By Jonathan Raymond
Despite a strong weekend with wins over conference opponents Towson and No. 18 Delaware, the field hockey team couldn’t maintain momentum yesterday, falling flat to No. 6 Connecticut 3-0.
The Huskies stayed even with UConn for much of the first half until a successful penalty corner in the 27th minute put NU at a 1-0 disadvantage.
Despite the strong play of senior goalie Liz Centofanti, who had seven saves on the day, Connecticut scored again with two minutes left in the first half when Lizzy Peijs of UConn took her own rebound to net a goal.
NU struggled on offense throughout the match, managing just one shot midway through the first half, and repeatedly had trouble breaking through the Connecticut defense.
“I think we competed with them, but again we need to finish on opportunities. We didn’t have a lot of offense today,” Centofanti said.
Head coach Cheryl Murtagh said she was upset with the team’s lack of effort.
“I’m just really disappointed,” she said. “I don’t know what this team wants from this season, but when you come out and play like that against a good team, you can expect a result like that.”
The tough loss dampened an otherwise strong stretch for the Huskies, who won by scores of 2-1 against Delaware and 3-2 against Towson.
The Huskies pulled off an impressive upset over Delaware Friday, when Co-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Week Emma Boggio netted a 56th minute goal to give the team the lead and eventual win over the nationally ranked Blue Hens.
“I feel like our team can play this way, and can beat teams like this,” Murtagh said Friday. “I think for whatever reason, we haven’t been able to do it to this point. I’m pretty happy with the way the kids came out. They made the decision, they just have to keep doing that.”
The team continued to click on offense Saturday with three goals in the win over Towson.
Senior forward Stephanie Casper had two goals in the game, while senior midfielder Ashley Webber added two assists for the Huskies.
“It’s always nice to score goals, but more important for us was just winning the conference game,” Casper said after the match.
The win, the team’s second conference victory in a row, evened its CAA record at 2-2 and vaulted the Huskies into fourth place.
“They’re big conference wins, it’s huge for us, because now we put ourselves back in the running with a .500 record,” Murtagh said Sunday. “I think the feeling is a good feeling, that they’re playing well. We scored three goals here, and two goals against a very good Delaware team.”
Yesterday proved to be a frustrating step back for the team. However, Centofanti said there were a number of positives to take from the loss.
“I thought our defense played a pretty good game, and I thought we had some really good balls,” she said.
The Huskies hope to return to form Saturday with an important game against cross-town rival Boston College at Sweeney Field at 1 p.m. Centofanti, who has collected 70 saves on the season, said teamwork will be key.
“We just need to keep together as a team,” she said. “We just need to rebound, come into practice ready to go, ready to work, and I think we just need to stick together as a team.”
