Svea Boker, a junior forward, looks to make something happen against Liberty (Judah Shingleton/The Daily Campus)
The UConn field hockey team clinched the regular season Big East title with a 6-1 victory over No. 19 Liberty on Thursday evening at the George J Sherman Family Sports Complex. The win improved the Huskies to 6-0 in Big East play and 6-3 against ranked opponents.
After losing to top ranked North Carolina on Sunday, the Huskies bounced back to claim their fourth straight regular season Big East title. Although UConn lost six starters to graduation after last season’s national championship run, they have been able to remain an elite team.
“We’ve had to find our own path this year,” said senior Amelia Iacobucci, who has won four Big East championships and a national title with the Huskies. “We’ve put in a lot of work to get where we are right now.”
The Huskies have fought have their way through a challenging slate of games this season. Of the 16 teams they have played, nine have been ranked in the top 25. Although the difficult schedule raised concerns about fatiguing the team, Iacobucci and the Huskies believe it has prepared them for important games down the stretch.
“The tough games we’ve played have helped us to evaluate ourselves and improve,” Iacobucci said. “We don’t feel worn down.”
Despite the tough schedule, Iacobucci said she believes this has been one of her most enjoyable seasons yet.
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“We’ve had to find our own path this year”
“We definitely have a lot of fun, but at the same time we know how to balance it and be serious at times,” she said.
Much of the credit for the Huskies continued success belongs to head coach Nancy Stevens, who is in the midst of her 29th season at the helm.
“Our coaching staff is awesome,” Iacobucci said. “They do a great job of keeping us focused and we practice hard every day.”
UConn will look to continue their momentum from the victory over Liberty with games against Boston University, Georgetown and American to finish the regular season.
Iacobucci and the Huskies expect to face the Flame again in the Big East tournament after the regular season. UConn has dominated the conference and stands as six-time defending champion.
Story Salit is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus and can be reached via email at story.salit@uconn.edu.