LYNCHBURG, Va. – Connecticut is the No. 1 seed for the BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship presented by Jeep which will be held on the campus of Liberty University. The semifinals are set for Friday, Nov. 2, and the championship game will be played Sunday, Nov. 4.
The winner gains an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi will broadcast each game via the FOX Sports App. The semifinals are for 1 and 4 p.m. and the championship game for 1 p.m.
The four-team field includes two nationally ranked squads, No. 4 Connecticut and No. 15 Liberty. The top-seeded Huskies will play No. 4 seed Villanova in the first game on Friday. The second-seeded Lady Flames will battle No. 3 Providence in the second contest.
Connecticut will be looking to win its seventh straight BIG EAST crown. The Huskies have compiled a 16-3 overall record and a 7-0 league mark. They are led by senior back Cecile Pieper, who was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week. Goalkeeper Cheyenne Sprecher was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. UConn is 9-0 in road games this season under coach Nancy Stevens. The UConn staff was voted BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year by the fellow head coaches.
Liberty earned its No. 2 seed with a 6-1 BIG EAST record, the best mark since the Lady Flames joined the league as an affiliate member in 2016. They have been the Championship runner-up each of the first two years. The Lady Flames are 12-5 overall and No. 15 in this week’s NFHCA poll, their highest ranking of the year. They are led by senior Agueda Moroni, who was voted BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. She leads the nation in scoring with a 3.69 average. Agueda has 25 goals and 11 assists.
No. 3 seed Providence compiled an 11-7 overall record and a 4-3 BIG EAST mark. The Friars finished strong, winning eight of their last 10 matches, which included all four of their conference victories. The Friars placed one player on the All-BIG EAST First Team, midfielder/back Corinne Kenney, and four players on the All-BIG EAST Second Team – goalkeeper Lydia Rice, forward/midfielder Izzy Mendez, midfielder Mary O’Reilly and midfielder Madison Babineau. Providence is making its third Championship appearance in the last four years.
Villanova gained entry to the Championship on the last day of league regular-season play with a 2-1 shootout victory at Old Dominion. The Wildcats won four of their last five games to finish 9-9 overall and 4-3 in BIG EAST play. They are making their first appearance in the Championship since 2015. Four Wildcats were named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team – goalkeeper Erika Miller, forward Megan Vermeil, midfielder/back Christen Pennington and midfielder Riley Dolan.