The Huskies were at home this weekend facing two ranked opponents. UConn came into the weekend ranked No. 11 before facing Georgetown on Friday and No. 8 this past Sunday. The Huskies seamlessly won 2-0 against the Georgetown Bulldogs, while putting up a strong fight before facing a 1-0 loss against the Duke Devils.
For the Huskies’ first game in the homestand, they looked to maintain their winning streak against the 21-0 Georgetown Bulldogs.
The first quarter opened with a drive from UConn’s offense. In the second minute, Sol Simone took a penalty corner that was followed by a quick shot from Julia Bressler, but her attempt was blocked. In quick succession, Simone attempted another penalty corner, and both shots went wide. To end the quarter, Georgetown’s Izzy Lee attempted a penalty corner with Elena Perez and Riley Fitzgerald firing shots on goal. All attempts were blocked by the Huskies’ goalie, Natalie McKenna.
The second quarter began with a Husky goal at the hands of Fien Hollander off the dish from Zita Grigoliet and Simone. Georgetown attempted to counteract this play with a shot from Sydney Yodh, but it was unsuccessful and resulted in a block by McKenna. After UConn’s Olivia McKenna attempted a shot that was saved by Ella Fahey, Georgetown strove to gain control for the rest of the quarter. Lee attempted another penalty followed by Lily Saal and Perez making shots that were both blocked by Natalie McKenna.
These plays lit a fire under the Huskies that didn’t let up for the entirety of the third quarter. Simone started the play with two penalty corners. This led the way for a shot by Hollander followed by Bressler attempting to score, which were both saved by Georgetown’s goalies. Simone and Olivia Donahue quickly followed with a penalty corner, with Donahue ending the quarter with a final shot going wide.
The fourth quarter began with the Huskies remaining in control. Violeta Francese scored the second goal for the night, assisted by Olivia McKenna. The quarter continued with Georgetown struggling for control. Lee attempted a penalty corner followed by Perez’s blocked shot. The quarter then ended with Husky plays ranging from a penalty corner from Simone and two attempted shots at the hands of Bressler and Donahue.
History repeated itself when the Huskies faced the Duke Blue Devils. Simone opened the first penalty corner followed by three consecutive shots. Hollander took the first shot going wide, followed by Lene Buejes blocked by Duke’s goalie Kaiya Chepow, and ending with Pien Prins attempting a shot saved again by Chepow.
The second quarter took a turn with Duke front lining their offense. A minute into the quarter, Alaina McVeigh attempted a penalty corner which was followed by Duke’s first goal by Macy Szukicz, assisted by Madison Beach and McVeigh. UConn regained control for a quick play with a shot by Violeta Francese. The quarter ended with a penalty corner by Duke’s McVeigh and a shot by Ava Cickavage, which was saved by Natalie McKenna.
The game picked up in speed in the third quarter with repeated plays by Duke’s offensive line. Maggie Kondrath attempted a penalty corner which was quickly followed by a shot from McVeigh. After a short battle over possession of the ball, Duke regained control with another penalty corner from Kondrath. This attempt was followed by an attempted shot by Julia Boehinger and another penalty corner by Issy Carey. Duke amped up their assaults with two consecutive shots from Shaw Wozniak, which were blocked by UConn’s Natalie McKenna. After these repeated attacks, UConn regained control with a shot from Francese. This was followed by a shot from Grigoliet and a penalty corner from Simone. UConn continued their battle for control with a shot from Hollander and two subsequent penalty corners from Simone. The third frame ended with a final attempt from Hollander at a shot on goal, which was saved by Duke’s goalie.
The fourth quarter began with Duke regaining control with a shot from McVeigh two minutes in. This shot was followed by another attempt from Brynn Crouse, which was saved by Natalie McKenna. In the final moments, the Huskies made a final attempt by making a substitution for Natalie McKenna. By holding defense for the remainder of the quarter, the Huskies ended the game 1-0.