STORRS, CT (Nov. 12, 2002)-- The University of Connecticut field hockey team (15-7) will be making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament when it faces Northeastern University (17-4) in the first round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament to be held on the campus of Harvard University (12-5) in Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m.. Harvard will play No. 3 seed Michigan State University (21-2) in the other first round match-up at 11 a.m. The winners will compete in the second round game on Sunday, Nov. 17, in Cambridge, Mass. Game time for the championship will be announced at a later date.

Connecticut, under 13th year head coach Nancy Stevens, earned an automatic bid into the 2002 NCAA Tournament by virtue of its sixth BIG EAST Championship. The Huskies, who opened the 2002 season at 1-5, have won 14 of their last 16 games and were ranked in the STX/NFHCA Coaches poll for the first time all season this afternoon with an entrance ranking of No. 15.

UConn is led in scoring by the 2002 BIG EAST Tournament MVP sophomore Lauren Henderson (Avondale Harare, Zimbabwe) who has a career-high 23 goals and four assists for 50 points. Senior Kelly Cochrane (Scarsdale, NY) is atop the national statistics for assists with 21 on the season along with eight goals for 37 points. Both were unanimous 2002 First Team All-BIG EAST performers.

The defense is anchored by junior netminder Maureen Butler (Red Hook, NY) and the 2002 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year sophomore Lauren Christie (Raby, Australia). Butler boasts a 1.31 goals against average in goal and Christie has chipped in with two goals and seven assists (15 points) while helping to hold opponents to only 8.5 shots per game.

The NCAA Division I Field Hockey Committee chose the field of 16 based on six conference automatic bids going to Northeastern (America East), Connecticut (BIG EAST), Michigan State (Big Ten), Kent State (Mid-American), Princeton (Ivy) and Old Dominion (Colonial), two play-in bids from Richmond (Atlantic 10) and California (NorPac) and eight at-large teams consisting of Maryland, William & Mary, Michigan, Penn State, Harvard, Wake Forest, James Madison and Duke.