It was a weekend of highs and lows for the UConn field hockey team as they faced the Quinnipiac University Bobcats last Friday and the UMass Minutewomen last Sunday.
On Friday, the Huskies traveled to Hamden, Connecticut for the game against the Bobcats. It was a tough start for the Huskies as Quinnipiac scored a few minutes into the first quarter. However, the Bobcats did not keep this lead for long as graduate student Julianna Kratz scored from the penalty corner, with assists from freshmen Sanne Stout and Emma Himmler. Three minutes before the end of the first quarter, the Bobcats managed to score again, taking the lead 2-1.
Throughout the entire second frame, the Huskies maintained possession for a solid 15 minutes but the score remained 2-1 going into halftime.
Connecticut had various opportunities to tie the game in the third quarter, including four different penalty corners with less than six minutes left in the frame. UConn’s effort was rewarded when graduate student Belle Bressler tipped the ball into the back of the net. Bressler’s tying goal was assisted by Himmler, with her second of the game, and senior Aiyi Young.
Both teams repeated history in the final frame, as the score remained 2-2 throughout. The Bobcats received a yellow card in the final minutes, giving the Huskies three penalty corner chances to win the game. The Quinnipiac defense responded with a strong game and prevented any shots from the Huskies, which pushed the game to overtime.
Within two minutes of overtime, sophomore Sol Simone scored the game-winning, breakaway goal. Including this win, UConn holds a 18-0 record against Quinnipiac.
Following their latest Big East win, the Huskies traveled to Amherst, Massachusetts on Sunday as they faced the No. 19 UMass Minutewomen in a rivalry matchup.
It was a slow start for both teams, remaining scoreless throughout the first quarter. In a matter of seconds during the second frame, the Minutewomen struck first with a backhand goal into the net. In the waning minutes of the first half, sophomore Julia Bressler tied up the match with a massive penalty stroke goal.
The second half of the game would definitely not be the outcome the Huskies were looking for. In the first minute of the third frame, UMass put another goal up on the board with a corner shot. To solidify the final result of the game, the Minutewomen added another goal in the third with a penalty shot. Although UConn’s offense put up quite a fight, leading in shots on goal 27-14, UMass took home the win with a score of 3-1.
As the end of the season is slowly approaching for this team, the Huskies will return to Storrs next Friday to face the Providence Friars for a 1 p.m. battle with Big East points on the line. Then, they will travel to Massachusetts to play Boston College next Sunday in a noon matchup. Both of these games can be viewed on FloSports.
