University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Northwestern University
No 6 FH Opens 2021 Season In Evanston
8/25/2021 3:00:00 PM | Field Hockey
STORRS, Conn. - The No. 6 UConn field hockey team opens the 2021 season with a road trip to Chicago to take on No. 4 Northwestern on Friday, August 27 at 1 p.m. ET and No. 21 Miami (OH) on Saturday, August 28 at 1 p.m. ET.
With two ranked opponents on opening weekend, the Huskies are scheduled to play 12 teams currently ranked in the NFHCA National Coaches Preseason Poll.
The Huskies return to a more normal fall season after having the 2020 fall season pushed to the spring. With a limitation on games and travel the Huskies went 12-2 overall and won the BIG EAST regular season for the ninth-straight season with an 8-1 mark in BIG EAST play. UConn captured the BIG EAST Tournament title for the ninth-straight year to advance to its 19th NCAA Tournament in a row and first under new head coach Paul Caddy.
UConn returns NFHCAÂ First Team All-American Jessica Dembrowski along with fellow graduate student and First Team All-BIG EAST member Kourtney Kennedy. Cheyenne Sprecher is back for the Huskies in goal after an All-BIG EAST Second Team campaign that featured a 0.52 goals against average, which ranked first in the country.Â
Lindsay Dickinson, Claire Jandewerth, Erica Solomen, Aiyi Young, McKenna Sergi and Morgan Kaufmann all return after seeing significant playing time during the spring. Dickinson will miss this weekend in Evanston, Ill. while she plays for the United States U-22 squad down in Santiago, Chile in the Junior Pan American Championship.
The Huskies will also get a big lift with the return of two All-BIG EAST performers in 2019 with Maddy Wray (All-Tournament) and Abby Gooderham (Second Team) returning to Storrs after staying in England during the pandemic in 2020-21.
UConn brings in five newcomers with Sophia Ugo (Argentina) and Nanne Eijkman (Netherlands) joining from the international ranks, Madison DiPietro transferring in from Boston University and the additions of freshmen Madi Herb and Addy Leonhartt.
The Huskies enter the weekend 6-0 all-time against the Wildcats with this being the fourth meeting between the two programs since 2017. Dembrowski scored two goals the last time the Huskies were in Evanston back in 2018.
UConn and Miami (OH) will match up for the first time in program history on Saturday afternoon. The Redhawks have reached the NCAA Tournament for three-straight seasons while dominating the MAC with a 21-1 record in the regular season.Â
