No. 1 seed UConn (10-1) vs. No. 3 seed Old Dominion (9-4)
Game Info – Saturday, April 24 at noon
Location – Conshohocken Proving Grounds (Conshohocken, Pa.)
Stream – CLICK HERE
Live Stats – CLICK HERE
Championship Central – CLICK HERE
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. – The No. 16-ranked Old Dominion field hockey team plays for its first conference tournament title as a member of the BIG EAST and an all-important automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament when it faces top-seeded and No. 7-ranked UConn on Saturday at noon at the Conshohocken Proving Grounds.
ABOUT ODU
The Monarchs are making their second-straight and third-overall BIG EAST Tournament Final. ODU appeared in its first BIG EAST final in 2013 – its first year as a member of the conference – and made the championship match last season as well. In both instances the Monarchs fell to UConn.
Old Dominion boasts 15 conference tournament titles and nine NCAA titles. The Monarchs won 13 Colonial Athletic Association Tournaments in a 15-year span between 1991 and 2005. ODU was a BIG EAST regular season champion in 2013.
The third-seeded Monarchs advanced to the final with a 2-1 win over No. 6-ranked Liberty on Thursday. BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year Marlon de Bruijne scored both goals in the second quarter, bringing her season tally to 15 – the most by a Monarch since First Team All-American and CAA Player of the Year Emma Batten scored 27 in 2011. ODU was resilient in the second half while facing increased pressure from the Flames. LU outshot the Monarchs 6-1 in the second half, but three saves from Cam MacGillivray were enough to ensure the win.
ABOUT UCONN
The Huskies are making their 19th straight appearance in the BIG EAST final and are the eight-time defending champions. UConn is a five-time NCAA champion – winning it all in 1981, 1985, 2013, 2014 and 2017.
UConn breezed past Temple with a 4-0 win in the semifinals. BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year Sophie Hamilton scored a pair of goals and dished out one assist against the Owls. The sophomore from Bruton, England tops the nation in points per game (4.36), goals per game (1.55) and assists per game (1.27). Co-BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Claire van den Noort had a goal and an assist for the Huskies and ranks third nationally with 0.89 assists per game.
As a team, UConn owns the most-potent offense and the stingiest defense in the nation. The Huskies score 4.64 goals per contest while allowing just 0.55 goals per game.
THE SERIES
Saturday's final with UConn will be the 44th meeting between the Monarchs and the Huskies. ODU is 24-19 all-time against UConn. The Monarchs have played the Huskies in every BIG EAST final that they have reached and are 0-2 in the finals against them.
The two sides are also familiar NCAA Tournament foes, meeting six times. The Monarchs are 4-2 against the Huskies in the NCAA Tournament, including wins in the 1982 and 1983 championship matches.
WHAT'S NEXT
The winner of Saturday's final receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. A condensed field as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic means only three at-large bids will be awarded. The Division I Field Hockey Selection Show is scheduled for this Saturday at 10 p.m. and can be streamed live at ncaa.com.
No. 16 Field Hockey Contests BIG EAST Final with No. 7 UConn on Saturday
