Championship Central
 
HAMDEN, Conn. – The 2019 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship presented by Jeep starts Friday with the semifinals beginning at 11 a.m. ET. No. 1 seed Connecticut vs. No. 4 seed Providence will play first, followed by No. 2 seed Old Dominion vs. No. 3 seed Liberty at 2 p.m. The championship will be played at Quinnipiac’s Field Hockey Stadium, co-hosted by Quinnipiac University.
 
The semifinal winners will play each other at 1 p.m. on Sunday for the championship title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The entirety of the tournament will air on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi. Fans can watch on the conference’s dedicated channel on Caffeine TV, Twitter (@BIGEASTChamps) or YouTube. All platforms are free of charge. JJ Duke will be on play-by-play with Kirstin Gebhart as the analyst and Meghan Caffrey on sidelines.
   
Connecticut is making its 30th appearance overall in the BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship and is ranked third nationally, four in the RPI. The Huskies enter the tournament 16-3 overall, 7-0 in the conference. Connecticut has won 18 BIG EAST Championship titles and has advanced to the championship game 26 times. Connecticut is the defending champion, having won the last seven consecutive tournament titles.
 
Providence returns to the tournament field for the 20th time overall, fourth in the last five years. The Friars’ 20 appearances are third-most by an institution (accounting for current and past membership). The program has posted a 9-17 all-time record at the championship, winning the tournament title in 1989 and 1991, and finishing runner-up five times (1990, 1996, 2000, 2006, 2007). The Friars have won seven of their last nine games to finish 12-6 overall, 4-3 in the league.
 
When Connecticut and Providence met during the regular season, the Huskies won 3-0. Cheyenne Sprecher made eight saves for the Huskies to preserve the shutout. Three different UConn players scored, each unassisted. PC goalie Lydia Rice made six saves. Following that weekend, the Friars entered the national polls at No. 25. Providence was ranked for three consecutive weeks at 25th.
 
Old Dominion, ranked 18th nationally, makes its fifth appearance in the tournament field, returning to the championship field after missing out last season. The Monarchs are 1-4 all time and finished runner up in 2013. Old Dominion comes into the tournament having won three of its last four games. Against BIG EAST teams, ODU is currently on a five-game winning streak dating back to Oct. 4. Old Dominion has steadily risen in the national polls since making its first appearance on Sept. 17. The Monarchs only loss this season in BIG EAST play was to Connecticut, 6-2, on Sept. 27. ODU finished the regular season 10-6 overall, 6-1 in the league and is ranked 15th in the national RPI.
 
Liberty has made the conference tournament every year since joining the league in 2016. Finishing third at 5-2 in conference play, 10-7 overall, the Lady Flames hold a 21-7 mark in conference action overall. Liberty has made the BIG EAST Championship final three times, having finished runner-up to Connecticut on each of those occasions. The Lady Flames are ranked No. 19 in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll and have been inside the top 20 in all nine national polls, this season. Liberty is No. 20 in the RPI. Liberty has played as the No. 2 seed in the tournament the past three seasons.
 
Liberty and Old Dominion team met during the regular season on Oct. 11. Then-No. 22 Monarchs battled the then-No. 15 Flames to a 3-2 victory on the road. Tori Harwood scored two goals, including the game-winner in the 50th minute of action to give ODU the upset victory. All three goals were scored in the second half for Old Dominion. After their victory over Liberty earlier this season, the Monarchs now hold a 3-4 record against the Flames in their seven total matchups. The only time these two teams met in the BIG EAST championship was two seasons ago, when Liberty dispatched ODU, 3-1 in the semifinal round. 
 

2019 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship Presented by Jeep
Semifinals - Quinnipiac Field Hockey Stadium - Hamden, Conn.
Friday, Nov. 8
No. 1 seed Connecticut vs. No. 4 seed Providence, 11 a.m. ET
No. 2 seed Old Dominion vs. No. 3 seed Liberty, 2 p.m. ET

Final - Quinnipiac Field Hockey Stadium - Hamden, Conn.
Sunday, Nov. 10
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. ET