November 6th, 2010: Field Hockey vs. Louisville (BE Semifinal)

What: Big East Field Hockey Semifinal vs. Louisville

When: November 6th, 2010 1:30 PM

Result: Win 2-1

Summary: Second game of a Big East Tournament Doubleheader. I was at part of the opener, #4 Rutgers vs. #1 Syracuse, which the Orange won in a blowout. This will not be reviewed. For this contest, although it was played on campus, the Huskies were the "away" team, and hence were announced first, wore their blue uniforms, etc. This is because they had a lower seed. Anyway, it was a packed house, about as packed as I've ever seen it, including a large Louisville contingent. Admission was free for me as a student, but others had to pay (unlike normal Field Hockey matches). And Louisville's best player, who won BE Offensive Player of the Year, was ejected towards the end of the first half, her team already down 2-0. Nicole Youman will be suspended for the first game of the NCAA Tournament should her team qualify, but if not, as a Senior, there's really nothing else to suspend her for. I don't know how that would work exactly. I remember when Zinedine Zidane was suspended 3 games for his headbutt in the 2006 World Cup, but had planned on retiring immediately after and as such couldn't serve it, he did three days of community service through FIFA's program instead. Perhaps NCAA has a similar route? I don't know. Anyway, just as a reminder, this game, and today's final vs. Syracuse, will be reviewed but will not be included in the ratings as it is not a "home" game or a "Campus sites" postseason game.

Ratings:

Atmosphere:

Fan Friendliness: A pretty friendly crowd all around. Some heckling of calls, but not much. Rating: 9/10

Fan Enthusiasm: Very boisterous crowd. They were getting into it on both sides. Excellent. Rating: 13/15

Event Atmosphere: Tournament atmosphere, great job all around. Didn't have the "fun" that regular UConn matches do (Goal of the Game, etc.) but since UConn Athletics wasn't running it that shouldn't be surprising. Rating: 12/15

Total atmosphere: 34/40

On-field:

Quality of Play: Great job from both sides. Really good play, except for the Youman red for stick to the head. But Louisville managed to play decently with a man down (woman? is it sexist to say "man down"? Or would "woman down" be more sexist? I'm going with man down since that seems to be what everyone uses. You don't say Maya Moore was playing "good woman-to-woman defense" so that's what I'm going with.) Rating: 16/20

Excitement: Very exciting. One goal game for most of the second half, with a berth in the Big East Finals on the line. The winner of the Final has a good chance of getting a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosting the first two rounds. UConn or Syracuse definitely will with a win, and Louisville, by virtue of wins over the #6 and #4 teams in the country on consecutive days, might have an outside chance if they had won. Rating: 9/10

Quality of UConn Play: Very well played all around. Excellent job by the Huskies. Rating: 9/10

Result: Win 10/10

Overall on-field: 46/50

Other:


Clarity of Fan Communication: No issues, all announcements made obvious. Rating: 5/5

Magnitude of Event: Big East Semifinal, as I said berth in the final on the line for a chance at maybe getting a #1 seed. And Louisville with the loss is a probable "bubble" team in the Field of 16, though UConn should certainly get in no matter what happens. It just will change whether they get a #1 or #2. Rating: 13/15

Size of Crowd: Near full house. Rating: 14/15