Update Oct. 11: The No. 4 Huskies field hockey team won twice on the road over the weekend, improving to 12-1 on the season. Alicia Angelini ’13 (PHR) and Chloe Hunnable ’15 (CLAS) each scored a goal against Virginia in a 2-1 victory on Sunday in a game played in Princeton, N.J. They also scored two goals each during a 10-0 win against Georgetown in Washington, D.C., on Friday.

When No. 20 Louisville scored the first goal last weekend against the Huskies No. 4-ranked field hockey team at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex, junior midfielder Alicia Angelini ’13 (PHR) immediately thought about the team’s only loss of the season, 3-1 to No. 11 Boston College, just two weeks earlier.

“I didn’t want to lose like we did to BC,” she says. “That’s when we all stepped up, played together, and played well.” The result was a 4-2 victory for UConn.

Her sister Jestine ’12 (ED), a senior back, agrees that the memory galvanized the team into action against Louisville. “The loss to BC was a good thing,” she says. Jestine was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week, after scoring a goal against the Cardinals and anchoring the UConn defense.

With a 10-1 record on a schedule rated the second most difficult in the nation, the Huskies clearly prefer the sweet taste of victory, something they hope to continue with a starting team of six seniors and two talented freshmen with international experience. Last year’s squad reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve got eight seniors, with six that start,” says Hall of Fame coach Nancy Stevens. “They’d like to take this next step. They’ve been to three NCAA tournaments. Their goal is to reach the Final Four. From there you hope to have a great weekend.”

Playing a regular season schedule similar to Big East and NCAA tournament play – two games in three days or back-to back games – against other top-ranked teams, is one of the ways that Stevens is preparing her squad to take the next step.

“There are a lot of teams that have the same goal,” she says. “We have to find a way to create separation. Back-to-back games are how the NCAA regionals are played. The Big East Tournament is Friday and Sunday morning. We’re preparing our kids.”

The Angelini sisters have been doing their part to contribute to the Huskies’ success. They have embraced their role among the leaders on the team, most visibly through their hard work on the field and off.

“It’s the work ethic of the family,” Stevens says. “They train really hard in the weight room, on their fitness and at every practice. They’re giving 100 percent. “

The sisters grew up participating in soccer, track, gymnastics, and field hockey. Their father Franco is a military veteran who spent 25 years in law enforcement before opening a school to train police dogs, and their mother Jody is a computer security consultant who played field hockey and now leads an elite field hockey club program. Despite the six-hour ride from their home in Pennsylvania, Jestine says her mother has seen all of her daughters’ games in Storrs.

Once in high school, both Jestine and Alicia began to focus on field hockey. Both sisters were Mid-Penn Field Hockey All-Stars in high school. Jestine began her college career at Old Dominion and transferred to Storrs, arriving just after Alicia moved onto the campus for her freshman year.

Jestine was the Huskies’ fourth leading scorer last season and is among this season’s top scorers, with 18 points (6 goals, 6 assists). Alicia is making her mark by providing assists, currently with 3 on the season. Their coach says they are teammates, but not competitors.

“They play very different positions,” says Stevens. “They’re really not near each other on the field. They can be their own person. They each bring something very different to the team.”

The blend of experience and talented younger players is keeping the Huskies among the top teams in the country and on top of the Big East. Sophomore forward Marie Elena Bolles ’14 (NUR) leads the Huskies in scoring with 22 points (6/10), and is considered one of the most dangerous players in the nation because of her speed. Freshman forward Chloe Hunnable has scored 20 points (9/2) and senior midfielder Ali Blankmeyer ’12 (CLAS) continues her scoring with 16 points (6/4).

“Everybody on the field is a leader,” Alicia says. “If one person is down the others can bring them up, especially this year with all the seniors. There is someone we can look up to on and off the field.”

“It’s motivating at practice, having such a high standard here at UConn,” adds Jestine, a pre-season All Big-East selection. “Our team has been the same for the past three years I’ve been here. There’s a lot of potential, and this year hopefully we’ll reach our potential and go all the way.”

The Huskies play Friday at Georgetown and Sunday at Virginia. They return to Storrs on Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. to play Princeton at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex.