If you look into the recent history of UConn Field Hockey, most of the key offensive cogs of it's Final Four and National Championship Teams involve international talent. In the Mid-Late 1980's UConn had a New York Native, the Middle Kid of three sisters to come to Storrs and like big sis Lauren, help the Huskies win it's Second National Championship. Tracey Fuchs.
Tracey was a Hockey nut growing up, wanting to play ice hockey while rooting for the NHL Rangers. And with 5 boys living in the neighborhood, playing street hockey, roller hockey and backyard hockey were the games of choice with hope someday, she'd hit the ice. Instead Field Hockey became her game and she excelled at it. Watching her older sister practice, sneaking up to her room and practice with her stick. She became an exciting player in high school, and UConn Coach Diane Wright was paying attention while big Sis was helping the Huskies win the first NCAA Field Hockey Title in 1981.
Tracey arrived in Storrs in the summer of 1984, where UConn had lost back to back National Championship Games in 1982 and 1983 to....Old Dominion, in what was becoming a great rivalry. And the trend continued in 1984, getting to another Final Four. But again, ODU ousted them in the Semi's, not before Fuch's beating UMass in the first round via a game winning penalty stroke.
The 1985 season Fuch's took her talents to another level. As did the Huskies with a 16-2 regular season, but the postseason began with abit of a sour taste after losing the regular season finale to Penn State 3-2. Mind you, this was supposed to be a "rebuilding year," Having graduated 7 and 4 All Americans. The NCAA's Opened with a 2-0 win over Maryland, where their keeper played brick wall before Fuchs broke the ice with 4:36 left. Then a 2-1 win over B.U. in Norfolk set up another Finals dual with Old Dominion, who beat Northwestern in their National Semi-Final. The Wildcats were Coached by Nancy Stevens, the current UConn Coach. This time the Huskies, with two assists from Fuchs, won 3-2 and with it, Title #2 at UConn. Fuchs named a first team All American.
1986 saw the Huskies go 13-4-3, but their 5 year Final Four run and 27 game home win streak were ended by New Hampshire in the NCAA Quarters. And in 1987, despite Fuchs being such an offensive force, a late season four game slide put UConn at 9-5-4, to keep the Huskies out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Fuch's last game in a UConn Uniform against Temple, a Hat Trick in a 3-3 tie, the seventh hat trick of a tremendous career. 79 goals and 20 assists in 73 games in Storrs. In fact when Tracey Fuchs left UConn, she owned seven records. Her 178 points remain 3rd on the All Time scoring list.
After UConn, she remained in the game as an assistant in Storrs while playing a very active role with the U.S. National Team. Where she played from 1987-2004. Playing in 2 Olympics and 4 World Cup Teams while scoring 69 goals in International Play with the National Team where her nickname was "Gretzky" with all her moves on the Field. Adding she was on the Coaching Staff of the 2012 Olympic Team the year after leading the U.S. to their first Pan Am Gold in 2011.
In a strange twist with Nancy Stevens coming from Northwestern to Storrs, where's she's been the Head Coach since 1990, Fuchs is now the Head Coach in Evanston, where she's been at the helm the last 12 years. Her team went 14-8 this past year and made the NCAA's....In 2014, the Ultimate Honor, The U.S. Field Hockey Hall of Fame.
Tracey Fuch's, deemed at the "Michael Jordan" of Field Hockey...and a UConn Legend...