UConn downs Big East rival Boston College, wins trip to Philly

The Daily Campus STORRS, Conn. (U-WIRE) -- The UConn field hockey team brought themselves one step closer to a national title on Sunday as they blanked Boston College 3-0 in Storrs, clinching a spot in the Final Four for the first time in 15 years. The Huskies (19-3) play Princeton on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Philadelphia to see who will play the winner of Old Dominion and Virginia for the national championship on Sunday. UConn sophomore forward Laura Klein scored the game-winning-goal with just under 22 minutes remaining in the first half. Klein's fifth goal of the season came on a penalty corner when she redirected teammate Nicole Castonguay's initial shot high into the back of the Eagles' net. Castonguay and junior Alison Sharpe were credited with the assists on Klein's goal. UConn controlled the game from there on out, taking a 1-0 lead into half-time. The second half wasn't much better for the visiting Eagles (16-6), who had upset UConn in Boston earlier this season, as the Huskies tacked on a pair of insurance goals to account for the 3-0 final. Eagles coach Sharren Granese was quite subdued following her team's lackluster performance. "It was just a matter of UConn played really well, and we didn't play up to our typical game," Granese said. "They came out strong in the game, and they pressured the ball really well?I think we struggled with the amount of pressure that they put on us." Following the game, Stevens emphasized the fact that her team has focused on how to improve themselves all season, instead of getting caught up in what they have to do to beat their opponents. "I think sometimes in college sports, or at least in college field hockey, you get so caught up in who you're playing and you get so focused on beating them that you get into the personalities of the other team," Stevens said. "We just tried to avoid all of that, we didn't even mention Boston College in our team meeting before the game." Focusing on themselves has paid off for the Huskies. Stevens has no doubt that this attitude toward each game could enable her team to win the championship. "If we can get the opponent to focus on us and we're focusing on us, then no one's focusing on the opponent, so we'll win," Stevens said. "It's kind of an equation that we use to work for us" The Eagles were out shot 8-0 in the first half and 11-5 overall. UConn also had an 8-2 lead in penalty corners on the day. UConn's second goal came off the stick of Sharpe on an assist from freshman Megan Ware, with 29:36 left in the game. The Huskies final goal of their undefeated home season came courtesy of sophomore Katie Stephens. Stephens scored on a hard shot from 10-yards out off a penalty corner. She was also assisted by Sharpe. For the second game in a row, Stevens made some adjustments in her lineup to combat the quick Boston College midfield. Team leading scorer, Carrie Mahoney (36 points), did not play on Sunday. "This is the team that beat BC for the Big East championship last Sunday, so this is the team that had to play today," Stevens said. "Our matchups are better with Marjolijn [Beumers] in the midfield, BC has a very fast midfield."