After topping 24th-ranked Maine, 4-2, in an offense-minded battle on Sunday at Garber Field, the Massachusetts field hockey team will look to capitalize on its momentum as it wraps a six-game homestand on Wednesday evening against No. 3 Connecticut.
Playing at Garber Field since Sep. 14, the team has gone 2-3 during that frame, with two losses coming in overtime. UMass (5-6) has also outscored its opposition, 21-13, in that span.
UConn (11-0, 3-0 Big East) is tied for first place in the Big East standings with Syracuse and is the first team from that conference that the Minutewomen will face this year.
Coach Carla Tagliente acknowledged the high skill level and success of the Lady Huskies, but said she believes her team will match up well.
“UConn is a great opponent,” Tagliente said. “They’re having a tremendous amount of success this year, but we’re going to rest, work in practice (on) Tuesday and come right at them on Wednesday.”
The last time UMass came out on top against UConn was a 1-0 thriller on Sept. 11, 2010, in which junior Lindsay Bowman’s first collegiate goal gave the Minutewomen their first win over the Lady Huskies since Sept. 30, 2000. The meeting was also the last time the two squads squared off in Amherst. In their last matchup, UMass fell, 4-1, in Storrs, Conn., despite a goal by Bowman, yet again, on Sept. 28, 2011.
Bowman enters Wednesday’s game with momentum, having scored a goal in each of the last two games. The Palmyra, Pa., native will get a chance to repeat her success against UConn as she looks to tack on her third goal of the season.
Scoring leader and senior midfielder Kim Young, along with senior forward Nicole Cordero, also present dangers for the Lady Huskies to defend, as the top offensive duo for the Minutewomen are coming off goal-scoring performances last time out against the Black Bears.
Another star of the last contest was Minutewomen freshman midfielder Noralie Weusthuis, who was tabbed with UMass Athlete of the Week honors on Monday afternoon. The rookie will be in the lineup to aid her team against the Lady Huskies. Weusthuis has appeared in all 11 matches this season.
UMass’ biggest challenge against the Lady Huskies will come in the form of scoring leaders sophomore Chloe Hunnable and junior Marie Elena Bolles. The forwards have combined for a total of 47 points this year.
Hunnable, the 2011 Big East Rookie of the Year, was named Big East Offensive Player of the Week on Monday for the second week in a row and the fourth time in her career.
After a successful outing against the Black Bears, UMass freshman midfielder Brooke Sabia — twin sister of teammate Allie Sabia — said the competitive level of the Minutewomen heading into the game is at an all-time high.
“I always give it (my) all each game and I know I can trust all the other girls to do their best even if we’re losing or winning by 10,” Brooke Sabia said.
After praising her team for executing the game plan perfectly against Maine, Tagliente expects her squad to keep the same consistency by sustaining and maintaining the same pressure against UConn.
The Minutewomen take on the Lady Huskies on Wednesday night at Garber Field at 6 p.m.
Peter Cappiello can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Cappiello.
