The UConn field hockey team (6-6) will play a pair of games at home this weekend, taking on Georgetown University (3-10) on Friday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. and No. 8 Duke University (8-4) on Sunday, Oct. 19, at noon. Both games will take place at Nancy Stevens Field. It’s the first time in over a month that the Huskies will host two home games in the same weekend. Both matches will be available to stream live on UConn+.
Georgetown will be UConn’s fifth Big East Conference opponent of the season. While UConn has found success in Big East play so far (currently sitting in second place with a 3-1 record), Georgetown has yet to win a game in conference play (0-4). They have won just one game in the month of October: a 2-0 victory against Towson University on Oct. 5.
Senior Sydney Yodh has paced Georgetown in most counting stats. The forward/midfielder leads the team with 4 goals and 10 points; freshman Lily Saal is tied with Yodh in assists with 2. Sophomore forward Katherine Malloy is also a shooting threat, as she has taken just three less shots than Yodh and has 3 goals on the season.
Duke will likely prove to be the tougher of the two matchups for the Huskies. The Blue Devils have won each of their last two games, with victories over James Madison University (JMU) and the University of Louisville. JMU was ranked No. 19 going into the contest.
Both teams have struggled against ranked opponents. Duke holds just a 2-4 record against top 20 teams. UConn didn’t have a win against a ranked opponent until over a month into the season: an upset win against No. 14 University of Massachusetts on Oct. 14. After a loss to Yale last weekend, the Huskies now have a 1-6 record in such games.
Despite the poor record, Duke hasn’t lost a game to a team that is currently ranked outside of the top 10 and have a win against No. 12 Maryland on their resume. UConn and Duke have only one common opponent so far in No. 7 Liberty University, with both schools falling to the Flames. The Blue Devils will take on ACC opponent Boston College on Friday in Chestnut Hill before traveling to Storrs.
Duke sophomore Julia Boehringer and senior Alaina McVeigh are tied for the team lead in goals at 7 each. Boehringer, in particular, has demonstrated impressive efficiency, scoring on nearly 39% of her shots and 70% of her shots on goal. Sophomore midfielder Madison Beach has been a key facilitator on offense, racking up 6 assists while also chipping in a pair of goals.
UConn will be relying on senior captain Julia Bressler to keep up her hot streak. The forward has hit her stride, scoring three times over UConn’s last three games. Junior goalie Natalie McKenna has also found success as of late, not allowing a goal last weekend outside of shootouts.
Dating back to their first matchup in 1992, UConn has never lost to Georgetown. They sport a 20-0 record, including 10 wins at home. Six of those wins have come in conference play following UConn reentering the Big East. The Huskies have shut out the Hoyas in each of their last five contests and 13 times overall.
UConn has had a different kind of success against Duke, though the matchup has scarcely been played. The Huskies first faced the Blue Devils in 2008 and have only played them twice since. UConn holds a 1-2 record overall in the matchup, but their one win was an important one. The Huskies shut out Duke on Nov. 24, 2013, in Norfolk, Va. to claim their third National Championship. Their last contest came in 2023, a 2-0 Duke victory in which McVeigh scored both Blue Devil goals. Sunday will mark the first UConn home game between the two teams.