In just their second upset of a top five team since 2010 when they defeated then No. 4 Princeton, the AU field hockey team defeated the No.2 UConn Huskies 4-3 at Jacobs Field on Oct. 20.
It was the second time AU had faced off against UConn in the last three years.
The mood among the AU field hockey team against UConn three years ago was disappointment when the Eagles lost to the Huskies in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on sudden-death penalty strokes.
Jubilation took over both players and fans at Jacobs Field when the AU Field Hockey team (18-4, 5-0 PL ) secured its most memorable victory of the season Oct. 20 when they upset the No.2 Huskies.
“It’s hard to figure out in the grand scheme of things, but it’s up there,” head coach Steve Jennings said about where he views the win in his time at AU. “I think it helps our team show that the hard work we have been putting in and the hard work has paying off.”
This is the second time the Eagles have upset a ranked team this season. Earlier in the year they defeated then No. 20 Boston University 1-0.
Despite back and forth play to open the first period, the Eagles found themselves down 2-1 going into halftime.
“I think we knew that we could do it, and just having confidence in each other and ourselves and knowing that even if we were down we could come back,” junior midfielder Grace Wilson said about the team’s mindset at the half.
UConn (13-2, 4-0 Big East) opened the second period with strong pressure forcing two corners in under five minutes. The Eagle defense held strong throughout the opening surge, keeping the Huskies off the scoreboard.
The contest swung in favor of the Eagles just over 20 minutes into the second half. Freshman midfielder Victoria De Kepper took a pass and streaked down the sideline before passing it to sophomore midfielder Isabel Terwindt who scored and tied the game.
Momentum continued to be on the Eagles’ side just a minute and 10 seconds later when the Eagles were awarded a penalty corner. Junior midfielder Carly Atchison would take the corner and pass to DeKepper who would give the ball to Wilson whose score would put the Eagles ahead for the first time in the game.
DeKepper finished with a game high three assists.
AU’s scoring would not relent as Kati Rothenhoefer notched an unassisted goal at 60:12 giving the Eagles a much-needed insurance goal.
The final 10 minutes of the match were grueling for both teams as UConn searched for two goals and the Eagles tried to make program history. The Huskies would not go down without a fight, scoring a late goal by Chloe Hunnable with just under four minutes left in the game.
The Eagles defense would lockdown pushing the ball back to the Huskies end of the field and not allowing UConn to take a single shot for the remainder of the game to secure the upset.
“I think everyone will celebrate for today,” said Jennings adding that the team is still focused on winning the regular season Patriot League title in order to host the tournament. “You’re never really able to rest until the season is over and we like it to go on as long as possible.”
