A UConn field hockey player battles for the ball during last year’s win over Northwestern University. (Olivia Stenger/The Daily Campus)
The No. 4 UConn field hockey team began their 2017 campaign with a 2-0 shutout of No. 13 Stanford on Friday at the Sherman Family Complex.
Casey Umstead, a 2016 third team All-American, scored the game winner and the first goal of her senior season in the 47th minute.
Stanford goalkeeper Kelsey Bing was having an outstanding day in net, collecting seven saves in the first half, before Umstead snuck a shot by her 10 minutes into the second half on a penalty shot.
The Huskies came out firing on all cylinders in the first half. UConn outshot Stanford 12-3 in the game’s first 35 minutes, with Bing doing all she could to keep the Cardinals in the contest.
After Umstead’s goal gave the Huskies the 1-0 lead, it was a newcomer that added some insurnace.
After senior Charlotte Veitner fired a shot that was turned away by Bing, freshman Margot van Hecking Colenbrander found herself in the right place to collect the rebound and flicked home the first goal of her collegiate career.
The 2-0 lead was enough as UConn put the clamps on Stanford’s offense in the second half, holding the Cardinals to only one shot in the game’s final 35 minutes.
Van Hecking Colenbrander’s three shots on goal was a team second-best. Umstead led the pace with four.
Bing finshed the game with 10 saves. For the Huskies, goalkeeper Nina Klein wasn’t asked to do much, but she did receive her first win of her senior season with her three-save performance.
UConn had 11 penalty corners, showing that UConn will be just as committed to getting the ball in deep and just as aggressive on offense as they have been in years past.
In addition to van Hecking Colenbrander’s sterling debut, freshmen Kourtney Kennedy, Vivienne Tucker and Jessia Dembrowski all saw their first collegiate action with Dembrowski getting the start in the midfield.
The Huskies return to the field again on Sunday for a second consecutive match against a ranked opponent when No. 14 Northwestern comes to the Sherman Family Complex. The Huskies and Wildcats are slated to get underway at 1:00 p.m.
Bryan Lambert is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at bryan.lambert@uconn.edu.