UConn sweeps at Sherman

UConn field hockey (2-0) got off to a successful start this season with consecutive victories over Sacred Heart (0-2) Saturday, and Maine (1-1) Monday at the Sherman Family Sports Complex.

On Monday the Huskies faced the visiting Black Bears who had defeated Sacred Heart Sunday at Sherman by a score of 2-1.

Unlike Saturday's contest, UConn's offense came out slow, scoring only one goal in the first half, compared to four against the Pioneers, while also putting ten fewer shots on goal.

Head coach Nancy Stevens attributed this to a stout Black Bear defense.

"You have to give some credit to the Maine defense," Stevens said. I thought in the first half Maine's defensive unit was very solid and I think in the second half we were able to create more space we were able to open the game up and play a more expansive game."

In the second half UConn came out strong, peppering Maine goalkeeper Brittany Fleck with 15 shots and scoring twice in a span of four minutes off tallies from Meghan Wheeler and Gina Uguccioni.

UConn's midfield play remained strong throughout the game; despite two-time all-American Jennifer Kleinhans missing Monday's game after suffering a concussion Saturday against Sacred Heart. Kleinhans is listed as day-to-day, and must be symptom- free for 24 hours before she is cleared to resume play.

"Ali Blankmeyer got the start at left mid and we moved Kim Kryzk from left to the center," Stevens said. "I thought it went quite well, it really was a dominating performance. Our sport is a low scoring game, we outshot them 23 to five, and when you win 4-1 you cant be disappointed, we're off to a good start, 2-0 is a good start."

Freshman Cara Silverman, who tallied 2 goals in each game, carried the UConn offense all weekend.

"When I go in I know that I should be able to do something right away. Coming on with fresh legs I just go in there and start to get something going," Silverman said. "I'm just trying to get our team on the board. I'm really excited and hoping that we can keep this up."

"She really improves our offense," Stevens said. "She's super-fast, aggressive and we're excited for her to be an added dimension, being a spark off the bench to come in and make an impact."

Saturday, the Huskies true season opener pitted them against Sacred Heart, a team they had faced and defeated three times.

UConn came out strong scoring four goals in the first 28 minutes, despite a strong effort from Pioneer goalkeeper Whitney Mills who had 19 saves in the game.

As much as UConn's offense dominated, shutting the Pioneers out 5-0 while tallying 32 shots to their one, the star of the game was defense.

"They really played great, anytime there's a shutout that's great defense," Stevens said. "We limited them to one shot on goal, and they had a couple of forays into the offensive red zone but we really played sound defense and stopped their offensive chances."

Going into halftime with a 4-0 lead, UConn was able to showcase its tremendous depth, rotating nine subs off the bench giving 20 players time on the field.

"Without a doubt that is the most players we have ever played, it really speaks to the depth of our team and the talent we have at every position," Stevens said. "Jen (Kleinhans) is doubtful for Monday, so that's the kind of depth we need to show."

UConn's next test will be this coming Saturday, Sept. 6, at Sherman against No. 9 Penn State, a contest coach Stevens is looking forward to.

"You have to be excited to play a team of this caliber, especially this early on in the season," Stevens said. "It's going to be a real test for us and will help us to prepare for our upcoming conference games."