For the second time this season, the UConn field hockey team will be heading to Liberty . However, if the Huskies hope to receive a second chance at taking down the No. 6 Flames, they will first have to get through Old Dominion in the semifinals of the 2025 Big East Field Hockey Championship.
No. 11 UConn and Old Dominion will face off at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, with a trip to the Big East Championship finals on the line. The game will take place at the Liberty Field Hockey Field in Lynchburg, Va.
UConn (10-7, 6-1) comes into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, with their only Big East loss being to Liberty. The Huskies beat No. 3 seed Old Dominion (8-9, 5-2) in the second-to-last week of the regular season, overcoming a one-goal deficit to win in double overtime.
Sol Simone had a big performance for the Huskies in that contest. The senior midfielder notched an assist and later put away the game-winning goal for UConn.
Despite the Huskies coming out on top, the Monarchs dominated offensive possession for most of the game. They had more shots on net (10) than UConn had total shots (4) and had five more penalty corner attempts than the Huskies.
Junior goalie Natalie McKenna was instrumental in keeping the contest within striking distance for UConn, as the 2024 Big East Goalkeeper of the Year made nine saves. UConn will need another big game from McKenna to make up for an offense that ranks outside the top 50 nationally in goals scored.
Old Dominion’s top offensive threat against McKenna will be redshirt senior Sian Emslie. The midfielder has put up a team-leading 23 points on eight goals and seven assists. Senior Sanci Molkenboer and sophomore Serena Langendoen have each put up fifteen or more points as well.
While the neutral site contest isn’t a traditional away game, the Huskies have fared well when on the road this season. They hold a 6-3 record in games outside of Storrs this season, compared to a 4-4 home record.
In comparison, Old Dominion is 3-5 away from home. In terms of common opponents, both lost to Liberty in Big East play. Additionally, each team fell to both No. 7 Duke and No. 3 Princeton.
Prior to UConn’s semifinal match, No 1. seed Liberty (15-2, 7-0) with take on No. 4 seed Villanova (5-12, 3-4). That game will also take place at Liberty and will begin at 1 p.m.
The two squads faced off just a week ago to close out the regular season, with Liberty dominating its way to a 5-0 victory. As such, the Flames come into the game as the heavy favorites. It doesn’t help Villanova’s chances that the contest will essentially be a home game for Liberty, a setting in which the Flames are an undefeated 8-0.
Should the Huskies fend off Old Dominion, they will likely get a second chance at Liberty in the finals, whom they lost to 1-0 in September. The Flames offense started the season off slow by their standards but caught wind in the back half. They currently rank within the top 20 in the nation in goals per game and top 10 in assists per game.
Sophomore Dara Semmartin leads the team in assists and is tied for the sixth most in the nation. The defender scored Liberty’s only goal in the UConn match.
Even before Liberty’s offense picked up their play in Big East action, freshman goalie Diane Saint Martin made it so the defense didn’t need much help. The French national has posted eight shutouts and hasn’t allowed over two goals in a game since August. She is fifth in the nation in average goals against and is in the top 10 of total goals allowed. The favorite for Big East Goalie of the Year, Saint Martin has received two Rookie of the Week awards and was also named Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 28.
Should Villanova manage to upset the Flames, it would likely come off a strong showing from graduate student Ava Borkowski (eight goals) and/or junior Colleen Finnan (five goals, three assists). The Huskies beat the Wildcats 2-1 back in September.
Regardless of which pair of teams reach the finals, the game will take place on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. at Liberty. All three contests will stream on ESPN+.