", t->path, s->service_url);
+	git_buf_printf(&buf, "%s%s", t->connection_data.path, s->service_url);
 
 	if (git_buf_oom(&buf))
 		return -1;
@@ -188,7 +183,7 @@ static int winhttp_stream_connect(winhttp_stream *s)
 			NULL,
 			WINHTTP_NO_REFERER,
 			types,
-			t->use_ssl ? WINHTTP_FLAG_SECURE : 0);
+			t->connection_data.use_ssl ? WINHTTP_FLAG_SECURE : 0);
 
 	if (!s->request) {
 		giterr_set(GITERR_OS, "Failed to open request");
@@ -196,7 +191,7 @@ static int winhttp_stream_connect(winhttp_stream *s)
 	}
 
 	/* Set proxy if necessary */
-	if (git_remote__get_http_proxy(t->owner->owner, !!t->use_ssl, &proxy_url) < 0)
+	if (git_remote__get_http_proxy(t->owner->owner, !!t->connection_data.use_ssl, &proxy_url) < 0)
 		goto on_error;
 
 	if (proxy_url) {
@@ -285,7 +280,7 @@ static int winhttp_stream_connect(winhttp_stream *s)
 	}
 
 	/* If requested, disable certificate validation */
-	if (t->use_ssl) {
+	if (t->connection_data.use_ssl) {
 		int flags;
 
 		if (t->owner->parent.read_flags(&t->owner->parent, &flags) < 0)
@@ -308,9 +303,9 @@ static int winhttp_stream_connect(winhttp_stream *s)
 
 	/* If no other credentials have been applied and the URL has username and
 	 * password, use those */
-	if (!t->cred && t->user_from_url && t->pass_from_url) {
+	if (!t->cred && t->connection_data.user && t->connection_data.pass) {
 		if (!t->url_cred &&
-			 git_cred_userpass_plaintext_new(&t->url_cred, t->user_from_url, t->pass_from_url) < 0)
+			git_cred_userpass_plaintext_new(&t->url_cred, t->connection_data.user, t->connection_data.pass) < 0)
 			goto on_error;
 		if (apply_basic_credential(s->request, t->url_cred) < 0)
 			goto on_error;
@@ -392,34 +387,6 @@ static int write_chunk(HINTERNET request, const char *buffer, size_t len)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void free_connection_data(winhttp_subtransport *t)
-{
-	if (t->host) {
-		git__free(t->host);
-		t->host = NULL;
-	}
-
-	if (t->port) {
-		git__free(t->port);
-		t->port = NULL;
-	}
-
-	if (t->user_from_url) {
-		git__free(t->user_from_url);
-		t->user_from_url = NULL;
-	}
-
-	if (t->pass_from_url) {
-		git__free(t->pass_from_url);
-		t->pass_from_url = NULL;
-	}
-
-	if (t->path) {
-		git__free(t->path);
-		t->path = NULL;
-	}
-}
-
 static int winhttp_connect(
 	winhttp_subtransport *t,
 	const char *url)
@@ -430,11 +397,11 @@ static int winhttp_connect(
 	const char *default_port = "80";
 
 	/* Prepare port */
-	if (git__strtol32(&port, t->port, NULL, 10) < 0)
+	if (git__strtol32(&port, t->connection_data.port, NULL, 10) < 0)
 		return -1;
 
 	/* Prepare host */
-	git_win32_path_from_c(host, t->host);
+	git_win32_path_from_c(host, t->connection_data.host);
 
 	/* Establish session */
 	t->session = WinHttpOpen(
@@ -636,17 +603,8 @@ replay:
 			if (!git__prefixcmp_icase(location8, prefix_https)) {
 				/* Upgrade to secure connection; disconnect and start over */
 				gitno_connection_data data = { 0 };
-				if (gitno_connection_data_from_url(&data, location8, s->service_url, t->host, t->use_ssl) < 0) {
-					gitno_connection_data_free_ptrs(&data);
+				if (gitno_connection_data_from_url(&data, location8, s->service_url) < 0)
 					return -1;
-				}
-				free_connection_data(t);
-				t->host = data.host;
-				t->port = data.port;
-				t->path = data.path;
-				t->user_from_url = data.user;
-				t->pass_from_url = data.pass;
-				t->use_ssl = data.use_ssl;
 				winhttp_connect(t, location8);
 			}
 
@@ -665,7 +623,8 @@ replay:
 			if (allowed_types &&
 				(!t->cred || 0 == (t->cred->credtype & allowed_types))) {
 
-				if (t->owner->cred_acquire_cb(&t->cred, t->owner->url, t->user_from_url, allowed_types, t->owner->cred_acquire_payload) < 0)
+				if (t->owner->cred_acquire_cb(&t->cred, t->owner->url, t->connection_data.user, allowed_types, 
+								t->owner->cred_acquire_payload) < 0)
 					return -1;
 
 				assert(t->cred);
@@ -1048,22 +1007,10 @@ static int winhttp_action(
 	winhttp_stream *s;
 	int ret = -1;
 
-	if (!t->connection) {
-		gitno_connection_data data = { 0 };
-		if (gitno_connection_data_from_url(&data, url, NULL, NULL, false) < 0) {
-			gitno_connection_data_free_ptrs(&data);
+	if (!t->connection)
+		if (gitno_connection_data_from_url(&t->connection_data, url, NULL) < 0 ||
+			 winhttp_connect(t, url) < 0)
 			return -1;
-		}
-		free_connection_data(t);
-		t->host = data.host;
-		t->port = data.port;
-		t->path = data.path;
-		t->user_from_url = data.user;
-		t->pass_from_url = data.pass;
-		t->use_ssl = data.use_ssl;
-		if (winhttp_connect(t, url) < 0)
-			return -1;
-	}
 
 	if (winhttp_stream_alloc(t, &s) < 0)
 		return -1;
@@ -1104,7 +1051,7 @@ static int winhttp_close(git_smart_subtransport *subtransport)
 	winhttp_subtransport *t = (winhttp_subtransport *)subtransport;
 	int ret = 0;
 
-	free_connection_data(t);
+	gitno_connection_data_free_ptrs(&t->connection_data);
 
 	if (t->cred) {
 		t->cred->free(t->cred);
diff --git a/tests-clar/network/urlparse.c b/tests-clar/network/urlparse.c
index 66f714823..679197d6c 100644
--- a/tests-clar/network/urlparse.c
+++ b/tests-clar/network/urlparse.c
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ void test_network_urlparse__user_pass_port(void)
 void test_network_urlparse__connection_data_http(void)
 {
 	cl_git_pass(gitno_connection_data_from_url(&conndata,
-				"http://example.com/foo/bar/baz", "bar/baz", NULL, false));
+				"http://example.com/foo/bar/baz", "bar/baz"));
 	cl_assert_equal_s(conndata.host, "example.com");
 	cl_assert_equal_s(conndata.port, "80");
 	cl_assert_equal_s(conndata.path, "/foo/");
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ void test_network_urlparse__connection_data_http(void)
 void test_network_urlparse__connection_data_ssl(void)
 {
 	cl_git_pass(gitno_connection_data_from_url(&conndata,
-				"https://example.com/foo/bar/baz", "bar/baz", NULL, false));
+				"https://example.com/foo/bar/baz", "bar/baz"));
 	cl_assert_equal_s(conndata.host, "example.com");
 	cl_assert_equal_s(conndata.port, "443");
 	cl_assert_equal_s(conndata.path, "/foo/");
@@ -111,14 +111,16 @@ void test_network_urlparse__connection_data_ssl(void)
 
 void test_network_urlparse__connection_data_cross_host_redirect(void)
 {
+	conndata.host = git__strdup("bar.com");
 	cl_git_fail_with(gitno_connection_data_from_url(&conndata,
-				"https://foo.com/bar/baz", NULL, "bar.com", true),
+				"https://foo.com/bar/baz", NULL),
 			-1);
 }
 
 void test_network_urlparse__connection_data_http_downgrade(void)
 {
+	conndata.use_ssl = true;
 	cl_git_fail_with(gitno_connection_data_from_url(&conndata,
-				"http://foo.com/bar/baz", NULL, NULL, true),
+				"http://foo.com/bar/baz", NULL),
 			-1);
 }