UConn field hockey team to play for national championship

Louisville, Ky. — Top-seeded UConn rode a heroic performance by goalkeeper Nina Klein to defeat North Carolina in a penalty shootout in the semifinals of the NCAA Division I field hockey tournament on Friday.

After battling the Tar Heels to a 1-1 draw through regulation and a pair of 10-minute sudden death overtimes, Klein stopped all three North Carolina attempts in the shootout and the Huskies scored on three of theirs to advance to Sunday's national championship against Maryland at 2 p.m.

Maryland routed Michigan 5-1 in the other semifinals, an all-Big Ten matchup.

The Huskies (22-0) will be appearing in the final for the third time in five years. North Carolina finishes 18-5.

The Tar Heels dominated play, outshooting UConn 20-6 and earning 15 penalty corners to the Huskies' two, but could only beat Klein (13 saves) once, and that came with just 1:51 left in regulation when a goal by Eva van't Hoog sent the game into overtime.

UConn had taken a 1-0 lead just 6:41 into the second half when Charlotte Veitner scored her team-leading 32nd goal on an assist from Margo van Hecking Colenbrander.

Veitner, Casey Umstead and Amana Collins scored for the Huskies in the shootout.

Men's basketball

• St. Thomas More suffered its first defeat of the young season, losing 70-56 to Fork Union Military in the National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus in New Haven.

Keshawn Curry had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Fork Union while Adam Hess had 12 for the Chancellors (2-1), who shot just 30 percent from the floor.

Women's basketball

• Sophomore Zoe Riis-Fallica scored a career-high 19 points to help Coast Guard win its first game of the season, 75-49 over Salve Regina. Riis-Fallica added five rebounds and two assists.

Micaela Martinelli scored 14 points with six rebounds, and Breanna Wood contributed 11 rebounds and three steals for the Bears (1-1).