Going into Paul Caddy’s fifth season as the head coach of the field hockey team, the Huskies are looking for a bounce back season after a disappointing 2023 campaign, where they finished with a 2-5 record in conference and 5-13 overall.
The expectations for Connecticut are high going into this season, as the five-time national champions find themselves third in the Big East preseason coaches’ poll, only behind nationally ranked Liberty and Old Dominion. While Liberty received four of the eight first-place votes, both UConn and Old Dominion received two first place votes, making the path to a Big East championship as competitive as ever.
The Huskies are led by junior midfielder Sol Simone, who was selected to the Big East First Team both her freshman and sophomore year and was a unanimous preseason Big East team selection.
Connecticut opens their 2024 campaign with a home matchup against the No. 13 Saint Joseph’s Hawks. The Hawks are looking to build off their momentum from last season, where they finished with a 16-5 record and made it to the NCAA Tournament, falling in the first round to fifth ranked Virginia by a score of 2-1.
The Huskies and Hawks have only met one time previously, which came in last year’s season opener. Connecticut traveled to Philadelphia to open their season in what was a, highly anticipated matchup. The Huskies opened the season as the No. 15 team in the country, and the Hawks came in at No. 11. UConn came up short, losing 2-0.
Connecticut is looking to make their mark and get back into the national rankings. If they want a shot at another national championship, this is a very important matchup and a win that would bring the Huskies right back into the national conversation. The program will have other moments throughout the course of the season to prove themselves, with other nationally ranked opponents such as Harvard, Liberty and Old Dominion, but opening the season with a win over the No. 13 team in the country is the perfect way to kick off the 2024 fall season.