Following a weekend that consisted of a shutout win against Brown and a close 2-3 loss at No. 8 Harvard, Connecticut came into the weekend looking to defend their home turf and defeat both Temple and Yale.
The Huskies kicked off the weekend against Temple, which was also their first game of Big East conference play. The game started slow, with neither team being able to score throughout the first two quarters as the Huskies and Owls were tied up at zero for the start of the third. That did not last long, however, as UConn freshman Juul Sauer found senior Madi Herb and scored just over four minutes into the third quarter.
Connecticut and Temple continued to duel it out, as no one else scored throughout the rest of the third quarter and for most of the fourth. Finally, the Huskies struck again. Sauer and Juana Garcia assisted a goal scored by standout freshman Sophie Perschk, her first goal of the game and sixth of the season, putting the Huskies up 2-0 with only five minutes remaining.
Connecticut remained ahead, and the defense continued to be a major factor, as they shut out the Owls and started off conference play with a strong 2-0 win.
Connecticut took on the Yale Bulldogs in their second and final game of the weekend. The Bulldogs came into the game with a 4-1 record, earning wins against Lehigh, Drexel, Fairfield and Sacred Heart, while coming up short to Brown just a week ago in an overtime duel.
The Huskies struck fast as Lila Browne and Julia Bressler assisted another goal by Perschk, her seventh of her freshman campaign, and UConn jumped out to an early 1-0 lead.
At the 28:04 mark in the second quarter, Connecticut struck again. Perschk and Milou Huecker helped to set up Herb for a goal, her fourth of the season, and gave the Huskies a strong 2-0 lead at the end of the second.
The Bulldogs refused to go down without a fight, as 10 minutes into the third period, Yale’s Poppy Beales scored. The point was assisted by Lauren Venter and Chiara Picciafuoco and pulled the Bulldogs closer as they trailed 2-1. The Huskies did not take long to respond, and just two minutes later, Sol Simone scored her fourth goal of the season, extending Connecticut’s league back to two going into the fourth quarter.
Yale would score one more time, as Hettie Whittington netted her third goal of the season, pulling the Bulldogs closer but not close enough. The Huskies’ defense remained strong throughout the rest of the fourth, as they prevailed with a 3-2 victory and finished the weekend 2-0.
The Huskies rebounded strong this weekend after falling to Harvard a week ago. Connecticut will look to continue their dominant streak next weekend as they travel to Georgetown and Delaware.