Connecticut Sweeps #BIGEASTfh Weekly Awards
NEW YORK – No. 1 Connecticut earns BIG EAST Offensive, Defense and Freshman Players of the Week after improving to 9-0 on the season, while knocking off defending National Champion and fifth-ranked Delaware on the road, 1-0, in overtime.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Charlotte Veitner, Connecticut, Sr., F
Heading into the weekend with a conference leading 28 points (12 goals, 4 assists) and being named both BIG EAST and National Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks, the senior forward added three more points to her season and career totals in a pair of matches against Temple and No. 5 Delaware. Against Temple, she found a hand on one of the Huskies’ four second-half goals, as No. 1 UConn won its 19th consecutive BIG EAST match. On Sunday, in a battle between a pair of top-five teams, Connecticut found itself in a dogfight with the defending National Champions on the road. With the match scoreless through regulation, Veitner was able to find the back of the cage in the 81st minute to lift UConn past the Blue Hens, 1-0. With the tally, Veitner tied UConn's all-time goals record with her 97th career score. In addition, the senior currently holds the program's top spot in points (249) and assists (55), claiming both distinctions during the 2016 season.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Casey Umstead, Connecticut, Sr., D
For the fifth consecutive week, Umstead has earned a BIG EAST Player of the Week honor, earning Defensive accolades for the fourth time this season. As she has done all season, Umstead anchored a Huskies defense that outshot their BIG EAST foe, 25-3, to win the match over Temple, 4-1. On Sunday, in a road match against No. 5 Delaware, Umstead and the UConn Defense once again acted as a brick wall, as they held the Blue Hens to only seven shots, zero in overtime, as the Huskies picked up their fourth shutout of the season to remain the only unbeaten team in the nation. Entering the match scoring 3.88 goals a game, the then-fifth best mark in the nation, the Blue Hens prolific offense was never able to get anything going on the offensive side of the ball, being held to 10 shots under their season average of 17.6 per game. In addition, the senior back got it going on the attack, taking a team-high 11 shots through the pair of weekend contests, while finding the back of the cage against Temple marking her fifth goal of the season.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Margot van Hecking Colenbrander, Connecticut, Fr., D
Suiting up in only one match this weekend, the freshman back played a complete game against Temple. Matching the team high with five shots in the match, the back got things going on the attack finding her sophomore teammate, Barbara van den Hoogen, to break the scoreless tie in the 53rd minute. Following a goal by the Owls to cut the UConn lead in half (2-1) van Hecking Colenbrander took charge with her sixth goal of the season in the 60th minute. On defense, the Huskies outshot the Owls 25-3, ultimately winning the match 4-1.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Danielle Grega, Old Dominion, Sr., MF
After scoring only one goal through the Monarch’s opening seven contests, Grega had the hot hand against Georgetown tallying a hat-trick. The senior’s first goal came in the opening fifteen minutes, before knocking in her second goal of the half in the 29th minute. Grega completed the hat-trick off of a penalty corner in the 52nd minute, as Old Dominion earned the 6-2 victory.
Allie Lancaster, Providence, Sr., F/M/D
Lancaster tallied a career-high three points in the Friars’ 4-1 victory over BIG EAST foe Villanova. She earned the first assist of her career as the Friars took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute. She added a goal of her own on a tip-in to make the score 3-0 in the 60th minute. Overall, she scored her only goal on her only shot attempt of the match.
Megan Guilbert, Providence, Sr., GK
Guilbert led a clean sheet against Villanova for 70 minutes of play and collected six saves before the Wildcats finally found the back of the cage as time expired on a penalty corner. Four of Guilbert’s saves came during the first half and the senior helped to fend off six of the Wildcat’s seven penalty corner attempts in the game.
Livy Golini, Quinnipiac, So., GK
The sophomore goaltender recorded her first-career shutout in a 1-0 win over Liberty Friday afternoon. Golini made four saves during the shutout that pushed Quinnipiac to 2-0 in BIG EAST play. On Sunday, the Sophomore made five saves in a tough contest against Cal.
Kathryn Edgar, Temple, So., MF
Following a 4-1 loss to No. 1 UConn, Edgar found a hand on all three goals for the Owls in a comeback victory over Sacred Heart on Sunday. She picked up her first assist off a corner in the 34 seconds after Sacred Heart took a 2-0 lead in the 44th minute. Then with eight minutes remaining in regulation, she found her classmate Beck Gerhart to even the score at 2-2. In overtime, Edgar sent the ball upfield to a wide open Rachael Mueller, who drove it into the lower right corner for the win.