Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cheyenne Sprecher made seven saves, but the fifth-ranked
UConn
field hockey team narrowly fell to No. 1
North Carolina
2-1 on Sunday afternoon at Boston College.
Sophomore Kourtney Kennedy scored her first career goal for the Huskies (12-3).
North Carolina (15-0) got on the board first off a penalty corner opportunity at 11:27.
Sprecher made four saves in the first half, including a diving stick stop on a Tar Heels corner shot, but North Carolina took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Kennedy scored her goal at the 43:29 mark in the second half, sending in a direct shot, which deflected over the keeper.
Svea Boker and Antonia Tiedtke tallied assists on the penalty corner chance.
Four minutes later, the Tar Heels took the lead again as Marissa Creatore scored off a rebound.
The Huskies pressured in the final 15 minutes, including four minutes with an empty net, but were unable to find the equalizer.
It was UConn’s eighth match against a ranked team this season. The Huskies, the defending national champions, moved to 5-3 against top-25 programs this year.
North Carolina held a 7-3 advantage in penalty corners and a 16-9 lead in shots.
The Huskies return to Storrs to host No. 19 Liberty on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex.
UConn will travel to No. 24 Boston University next Sunday at 1 p.m.
