Ending the regular season

This weekend, the UConn field hockey team’s regular season comes to an end with a bang as they travel to Syracuse, New York to play against the No. 3 Syracuse Orange at 1:00pm.

UConn has built up their record to a phenomenal 16-1 for the 2012 season.

“Six starters from last year’s Final Four team graduated last May and our top returning field player, Anne Jeute, is out this year with a knee injury,” head coach Nancy Stevens said. “For our team to be 16-1 and ranked No. 4 in the nation is a terrific accomplishment.  We are very proud of our team and how they have represented the University of Connecticut this season.”
The Huskies’ first and only loss of the season happened just last Sunday, after 11 weeks of matches, against the No. 2 Princeton Tigers. “Princeton’s roster includes four U.S. National Team members” Stevens said. “They were the better team on Sunday. As for strengths and weaknesses during the game, we found it difficult to match their speed in the midfield.”
Despite this loss so late in the season, the team remains confident and is proud of their achievements. “We don’t measure our success by the team’s record,” Stevens said.  “Our goal is to win the Big East Regular Season title, the Big East Championship Tournament, reach the NCAA Tournament and advance as far as we can. We set the bar very high for our team each and every year.  Having the nation’s No. 3 team in our conference means that if we reach these goals we have accomplished something very special.”
UConn looks forward to continuing their success in the Big East Conference and challenging themselves as the season comes to a close.

The Huskies’ final game of the regular season seems to be a daunting one. The Orange have had 35 consecutive home game wins and have not lost a home game since 2009. Yet Coach Stevens and the UConn team seem to be confident in their abilities. “We match up quite well with Syracuse and the games are always hard fought and close,” Stevens said. “We have a similar home record to Syracuse.  Good teams play well at home. We’ve had good success over the past decade playing at Syracuse, so we look forward to the challenge.”
Last year, the Huskies beat the Orange 3-2 in double overtime. Marie Elena Bolles scored the game-winning goal at 87:34 into the game. With that tremendous win, UConn went on to clinch the Big East title at the end of the season. Yet in the 2010 season, Syracuse defeated UConn 1-0 in double overtime. The game-winning goal was scored by Martina Loncarica 90:31 into the contest.

Although the 2012 field hockey season is beginning to wind down, remain dedicated and focused on their upcoming games. Syracuse has been a major threat for UConn this season, arousing much anticipation for Saturday’s game. This year, both teams seem to be evenly matched, leaving the fans with a great game to watch this Saturday.