UConn Field
Hockey to Face Northeastern in
NCAA First Round
Huskies to play Northeastern in NCAA first round at
Harvard University on Saturday
 STORRS,
Conn. (Nov. 9, 2004) - The University of Connecticut field hockey team will
play Northeastern in the
opening round of the 2004 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 13, on
the campus of Harvard University.
Host institution Harvard (11-6) and No. 2 seed Wake Forest (16-3) will square
off in Saturday's other first round game.
The Harvard vs. Wake Forest game will begin at 11:00 a.m. while the UConn vs.
Northeastern
game will begin at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday's first round winners will advance to the NCAA quarterfinal game
scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 14. Sunday's second round game will begin at 2:00 p.m.
UConn was originally scheduled to play Boston College in the first round matchup,
but that was changed by the NCAA.
UConn boasts a 20-1 mark this season and is fresh off BIG EAST regular season
and tournament titles. The Huskies are enjoying their best season since 1999,
when they advanced to the national semifinals.
UConn earned an automatic berth in this year's NCAA field by virtue of its BIG
EAST Championship Game win over Boston College. The Huskies are appearing in
their 16th NCAA Tournament and own an all-time mark of 20-13 in NCAA postseason
action. Connecticut is 11-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament first round games.
The Huskies have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two
seasons and eight of the last nine overall.
UConn's most recent NCAA Tournament action came last season, where it defeated
Northeastern in the first round before falling to eventual national champion
Wake Forest in the second round.
The Huskies have advanced to the national semifinals seven times and won a pair
of national championships.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year Lauren Henderson (Avondale Harare,
Zimbabwe) leads the UConn offense with a team-best 30 goals, which is one shy of
tying the UConn single-season record set by Rose Aspelin in 1996. Henderson, who
became UConn's career leader in goals and points this season, was also
recognized as the Most Outstanding Player at the 2004 BIG EAST Championship.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Abby Ostruzka (Riverside, Conn.)
leads the nation's top-ranked defensive unit which has allowed an average of
just 0.51 goals per game entering the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Huskies have
only allowed one goal in their last nine games overall.
The winner of Sunday's second round game will advance the 2004 NCAA Field Hockey
Championship hosted by Wake Forest University on Nov. 19-21.
2004 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament
First and Second Round Games
at Harvard University - Cambridge, Mass.
Saturday, November, 13
No. 2 seed Wake Forest (16-3) vs. Harvard (11-6), 11:00 a.m.
Connecticut (20-1) vs. Northeastern (17-3), 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, November, 14
Connecticut-Northeastern winner vs. Wake Forest-Harvard winner, 2:00 p.m.
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