NORFOLK, Virginia - The UConn women's field hockey team has been crowned the 2024 BIG EAST Regular Season Champions following a 3-1 win over Old Dominion Friday afternoon. Sophie Perschk, Juul Sauer and Madi Herb were the goal scorers for the Huskies while sophomore Natalie McKenna was stellar in net, holding Old Dominion to just one goal.
From the first whistle, the two teams were aggressive, looking to be the one crowned regular season champions. The Huskies found the back of the net first as freshman Sophie Perschk would not be denied on the penalty corner, following up her blocked shot with a goal. Sophomore Natalie Mckenna stopped every shot faced in the first quarter giving the Huskies the lead heading into the break.
The Huskies were able to extend their lead in the second quarter once again by way of the penalty corners. On their second penalty corner, Sophie Perschk found fellow freshman Juul Sauer who was able to fire a shot through multiple defenders and past the Old Dominion goalkeeper for the goal. Shortly after, the Huskies extended their lead to three as senior Madi Herb collected a blocked shot following a penalty corner and fired it home for another UConn goal. Old Dominion responded quickly with a goal of their own to cut the UConn lead to two with under five minutes remaining, to enter the half trailing by two.
The third quarter was a defensive battle as UConn was looking to hold onto the lead and Old Dominion was looking to make a comeback. The Huskies defense shined in the quarter, stopping any chance thrown there way. With time expiring in the third quarter, UConn found the back of the net however the goal was reviewed and called back. With the goal revoked, UConn entered the final quarter leading by two.
The two-goal lead was all UConn needed as Natalie McKenna and the Huskies defense locked down Old Dominion. With the win, UConn finishes the regular season 15-3 overall and 6-1 in BIG EAST action.
The Regular Season Championship is the first since the 2020-21 covid season. UConn will now turn their attention to the BIG EAST tournament as they will be the number one overall seed.