University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Northwestern
No. 4 Huskies to Open Season vs. No. 15 Northwestern, No. 21 Stanford
8/28/2019 3:52:00 PM | Field Hockey
STORRS, Conn. – The fourth-ranked UConn field hockey team opens the 2019 slate this weekend vs. No. 15 Northwestern and No. 21 Stanford in Stanford, Calif. The Huskies take on the Wildcats at 2 p.m. ET Saturday and the Cardinal Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
There will be no live stream of UConn's games this weekend.
2018 Recap
The Huskies went 19-4 last season. UConn won its sixth straight BIG EAST regular season and seventh straight tournament title. Cecile Pieper was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year while Cheyenne Sprecher was the conference's Freshman of the Year. UConn earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
UConn competed in the NCAA Tournament for the 18th straight season. The Huskies advanced to the quarterfinals.
Huskies Picked to Win the BIG EAST
For the 10th straight season, UConn was picked to win the BIG EAST in the preseason coaches' poll. Senior forward Svea Boker was tabbed the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Boker was joined on the preseason All-BIG EAST tea by redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Cheyenne Sprecher, sophomore back Lindsay Dickinson, senior back Antonia Tiedtke and junior forward Jessica Dembrowski.
In the Rankings
UConn is ranked No. 4 in the preseason Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll. Both of the Huskies' opponents this weekend are ranked as well. Northwestern checked in at No. 15 while Stanford is ranked No. 21.
Dembrowski, Dickinson Bring USA Experience to Storrs
Returning starters Jessica Dembrowski and Lindsay Dickinson donned red, white and blue this summer to represent Team USA. Dembrowski was a member of the 2019 U.S. U-21 National Team and traveled to Germany with the squad. Dickinson was a member of the U-19 National Team and also competed in Germany.
Huskies Return Experience
UConn returns a number of starters from last season, including Svea Boker, Jessica Dembrowski, Lindsay Dickinson, Abby Gooderham, Kourtney Kennedy, Cheyenne Sprecher, Antonia Tiedtke and Maddy Wray. The Huskies return the majority of its defensive corps from last year, backlined by Sprecher. UConn returns 61.4 percent of its goal scoring from last season, led by Boker (18G) and Abby Gooderham (12G).
So International
The Huskies currently have eight foreign players on the roster. Four Huskies hail from Germany: freshman Marie Auer, freshman Claire Jandewerth, senior Svea Boker and senior Antonia Tiedtke. Sophomores Maddy Wray and Abby Gooderham and freshman Sophie Hamilton are from England. Junior Chiara Ma is from Australia.
