University of Connecticut field hockey clinched its 21st Big East regular-season title in program history with a 2-0 win over Georgetown on Friday.
The Huskies’ 21 regular season championships, 15 of them outright, are by far the most in league history. Syracuse follows with the second-most at eight, a mark that stands even after they left for the ACC following the 2012 season.
In 2026, UConn stands just one win shy of securing its 12th undefeated conference season, a feat the program has not accomplished since 2019. For head coach Paul Caddy, it would be his first time reaching this milestone since taking over for NCAA field hockey’s all-time winningest coach, Nancy Stevens in 2020.
After spending 25 years under Stevens as an assistant, Caddy has done an admirable job maintaining the program as one of the top in the country. Following an Elite Eight exit last season to Harvard, Caddy lost seven starters and was forced to reshape his roster for the year ahead.
He returned a strong nucleus led by twin sisters, seniors Natalie and Olivia McKenna. Other returners included juniors Fien Hollander and Milo Hueker, as well as sophomores Emma Larit and Abby Davidson.
As for newcomers, Caddy brought in a strong freshman class, highlighted by a trio of offensive attackers from Germany in Lucy Zich, Charlotte Ritter and Lena Reiche. In addition, he claimed a pair of transfers from Maryland: senior Maya Everett and junior Ellie Goldstein.
Exactly as Caddy hoped when constructing his roster in the offseason, this combination of returners, transfers, freshmen and overseas talent has become a cohesive unit, one that has dominated the Big East and ranks third in the country.
While several stars have emerged for the squad, none are greater than senior goalkeeper Natalie McKenna, who has conceded just 11 goals in 13 games. It has been her efforts in the cage as well as the Huskies stifling defense that has gotten them to this point.
Despite currently ranking third in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll, UConn is not in the top ten in the nation for any major offensive statistics. In fact, the Huskies rank 5th in the Big East and 38th overall in goals per game with 2.5.
The squad has found their offensive success primarily off penalty corners, continuously executing their well-rehearsed set pieces to a high level. UConn’s typical inserter, junior defender Hueker, is fourth in the conference with seven assists.
Freshman forward Zich has been the top scoring option goal off corners and is leading the offensive charge for the Huskies this season. Zich’s ten goals are the third-most in the Big East and 18th in the NCAA.
Zich has taken home Big East Freshman of the Week five times, positioning herself as the frontrunner for freshman of the year. The McKenna sisters and junior forward Goldstein have also found themselves on Big East weekly honors at various points throughout the year and are also names to watch out for as award season gets closer.
This weekend, the Huskies picked up a pair of road wins, improving their record to 12-1. As the story has been all season, the McKenna sisters are continuing to have dominant senior campaigns and led the way yet again in a pair of UConn victories. O. McKenna contributed to every goal over the weekend, notching 1 goal and three assists, while N. McKenna tallied her third straight shutout, increasing her season total to five.
On Friday, UConn secured the regular-season-clinching win with a 2-0 victory over Georgetown (5-10).
All the action came in the second quarter, where the Huskies scored the match’s only two goals.
Not even three minutes into the period, UConn drew a penalty corner. Senior midfielder O. McKenna assisted sophomore forward Abby Davidson, who scored her fourth goal of the season.
With just 23 seconds left to play before half, O. McKenna struck again and scored her fifth goal of the year. Freshman midfielder Lena Reiche was credited with the assist.
UConn’s road trip continued Sunday when they took on Cornell (5-8) and won by a score of 2-0 yet again.
This time, the scoring surge by the Huskies came in the third quarter.
At the 32:55 mark, Zich reached double digit scoring numbers on the season with her tenth goal, scoring off a penalty corner. Assists were given to O. Mckenna and freshman midfielder Charlotte Ritter.
Not even two minutes later, UConn added to its lead when junior defender Fien Hollander scored just her second goal of the season and her first since the season opener against New Hampshire on Aug. 29. O. McKenna and Ritter connected with Fien for a direct shot off a corner.
Next up, the Huskies will travel to Norfolk, Va. to meet Old Dominion, the last Big East opponent in their way from reaching a perfect record in conference play.