UConn and Syracuse to decide Big East title this weekend

As the field hockey season begins to wind down, the competition is getting hotter than ever. It all comes down to the last few games to determine which teams make it to the Big East and which ones miss out. The Providence Friars secured the third spot along with Syracuse and UConn, leaving teams to battle it out for the one spot that remains. This week’s games resulted in big wins, terrible losses and upsets that will make or break teams.

The No.5 Villanova Wildcats were defeated 4-0 by Indiana on Sunday. Indiana’s Morgan Fleetwood secured the first goal of the game only 5:32 into the contest. Villanova’s intensity picked up in the second half, but by that time it was already too late. Indiana was leading Villanova 4-0 by halftime. The Wildcats were outshot 22-16, leaving their overall record to 6-11.

No. 4 Rutgers lost 2-1 to Brown on Sunday despite their shot advantage throughout the game. The Scarlet Knights held a 36 shot lead compared to the Bears eight shots, but Rutgers couldn’t secure the win. Brown’s Megan O’Donnell scored two unassisted goals to win the game for Brown and left Rutgers with an 8-9 season record.

The No. 3 Providence Friars played the No. 4 Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Friday. Providence scored two second half goals to come back and defeat Rutgers 2-1. Providence’s Henni Tietze and Danielle Bernasconi each scored a goal to help the team prevail. Despite the Friar’s 2-1 overtime loss against University of New Hampshire on Sunday, Providence secured one of the two remaining spots in the Big East tournament along with Syracuse and UConn.

The No. 2 Louisville Cardinals played the No. 5 Villanova Wildcats on Saturday. After a big loss against Rutgers, Louisville was eager to prove their dominance in the conference. The game was evenly matched at first, resulting in a scoreless first half. But after halftime, Louisville came out on top. With 1:39 into the second half, the Cardinals Erin Schneidtmiller scored the first goal of the game. Page Monsen and Alyssa Voelmle helped Louisville win the game 3-1. The Cardinals outshot the Wildcats 18-4. With a win under their belt, Louisville remains eligible for the last spot for the Big East tournament.

The No.1 Syracuse Orange played two games this weekend against Georgetown and Boston College. Friday, Syracuse beat No. 6 Georgetown a biting 7-2. The Orange’s Lauren Brooks scored two goals while Emma Russel, Jordan Page, Leoni Geyer, and Laura Hahnefeldt also scored goals to help Syracuse in their victory. At halftime, Syracuse was up 5-1. The Orange held a 34-7 advantage in shots, and had 15 penalty corners compared to Georgetown’s five. Syracuse continued their winning streak on Sunday, defeating Boston College 4-2. The Orange’s Gillian Pinder and Emma Russell scored two goals each to help Syracuse in their victory. The Orange outshot the Eagles 20-11 but their penalty corners were evenly matched with six each. With their wins this weekend, Syracuse continued their home game winning streak to 35 matches. The Orange have not lost at home since 2009. This will be the biggest threat to UConn as they travel to Syracuse to play on the 27th. As proven by UMass, Syracuse is beatable. UConn must play their best game to prevail.