Connecticut field hockey went into this weekend ranked eighth in the country, holding a 9-1 record and having won four straight games.
This weekend, they took on the 6-4 Villanova Wildcats and the 9-1 No. 13 Albany Great Danes.
The two-game weekend kicked off on Friday, when the Huskies faced off against the Wildcats. The beginning of this matchup was a defensive battle between the two squads. Late in the first period, the Huskies struck as freshman Milou Huecker found her freshman teammate Isabel Soeters, who got the ball past the goalie to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
In the second quarter, the Huskies found themselves in the same scenario — another penalty corner. Soeters was able to score again and put the Huskies up 2-0. She scored her second goal of the game, but she wasn’t done yet. With just five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Soeter scored yet again, giving herself a hat trick and UConn a very strong 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
The Huskies continued their domination throughout the second half, as both Julia Bressler and freshman standout Sophie Perschk scored. The Huskies’ stellar defense continued, shutting out the Wildcats 5-0 and improving to 10-1 before their ranked matchup at Albany.
Traveling to Albany, the Huskies knew they were in for a difficult matchup.
In the first quarter, the Huskies struck as Bressler scored her second goal of the weekend, giving the Huskies an early 1-0 lead over the Great Danes. The UConn defense continued to be stellar, keeping Albany scoreless and only allowing one shot on goal.
The second and third quarters consisted of incredible defense by both teams, with neither side able to put points on the board.
The Huskies struck again in the fourth, as Perschk scored her second goal of the weekend and extended the Huskies’ lead to 2-0. The Great Danes got close to scoring a few times throughout the fourth quarter but were unable to as the Huskies’ defense continued to excel, and UConn came away with a 2-0 victory.
With these two victories, Connecticut improves to 11-1 on the season and will likely move up the polls again. After a strong weekend with a ranked win, the Huskies will take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Friday, Oct. 11 in hopes of moving to 12-1 and continuing to dominate.