UConn field hockey (6-6, 3-1) came into this previous weekend looking to build on the momentum of a two-game winning streak. They found mixed results as they beat Big East opponent Temple University (10-3, 2-2) 1-0 on the road on Friday, Oct. 10, but fell to No. 17 Yale University (9-2) on Sunday by an identical score in a shootout. The loss in the second game drops their overall record back to .500, but the win against the Owls leaves them tied for second place in the Big East with Old Dominion University.
The Huskies began their weekend in Philadelphia taking on Temple. After scoring 2 goals against Providence on Oct. 3, senior captain Julia Bressler continued her recent hot streak by netting a second-quarter penalty stroke that would stand as the game’s only goal for either team. It was the second straight weekend in which the forward planted a penalty stroke for a score.
Despite scoring the game’s sole goal, the Huskies got two less shots on net than the Owls. UConn suffered a lack of scoring on the weekend as whole, but that wasn’t felt in full consequence until Sunday’s home matchup against in-state opponent Yale. After playing to a 0-0 tie through four quarters, the two teams played an additional pair of 10-minute periods but were unable to break the scoreless bind. UConn would go on to lose in shootouts for the second time this season, having previously fallen to St. Joseph’s University in the same manner in their second game of the season.
UConn got off 6 shots on goal over the 80 minutes played and did not find the back of the net. Bressler got three shots off, but only one was on net. They were outshot 8-2 in overtime. They also missed all four shots attempted in the shootout. Bressler, Sol Simone, Lene Bunjes and Abby Davidson were all given opportunities but couldn’t break through. Yale scored on their first and fourth attempts on shots from Kaitlyn Chang and Hettie Whittington, respectively. Yale goalie Amelie Schwarzkopf stood strong all day, recording 6 saves while letting nothing through.
Junior goalkeeper Natalie McKenna had a dominant weekend of her own, recording 5 saves in her first shutout of the season against Temple and another eight against Yale, not allowing a goal on the weekend until the shootout. After hitting a midseason rough patch, McKenna seems to be back on track based on her performance over the past two weekends. In four games over that time span, she has a 90% save percentage and has stopped 18 shots.
Including Sunday’s game against Yale, UConn has now entered a stretch of four home games. That includes a pair of contests next weekend against Georgetown University and Duke University. The Huskies will face the Hoyas (3-10, 0-4) in a Big East matchup on Friday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. before taking on the Blue Devils (8-4) on Sunday, Oct. 19, at noon. Both games will take place at Nancy Stevens Field at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex. Husky fans can also tune into the Duke matchup on UConn+.