University of Connecticut Athletics
No. 1 Field Hockey Concludes Three-Game Road Swing
10/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
LIVE STATS: Liberty
VIDEO: Liberty
TWITTER: @UConnFieldHocley
STORRS, Conn. - The No. 1 UConn field hockey team wraps up its three-game road swing at BIG EAST foe Liberty Saturday, October 14. The tilt is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m.
Catching Up With UConn
The Huskies tallied two more dominating wins last weekend, as they ran their record to 13-0 in 2017. UConn notched its 21st consecutive conference victory in a dominating 12-0 win at Villanova, before topping No. 14 Princeton, 5-3, for its seventh top-20 win this fall.
10 different players have scored for the high-powered Huskies' offensive, nine of whom have found the back of the cage multiple times this fall. Senior Charlotte Veitner is pacing the squad with 49 points and 19 goals, while junior Amanda Collins is posting a team-high 15 helpers. Goalkeeper Nina Klein is boasting a 0.89 goals against average, 28 saves and owns seven shutouts in net.
Scouting the Competition
Liberty is posting a 5-7 overall clip after splitting a pair of decisions last week. The Flames improved to 3-1 in conference action with a 3-0 win at Georgetown, before falling at No. 17 Maryland, 4-1. Agueda Moroni is leading the squad in points (28) and goals (12), while her four assists are knotted for a team high. Jill Bolton joins Moroni as the only other double-digit point scorer with 12 (4g 4a). In the cage, Allison Schaefer is posting a 1.98 goals against average, a .727 save percentage and 64 saves. Sunday's contest marks just the third meeting between the two squads in the sport of field hockey, as UConn leads the all-time series, 2-0.
No. 1 Across the Board
The UConn field hockey team maintained its unbeaten record last week to sustain its grip on the No. 1 ranking in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Coaches Poll as announced on Oct. 10.
UConn totaled 1,144 points and 43 first-place votes to claim the No. 1 ranking for the fifth straight week.
Head Coach Nancy Stevens has now led the UConn field hockey program to its fourth No. 1 ranking since taking over at the helm. Stevens and the Huskies last held the distinction in 2016, after a 9-0 start to the season.
Additionally, UConn serves as No. 1 in the national RPI, after an impressive 13-0 start and 7-0 clip against top-20 opponents.
National Players of the Week
Senior Charlotte Veitner, who ranks second in the nation in points per game (4.09) and goals per game (1.58), has garnered Longstreth/ NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week honors three times this season. The senior was tabbed the Player of the Week on Oct. 10, Sept. 13 and Sept. 20. Additionally, classmate Casey Umstead pegged NFHCA Honorable Mention on Sept. 27 and Sept. 3.
Statistically the Best
UConn has garnered a handful of top NCAA statistics, as Charlotte Veitner sits second in the nation with 4.09 points per game and 1.58 goals per game. Junior Amanda Collins ranks third in DI tallying 1.15 helpers per game, while senior Casey Umstead, Veitner and sophomore Svea Boker are notching 0.92 assists per game, tied for sixth overall. Defensively, Goalkeeper Nina Klein is boasting an impressive 0.69 goals against average for a second best in the NCAA.
Going Streaking
UConn is currently riding a 13-game win streak, spanning from Aug. 25-Oct. 8. The Huskies remain the lone undefeated team in DI and are outscoring their opponents 66-9 during this time.
Defending the Wall
Goalkeeper Nina Klein and the Huskies held their opponents scoreless for 206-minutes to begin the season. During that time, UConn was outscoring its opponents 11-0, after blanking then- No. 13 Stanford, 2-0, and No. 14 Northwestern, 7-0.
Klein now owns 32 career shutouts for second most in program history, trailing only Sarah Mansfield's 33 (2010-2013).
Did You Know
Forward Charlotte Veitner is now UConn's all-time goals, assists and points leader. After claiming the top spot in points (268) and assists (62) in 2016, Veitner completed the offensive trifecta with her record breaking goal at Villanova on Oct. 6. The senior now owns 103 career tallies, becoming just the 12th player in DI history to eclipse the 100-goal mark.
Goalkeeper Nina Klein owns the program record for most wins by a goalkeeper. The redshirt-senior now owns 77 career wins in net, surpassing All-American and national champion Sarah Mansfield.
Queens of the BIG EAST
The Huskies are currently riding a 21-game regular season conference win streak, dating back to the 2013 national championship season. UConn has strung together five consecutive BIG EAST Tournament Championships dating back to 2012.
Preseason Favorites
For an unparalleled eighth straight season, the University of Connecticut field hockey team was picked to finish first in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll, while four players were tabbed to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team.
The Huskies return two of their leading scorers in Veitner and Umstead, who were selected as the BIG EAST Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. Klein and sophomore Barbara van den Hoogen received All-BIG EAST honors as well.
