UConn Edge Villanova 1-0, Old Dominion Upset Liberty 1-0 To Reach Big East Final
Two 1-0s, two very different stories, and the Big East final is set. UConn against Old Dominion, Sunday at noon ET in Philadelphia.
UConn did it the hard way. The top seeds were held scoreless by Villanova for three quarters at Howarth Field, and it took a moment from their star freshman to break the game open. Lucy Zich, the Big East’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, scored the winner at 52:06, and the Huskies held on for a 1-0 win. UConn finished with a 10-6 shot advantage and seven shots on goal to Villanova’s two, but the scoreboard stayed tight until the end. The win stretches UConn’s win streak to 12 games, and they are 15-1 on the season.
Then came the upset. No. 3 seed Old Dominion beat No. 2 seed Liberty 1-0 in the evening semifinal, knocking out the side that had beaten them 2-0 in the regular season meeting on 2 October. Liberty came in at 12-5 and ranked No. 6 nationally. Old Dominion, 13-4, are through to their first Big East final since 2019, when they also beat Liberty in the semi-final and faced UConn in the title game.
Sunday’s final, at noon ET on ESPN+, is UConn against Old Dominion, and the winner takes the Big East’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. UConn beat Old Dominion 3-0 in Norfolk earlier this season, but the Monarchs have just shown they can beat anyone on a neutral field. The Huskies are chasing a perfect finish to a near-perfect season. Old Dominion are playing with nothing to lose.
