Weekend College Games: October 12 - 18
Each week, USA Field Hockey highlights upcoming college games to watch. This edition covers the week of October 12 - 18.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13
DI: NO. 2 DUKE vs NO. 5 LOUISVILLE | 4 PM ET | ACCNX ($)
Duke (12-1, 4-0 ACC) continued to roll through the ACC this past weekend with a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 8 Virginia. Two extremely tight defensive lines kept each other off the board until the 51st minute when Virginia struck first, only for the Blue Devils’ Kira Curland to tie the game with three minutes left to play. It was Charlie van Oirschot who claimed the gamewinner for Duke at the 66 minute mark. After a non-conference win over James Madison on Sunday, the Blue Devils claimed their 10th straight victory.
Louisville (12-1, 2-1 ACC) has found their own success this season, with their single loss being to then-No. 1 North Carolina, a team Duke has yet to come across. Early in the season, the Cardinals picked up a 1-0 victory over Northwestern, the only team to defeat the Blue Devils so far this fall. Louisville also was able to defeat then-No. 7 Virginia, 2-0. In goal, graduate transfer Merlijn van der Vegt dominates the ACC, leading in goals against average (.649), save percentage (.778) and shutouts per game (.417).
In all time meetings, Duke leads 11-9, while Louisville has the most recent victory – a dramatic 2-1 shootout win one year ago.
DI: NO. 9 OHIO STATE vs NO. 4 RUTGERS | 4 PM ET | B1G+ ($)
Rutgers (12-0, 3-0 B1G) holds the prestige of being the only unbeaten team in Division I, a feat made even more impressive when you look at who they’ve beaten – Princeton, Penn State, Maryland, and Michigan. The Scarlet Knights needed overtime in all three of their B1G wins, including against the Wolverines this past weekend. Rutgers’ offensive leader, B1G Offensive Player of the Week, and Division I Offensive Player of the Week Guillermina Causarano notched the gamewinner in OT, while a big defensive save from Puck Winter – who is currently ranked in the top three nationally in defensive saves – helped to keep Michigan from pulling ahead during regulation.
Ohio State (12-3, 4-2) became the first team this season to defeat then-No. 1 Iowa in their B1G matchup last weekend. The Buckeyes brought a stellar defensive game to Iowa City, only allowing the Hawkeyes one shot on goal the entire game. After winning three B1G games before tallying a 4-3 loss to then-No. 3 Northwestern, Ohio State suffered a second conference loss this past weekend at the hands of Penn State.
Rutgers has won their past five matchups with Ohio State, and hold a slight 8-6 advantage overall. Last season, the Scarlet Knights took a 2-0 victory over the Buckeyes.
DI: NO. 10 MARYLAND vs NO. 16 MICHIGAN | 4 PM ET | B1G NETWORK ($)
Maryland (10-3, 2-1 Big Ten) has rattled off three straight wins since a shootout loss to Rutgers. The Terrapins beat Penn State, Michigan State, and American behind freshman Alyssa Klebasko, who piled up 15 saves and a shutout over that stretch. Klebasko ranks third nationally in goals against average (0.64) and second in save percentage (.865).
Michigan (6-6, 1-4 Big Ten) has struggled in conference play thus far but has faced a gauntlet of opponents. The Wolverines most recently dropped a pair of one-goal games against now-No. 1 Northwestern and No. 4 Rutgers, taking the Scarlet Knights to overtime in the second one. Lora Clarke and Kelsey Reviello have powered the offense — both have 11 points, with Clarke contributing seven assists while Reviello has a five goals.
Last year’s matchup had no shortage of drama as Maryland eked out a 1-0 win in overtime. The game-winner was scored by Leah Crouse, who has since graduated and is a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14
DIII: LASELL vs JOHNSON & WALES | 11 AM ET | STRETCH
After an extremely successful 2022 season that started off 15-0 and ended 19-2, Johnson & Wales (11-1, 7-1 GNAC) is on track to have another stellar year. Previously undefeated until this week, the Wildcats are outscoring opponents 49-2 with 14 different athletes tallying a goal this season. Junior Izzy Ward has been having a breakout season, already tallying 11 goals on the season to bring her career total to 17. Not far behind offensively is Ave Pontes, who already has nine goals in her first year, and was honored as the most recent GNAC Rookie of the Week. Freshman Sophia Brea is one of the best goalkeepers in the GNAC, leading in save percentage (.917), goals against (1), and goals-against average (0.12)
While JWU leads the GNAC defensively, Lasell (12-0, 9-0 GNAC) dominates the GNAC offensively. Three members of the Laser squad hold the top three spots in goals and points – Sheridan Blaha, Abbey Playle, and Lily Stark. After tallying two hat tricks last week, Blaha was honored as the GNAC Player of the Week and Division III Offensive Player of the Week. Trailing only behind JWU’s Brea in all three statistical categories in conference, goalkeeper Courtney Tello was named the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week. With their recent 5-0 win over Anna Maria, Lasell surpassed their number of wins from the 2022 season.
Last year when the two met, the Wildcats shutout the Lasers, 5-0.
DIII: NO. 21 TRINITY vs NO. 1 MIDDLEBURY | 11 AM ET | NSN
Perfect through 11 games, Middlebury continues to dominate Division III and the NESCAC. The Panthers are six-for-six in conference play, outscoring their opponents by a hefty 25-2 margin. Cruising through most of their challengers, Middlebury had the most trouble against a non-NESCAC opponent – Babson – winning by a narrow scoreline of 3-2. The Panthers recently took down ranked teams in Wesleyan, Bates, and Bowdoin.
Trinity (8-4, 3-4 NESCAC), on the other hand, has had some trouble in conference. After suffering three straight NESCAC losses in recent weeks, the Bantams turned it around last week with a 4-3 victory over Connecticut College and a 1-0 win against No. 12 Bowdoin. Katrina Winfield notched two goals in the 4-3 win over the Camels, and the senior now leads the NESCAC in goals (11). With her second goal of the season, senior Jackie Frank was the difference maker in the 1-0 win over the Polar Bears. Senior goalkeeper Olivia McMichael registered her fifth shutout of the season after making seven saves for Trinity.
Middlebury’s 2-1 loss to Trinity last fall broke their 42-game win streak that had extended from the 2021 season. The Panthers, who had defeated the Bantams in the prior eight meetings, went on to win 3-0 in the 2022 NCAA Quarterfinals.
DII: ASSUMPTION vs BENTLEY | 12 PM ET | NE10 NOW
Both sitting at the top of the NE10 standings, Assumption and Bentley will meet in a pivotal conference game on Saturday.
Since their 1-0 overtime loss to No. 6 Saint Anslem, Bentley (8-5, 6-2) went on to win five straight conference matches, only to be stopped in OT by Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday. After registering her third and fourth straight shutouts this past weekend, junior goalkeeper Mia Trottie was named both the NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week and Division II Defensive Player of the Week.
Assumption (9-4, 8-0 NE10) remains perfect in conference play, and are slated to take on Saint Anselm in the last week of the regular season. In their past eight games – which have all been in conference – the Greyhounds have only conceded two goals while tallying 35 goals themselves.
The pair met up earlier this season for a non-conference match-up, where Bentley topped Assumption 3-2 off a pair of goals from Madison Halas. The previous five meetings had been won by the Greyhounds, who are 15-47 in all time meetings.
DI: PRINCETON vs NO. 11 HARVARD | 12 PM ET | ESPN+ ($)
Harvard (9-3, 4-0) has won four straight games and is unbeaten in Ivy League play. The stretch includes conference wins over Yale and Columbia as well as ranked wins over then-No. 10 Syracuse and No. 14 Saint Joseph’s. All three of the Crimson’s losses this year have come to ranked teams and by a single goal. A balanced attack has four players with 10-plus points, headlined by Emily Guckian’s eight-goal, seven-assist stat line.
Princeton (5-7, 3-1) played a difficult non-conference schedule and it has set them up for success in Ivy League play. The Tigers have three wins in four tries, the lone loss a double-overtime defeat to No. 15 Penn. Robyn Thompson has kept her team in quite a few games — the senior goalie leads the Ivy League in both save percentage (.768) and saves per game (6.33).
Last year, the Tigers piled up three goals in the first quarter and fought off a Harvard comeback in an eventual 4-2 win.
DII: NO. 7 MANSFIELD vs NO. 3 KUTZTOWN | 6 PM ET | PSAC SPORTS DIGITAL NETWORK
Kutztown (9-2, 3-2 PSAC) has enjoyed a prolific start to its season, winning its first six games before a one-goal defeat to No. 1 East Stroudsburg. Three wins followed for a team that boasts the best defense in the country, before falling 3-2 to No. 2 Shippensburg on Tuesday. The Bears lead D-II with nine shutouts in 10 games, a remarkable stretch of dominance. Paired with a scoring average of 4.08 goals per game — third in D-II — and you can quickly see why they’ve ascended to No. 3 in the rankings.
Mansfield (8-4, 2-2 PSAC) enters with a 2-2 conference record, but a scheduling quirk prevented them from claiming a 2-0 shutout over No. 2 Shippensburg — instead, the 3-2 loss in the rematch factored into their PSAC record. The Mountaineers also came up just short against No. 1 East Stroudsburg, losing 1-0 on a third quarter goal. Alex Esterling has been hard to contain: She has 11 goals and three assists in 12 games for Mansfield.
Kutztown holds a heavy 30-9 advantage in the all-time series, including an 11-game winning streak from 2014 to 2021, but the teams split last year’s meetings. Mansfield won the first game, 2-0, before the Bears rebounded with a 3-2 victory.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15
DIII: NO. 11 LYNCHBURG vs NO. 24 SWARTHMORE | 3 PM ET | CENTENNIAL DIGITAL NETWORK
Lynchburg (12-1, 5-0 ODAC) bumped up three spots in the national rankings this week after tallying their ninth straight win this past weekend, a 2-1 victory over ODAC opponent Washington & Lee. Senior Olivia van Metre tallied the gamewinner, bringing her weekend point total to six, and earning the honor of ODAC Field Hockey Player of the Week. In their most recent win over Ferrum, 11 different Hornets tallied a goal in the 14-0 win.
It’s been two consecutive weeks on the top-25 for Swarthmore (9-3, 5-1), who has been making their way through conference play with five wins to show for it so far. The Garnet picked up a ranked win over then-No. 16 Bryn Mawr a few weeks ago, but suffered a 2-1 loss to then-No. 16 Ursinus last week. Swarthmore bounced back with a pair of Cenntennial Conference wins over Gettysburg and Muhlenburg.
The Garnet and the Hornets have only played once before, back in 2014, where Lynchburg claimed a 4-1 win.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18
DII: NO. 8 BLOOMSBURG vs NO. 10 MILLERSVILLE | 4 PM ET | PSAC DIGITAL SPORTS NETWORK
After being unable to crack a top-five team, Bloomsburg (10-3, 3-3 PSAC) continued to push through the tough PSAC schedule, and had a breakthrough against No. 1 East Stroudsburg. The Huskies scored on a corner early in the first quarter, then laid down a tough defense that outlasted 15 Warriors corners. Junior goalkeeper Jackie Nevel registered her second consecutive shutout after the Huskies picked up a crucial 2-0 win over IUP last weekend.
Millersville (9-4, 3-3 PSAC) has also felt the sting of PSAC play. The Marauders narrowly fell to Shippensburg, 1-0, and then 2-1 in overtime to No. 1 East Stroudsburg. Millersville looked to bounce back with a midweek match-up over No. 4 West Chester, where the resiliant Marauders picked up a 1-0 victory. Sophomore Emma Ruley notched the gamewinner in the second frame, while junior goalkeeper Kerstin Koons made a game-changing penalty stroke save in the first.
Last time the Huskies and Marauders met was the 2022 PSAC quarterfinals, where Millersville took a 4-1 win to advance to the semifinal. Bloomsburg, sitting 17-14 overall, was last victorious in 2019.
DIII: NO. 6 CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT vs NO. 5 SALISBURY | 4 PM ET | CNU SPORTS
Christopher Newport (12-0) is currently on their best start to a season since 2013 with a 12-game win streak that includes four ranked victories. The most recent was a 3-2 victory over then-No. 11 Kean. In a dominant 6-0 win over Roanoke, graduate student Abby Asuncion tallied the 13th game-winning goal of her career, making her tied with the program’s all-time career leader.
Salisbury (9-2) has been on a six-game win streak after losing in OT and penalty shootouts to Messiah and Johns Hopkins, respectively, earlier this season. The Sea Gulls’ most recent victory was an impressive win over No. 9 Williams. C2C Offensive Player of the Week Marli McDorman dribbled through Ephs traffic in the final quarter, sending a pass to Arden Hunteman who put in the gamewinning goal. The Gulls swept the weekly awards with goalkeeper Addy O’Connell winning C2C Defensive Player of the Week after adding two shutout victories to her resume this past week.
Christopher Newport and Salisbury have met in the C2C championship for the past five seasons, with the Sea Gulls taking home the crown for the past four. The last time the Captains won this matchup was in the 2021 regular season match-up.
Images courtesy of: Duke Athletics, Ben Solomon / Rutgers Athletics, Mackenzie Miles / Maryland Athletics, Brian Foley / JWU Athletics, Will C Images,LLC / Middlebury Athletics, Bentley Athletics, Xander Palaia / Kutztown Athletics, Shelley M. Szwast / Princeton Athletics, Newberry Athletics, Mark Palczewski / Millersville Athletics, Brandon Berry / CNU Athletics, Swarthmore Athletics