~New Hampshire~
Yesterday the Huskies got a tough W against a stingy University of New Hampshire team. UNH came into the game with a 1-4 record, however all of their loses were to nationally ranked teams (#11 CU 14-9, #13 Clemson 5-2, #10 Buffalo 10-6, #8 VaTech 8-6) so the Wildcats were obviously hungry for a win and not to be taken lightly. UConn came out strong in the first with a 3-1 lead, and would hold a 5-4 lead at the half. UNH would take a one goal lead with 9 minutes left in the 4th, however UConn would score 2 goals in the final 5 minutes to put the game away. Box Score http://mcla.us/scores/games/11597/
~#12 Boston College~
Last week prior to the Northeastern game I wrote an email comparing this years team to the 2006 team. With the win vs #18 Northeastern this past weekend the comparisons can continue. Like the 2006 team, last Saturdays Northeastern win resulted in a National Ranking for the Huskies where they landed at #23 in the nation. http://mcla.us/polls/ Like the 2006 team both teams reached a 7-1 record, like in 2006 this years team has slowly started to create some chatter about a trip to nationals http://forums.laxallstars.com/index.php?p=/discussion/282/2012-d1-tournament-field and also like the 2006 team which was named the 'Riddell Lacrosse Team of the Week' after their win against Northeastern, this years squad was featured on a website highlighting their Nike and Warrior apparel http://412.laxallstars.com/uconn-gear-day/
However the comparisons eventually need to end somewhere, and hopefully it is this Friday. While it is nice to wax poetic about the 2006 team the elephant in the room is that one week after they had attained a national ranking, Boston College came to town and knocked the snot out of them on Sherman Field, taking them right back out of the top 25 with a 15-4 loss. (06 schedule http://www.laxpower.com/update06/binmen/XUCTXX.PHP) The reality is that since Boston College joined the MCLA in 2004 UConn is 0-10 against the Eagles. This years squad obviously doesn't want to repeat history, and will have an opportunity to put themselves into the record books with a win on Friday. A win would mean many things; breaking a 10 game losing streak over a hated BC program, adding a second victory over a nationally ranked team to their resume, positioning themselves for a likely first round bye in the PCLL playoffs, and continue to show that they are the real deal. Personally, I would a
rgue that this Fridays game is probably the biggest game in UConn history, and from what I'm hearing it sounds like the boys are expecting a raucous crowd to welcome the Eagles. If you can make it, make sure you are at Depot Field this Friday at 7pm to show your support and do your part to welcome BC to Storrs.
Pregame Matchup: http://mcla.us/scores/games/11598/
