Hoping to redeem themselves after two heartbreaking losses against Cornell and Syracuse this past weekend, the UConn field hockey team will take yet another road trip to Philadelphia, PA. They’re set to play Temple University on Friday and then will head back up to New Jersey on Sunday for a game versus Princeton University.
Coming into the match against the Temple Owls, the Big East’s second best team, the Huskies have been ice-cold as of late. The Owls are on the opposite end of the spectrum, with two recent hardfought wins. This includes a shutout against Long Island University, and more recently an overtime battle against James Madison.
The last time UConn and Temple faced each other was on Oct. 28, 2022 with the Owl’s taking the win 3-2. The Huskies fought hard to make a comeback, but the effort was ultimately futile.
In order to earn the victory and the crucial Big East points that come with it, the team will need to improve their energy in all aspects of their game. The Huskies have proven their defensive ability and gained experience from more challenging opponents such as Syracuse and Cornell. Tallying wins is the next step.
As the Huskies close their East Coast road trip this weekend, they’ll travel north from Philly to New Jersey to face Princeton. Thursday night, the Tigers played No. 5 Maryland and showed everyone in the country anything can happen on any given day. Princeton snapped the Terps’ undefeated streak and won 3-2. Before coming into this game, the Tigers had a 1-2 record, not too different from UConn.
The last time the Huskies and the Tigers faced each other was October of last year and the Tigers scored a goal in each quarter. Hard fought games are not a stranger for the UConn Field Hockey team. During this game, they tried to come back with two goals in the fourth quarter, but evidently they lost 4-2. Last year’s Princeton team was completely different though. They were 13-5 and often found themselves nationally ranked.
Regardless of anything either side did last year, the Huskies and Tigers have largely struggled this season. Ultimately, it will be a fun back and forth game to watch with these reasonably evenly matched teams.
Time and time again, it has been shown that anyone can win any game on any given day. With these opportunities to turn it around, Connecticut looks to return to their winning ways against this pair of mid-atlantic teams. The opening push back is set for 1 p.m. Friday in Philly and noon Sunday in Princeton.
