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Lizzy Peijs (11) traveled all the way from the Netherlands in order to play college field hockey at UConn but will never leave the school's record books after claiming numerous all-time marks.

Lizzy Peijs scored 60 goals in her four years at UConn, the third-most all-time.

Lizzy Peijs graduated from UConn in December and returned to her home in the Netherlands where she will study law.

Turning A New 'Peijs'

After Guiding The Huskies To The Final Four, Team Must Find New Identity Next Year

By: Marc Gauthier

Posted: 5/11/08

Lizzy Peijs walked to her team's bench for the last time in a UConn jersey holding her
head down. The women's field hockey team had just lost to eventual NCAA champions North Carolina, in the 2007 NCAA Field Hockey Championships hosted at the University of Maryland.

The tears were there. The emotions were high. All the good and bad times of the past four years would end that night for Peijs. All she had now were memories.

But instead of focusing on the outcome of that night's game, she got her team together and spoke out, telling her teammates of the opportunities they were going to have next season. She told them they would make it back to the national semifinals and she wanted them to next the next step.

In that moment, Peijs became more than a name in the record books, more than a picture in a team photo. She left a legacy that would trickle down to future players in years to come.

"Falling short of national championship creates a desire," said head coach Nancy Stevens. "Lizzy would be really proud of her former teammates and the teammates that follow if they were able to take it to the next level. She has helped lay foundations."

Before Peijs came to UConn, she was playing field hockey for the under-16 Dutch National Team in the Netherlands, her birthplace. The Dutch National Team is one of the most successful teams in the sport. Since 2000, the team has placed no worse than third in the European Championships, Champions Trophy or the Olympics.

In 2003, assistant coach Paul Caddy was visiting a friend in the Netherlands. During that trip, he saw Peijs play for the first time and thought she was a great young player, according to Stevens.

By 2004, Peijs was playing for the Huskies.

"I didn't need to see her play," Stevens said. "It was clear that she had played [field hockey]. She had the resume."

It is difficult for freshman to have an impact in one of the top field hockey programs in the nation, she said. But in Peijs' case, things were a little different.

"Freshmen are usually role players that complement the upperclassmen," Stevens said. "[Peijs] had an impact. She started 21 games, was a member of the All-Big East freshman team. She had 31 points her freshman year and really had a great season."

According to Stevens, There was one thing that set Peijs apart from the rest of the players that played before her.

"She was extremely competitive," Stevens said. "She was a real warrior. She would battle for every ball and fight to win at every moment in the game. It was a very unique characteristic. She had all the high-level skills and the competitive fire."

Peijs leaves UConn with her name on several records. She dished out 46 assists, the most all-time for the Huskies, scored 60 goals, the third highest all-time, and recorded 166 career points, also the third highest all-time.

In her junior year, Peijs was an All-American and was selected as one of four players for the Player of the Year award. She was also an All-American her senior year.

Peijs graduated with a double-major in psychology and human rights in December. Upon graduation, she returned to the Netherlands and will attend law school in her native country this fall.

Peijs' impact not only on the field hockey program, but at UConn as well, will always be remembered through out the years.
"She is certainly one of the best that's ever played here," Stevens said.

Contact Marc Gauthier at Marc.Gauthier@UConn.edu.