Huskies Aim To Keep Firm Grasp On BIG EAST
UConn seeks fourth straight BIG EAST Regular Season Crown and second straight conference tournament title

Fresh off a season that saw it claim both the BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament titles, the University of Connecticut field hockey team is looking to continue its championship ways in 2005.

While the Huskies return a solid nucleus from last season's squad, which finished 20-2, earned its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and led the nation in scoring defense, they will be forced to fill in the gaps left behind following the graduation of the program's leading scorer, Lauren Henderson and the leader of the country's top-ranked defensive unit, Abby Ostruzka.

In addition to the loss of Ostruzka on the defensive side, UConn head coach Nancy Stevens and the rest the coaching staff will be forced to find replacements for each of the four starting backs from a year ago - which limited opponents to an average of 0.57 goals per game and posted 12 shutouts over 22 contests.

"We went into the spring this year with the goal of rebuilding the defense after the loss of each of the four starters from last year," Stevens said. "We focused on individual technique and then more on the team defense aspect. That was a major focus of both the players and the coaching staff during the offseason."

With the large amount of turnover on the defensive side, the Huskies figure to have more of an offensive look to their style of play than they were accustomed to last season and figure to win more games by out-scoring teams rather than by relying on their strong defense.

"I think one of the strengths of the team this season will be the change in our style of play," Stevens said. "Last year, our strength was defense where we employed a sweeper system. This year, we are planning to play with only three backs in a 3-4-3 which is much more of an attacking system. The upside is that it's up-tempo hockey and its fun to play."

With all these changes in the offing and the loss of a veteran senior class, the Huskies will also be counting on a number of players to carry the leadership role. Fortunately, UConn has a pair of solid candidates in 2004 All-America honorees Rebecca Helwig (senior/midfield) and Melissa Bostwick (senior/goal keeper).

"We are going to look to our two returning All-Americans, Rebecca Helwig and Melissa Bostwick to take over the leadership areas in the midfield and on defense," Stevens said. "I also expect our lone returning senior on the attack, Laura Puddle, to provide leadership up front."

Offensively, UConn lost 48 percent of their goal-scoring from last season with the graduation of Henderson, who tied the program's single-season record with 31 goals in 22 games last season.

Stevens is not that concerned however as the Huskies boast a number of possible options for increased offensive performance this season, led by Helwig, Puddle and sophomore Lizzy Peijs.

Puddle, Peijs and Helwig (in that order) ranked right behind Henderson among the team's scoring leaders in 2004. Puddle, in addition to her 14 scoring tallies a year ago also dished out a team-high 16 assists. Peijs enjoyed a solid rookie campaign as she ranked third on the squad in goals (11) and assists (9) and second in points (70).
Helwig, who posted nine goals and four assists as a junior, is slotted in the preseason as the primary hitter on penalty corners, thus vastly increasing the opportunities she will get on net this season. Another player the coaching staff is high on from an offensive standpoint is freshman Lauren Aird, a former teammate of Henderson's in Africa.

"We feel that adding Lauren Aird in the spring to our returning core helped," Stevens said. She is a natural scorer that will combine nicely with the talent we have coming back in Helwig, Puddle and Peijs."

Other players who figure to make an impact on the attack include sophomore Nikki Harmony and Kristin Galuski, each of which were starters during the spring. Among the incoming freshman, Lindsay Leck figures to contribute at forward.

Helwig is expected to anchor the midfield but will be joined by Meagan Hoffmann and Peijs - two of the Huskies top returning scoring options.

"I feel very confident that we have a good midfield," Stevens said. "That is very important as often the midfield is what determines if you win or lose a game. When you look at Helwig, Hoffmann and Peijs and having a fifth-year senior as the next option in Kati Cavanagh, I feel like we have good experience, good depth and great talent in the midfield areas."

A number of new faces will be orchestrated defensively in an attempt to replenish the unit which guards the ground in front of All-America goal keeper Bostwick. During the spring the Huskies went with a three-player starting defensive group that included redshirt-freshman Katie Scully along with juniors Lauren Hennessey and Barbie Steffen.

Another player who most likely will be in the mix as part of the defensive rotation is true freshman Jennifer Kleinhans, who was a member of the German U-16 National Team. Due to her seasoning in Germany, considered the top field hockey playing nation in the world, the coaching staff is looking for her to make an immediate impact at back.

Bostwick is a lock in net for the Huskies, but the depth behind her is an early concern for the coaching staff as it is plentiful but lacks experience. Backing up Bostwick, who tabbed 12 shutouts and led the nation on goals against average and save percentage as a junior, will be either junior Briana Koza, redshirt-freshman Claire Carwell or true freshman Andrea Mainiero.

Connecticut should get a good sense of where they stand pretty early in the season as its always challenging schedule features five teams that qualified for the 2004 NCAA Tournament and includes games with perennial powers Penn State, Princeton, Michigan State and Michigan.

The Huskies boast an overall combined mark of 241-90-19 all-time against opponents on its 2005 schedule and will battle a total of seven teams that finished among the top-20 in the final NFHCA Coaches Poll last season.

"I think our schedule is terrific," Stevens said. "We are tested early with Penn State and Princeton and I like the challenge of facing both of them on the road. I think the addition of Louisville to the BIG EAST this season will certainly strengthen the conference as they should be one of the program's that competes for the league crown on an annual basis. Since we felt we had a strong squad this year, we decided to take on the challenge of traveling to Michigan to play Michigan State and Michigan on back-to-back days. Michigan won the Big Ten last season and Michigan State made the national semifinals so I think it will be a perfect midseason test for us."

Despite the loss of key players from last season's championship squad, the Huskies are focused on returning to the top of the conference and hoisting the BIG EAST Regular Season trophy for the fourth consecutive season and the ninth time in the last 10 years.

"Our goals as a team always center around the conference regular season and tournament championships," Stevens said. "Our main goals are to win both the regular season and tournament titles and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Those are the goals this program has set forth for itself on an annual basis."