#BIGEASTfh Minute – No. 3 Seed On The Line On Final Friday
BIG EAST Weekly Field Hockey Notes (PDF)
NEW YORK – The final weekend of BIG EAST field hockey has arrived. So far, two of the seeds have been set for the 2019 BIG EAST Championship Presented by Jeep. Connecticut is the No. 1 seed with Old Dominion No. 2. The third seed is on the table on Friday night as Providence and Liberty will battle for seeding. Winner of the Friars-Lady Flames contest claims the No. 3 seed and will face ODU in the tournament. Loser will be the fourth seed and will play UConn. Providence and Liberty will play at 3 p.m. ET on Friday.
Last Weekend in #BIGEASTfh
The Connecticut Huskies have clinched the No. 1 spot in the 2019 BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep and at least a share of the regular season with a 6-3 win over Liberty on Saturday. Old Dominion shutout Quinnipiac 4-0 on Friday afternoon and secured the No. 2 seed. Providence clinched the fourth and final spot in the championship field on Friday with a 2-0 win over Georgetown. In the final league game on Friday, Temple defeated Villanova 3-0. In non-conference action on Sunday, Villanova downed Davidson, 7-2, No. 25 Providence shutout Rider, 1-0 and Quinnipiac defeated Brown, 5-2. For Bobcat head coach Becca Main, the win was the 200th for her career. No. 18 Rutgers edged Temple, 1-0 and No. 1 North Carolina did the same to No. 19 Old Dominion. On Monday, No. Virginia defeated Liberty, 1-0.
Huskies Remain Undefeated In League Action, Win Share of Regular Season Title
Connecticut has won 38 consecutive regular-season conference contests. The Huskies last loss in BIG EAST play was on Oct. 25, 2013 at Old Dominion. Connecticut lost 5-0. The Monarchs were ranked 10th nationally. The Huskies were ranked No. 4. With a 6-0 league record going into the last Friday of BIG EAST play, Connecticut has claimed at least a share of the BIG EAST title. The Huskies can win it outright with a win over Georgetown on Friday night. UConn can also win it with an Old Dominion loss to Villanova. The title is the seventh straight for the Huskies, 19th overall.
Four BIG EAST Teams Continue To Be Ranked
For the third week in a row, the BIG EAST has four teams ranked in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA). Connecticut, Liberty, Old Dominion and Providence are ranked in almost identical positions as last week. UConn is No. 3, Liberty is No. 18 , Old Dominion is No. 19 and Providence at No. 25. No. 18 Liberty hosts No. 25 Providence in this week’s conference ranked battle. In the four ranked matches that have been played in BIG EAST play, the higher seed has won three times. Only No. 22 Old Dominion “upset” No. 17 Liberty, 3-2.
The Weekend Ahead
The final weekend of BIG EAST field hockey has arrived with games at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. No. 25 Providence at No. 18 Liberty and Temple at Quinnipiac start off the final Friday.
In the battle for seeding, Liberty leads the all-time series Providence 6-0. Last time these two teams played, the Lady Flames defeated Providence, 4-0 in the BIG EAST Semifinals. The Friars enter the game on a hot streak, having won the last five games. Providence is 12-5 overall and has won seven of its last eight games. Liberty is 9-6 overall with all six losses having come against nationally-ranked opponents, including five games decided by a single goal. The Lady Flames are coming off a 1-0 loss at No. 6 Virginia. Both teams are 4-2 in the league.
Temple (6-8) is currently fifth in the league standings at 2-4, while Quinnipiac is a three-way tie for sixth at 1-5. The Owls shut out Villanova last weekend, 3-0. Quinnipiac (4-13) lost to Old Dominion 4-0. Temple is coming off a 1-0 loss to No. 18 Rutgers, while the Bobcats defeated Brown, 5-2. Quinnipiac won last year’s meeting, 5-2.
Connecticut (14-3) will look to win its 39th consecutive BIG EAST game against on Friday night at 6 p.m. ET against Georgetown. (5-12) The Hoyas have lost their last nine games this season, most recently to Providence, 2-0. Connecticut is coming off a 6-3 win over Liberty. With a win, UConn grabs the BIG EAST regular season title outright. Connecticut has played 12 games against ranked opponents this season.
Old Dominion (9-6) has already grabbed the No. 2 seed in the upcoming tournament, while Villanova is tied for sixth at 1-5 in BIG EAST play. Last Sunday, the ODU defense held one of the most potent offenses in the nation to just one goal against No. 1 North Carolina, but that one goal for the Tar Heels ended up being the only one they needed, as the Monarchs fell in a tightly contested 1-0 decision. Villanova defeated Davidson, 7-2. ODU leads the all-time series 7-2. Last year, Villanova won 2-1 in a shootout victory.
The season isn’t over on Friday however. Four teams will play non-conference games on Sunday with Georgetown at Sacred Heart at 11 a.m., LIU Brooklyn at Temple, UMass at No. 3 Connecticut and No. 4 Duke at No. 18 Liberty at 1 p.m.
#BIGEASTfh Weekend Schedule
Friday, Nov. 1
No. 25 PROVIDENCE at No. 18 LIBERTY, 3 p.m.
TEMPLE at QUINNIPIAC, 3 p.m.
No. 19 OLD DOMINION at VILLANOVA, 6 p.m.
GEORGETOWN at No. 3 CONNECTICUT, 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 3
GEORGETOWN at Sacred Heart, 11 a.m.
LIU Brooklyn at TEMPLE, 1 p.m.
UMass at No. 3 CONNECTICUT, 1 p.m.
No. 4 Duke at No. 18 LIBERTY, 1 p.m.