College Games to Watch: Division I & III Opening Weekend

Reigning Big Ten (B1G) champion Michigan takes on reigning (eight-consecutive) Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champion North Carolina in the annual ACC/B1G Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa. This top-ten ranked contest is familiar territory for these two teams, who will open their 2025 season against each other for the 22nd time in the last 24 years.

Both squads come with something to prove this season. Michigan, who has only won three of these 22 openers, will be playing its first match under the guidance of Head Coach Kristi Gannon-Fisher. The Wolverines return key starters like Abby Tamer, Claire Taylor, and Abby Burnett. Junior USWNT talent Grace Hunter also joins Michigan this year, hoping to help the team match or exceed the success of last season's 15-5 record.

North Carolina returns on a revenge tour after being bested by Saint Joseph’s in last year’s NCAA semifinal. The Tar Heels return top talent Sietske Brüning, Ryleigh Heck, Charly Bruder, and a plethora of others. Making their debut in Chapel Hill are several other standouts, such as Virginia transfer and USWNT athlete Dani Mendez and first-year and Junior USWNT athlete Reese Anetsberger. North Carolina is looking to get back to the national title game after posting a stellar 20-1 record in 2024.

A pair of ranked teams open their 2025 campaigns together this Friday in Durham, N.C.

Duke, an upcoming presence in college field hockey, looks to push the needle forward after a 13-7 finish in 2024. The Blue Devils had a run in the NCAA Tournament last season with an at-large bid, but suffered a second round exit after losing to in-state rival North Carolina. Despite losing some starters, Duke has several star returners in All-American Alaina McVeigh and a fellow Junior USWNT members Madison Beach and Macy Szukics.

Liberty has also made a name for itself on the college hockey stage after claiming national rankings the past several years, along with an appearance in the 2021 national championship game. Last fall, the Flames were bested in the first round of the Big East conference tournament by UConn, putting an end to the season with a 10-8 record. The team posted several athletes to the NFCHA Watchlist, like Lou Combrinck, Dara Semmartin, and Maite Altamirano.

It’s a battle of two conference champions as Lafayette and Fairfield clash this Friday. Lafayette capped off the 2024 regular season ranked No. 20 nationally, then went on to upset American in the Patriot League championship. In similar fashion, Fairfield bested conference-favorite Wagner to claim the 2024 Northeast Conference (NEC) title. It will be the pair's first matchup since 2023, where Lafayette topped Fairfield in a narrow 3-2 victory. 

Lafayette posted a conference-high four athletes on the Patriot League Preseason All-League Team, with Stella Malinowski and Raffi Fragomeni selected as Offensive Player and Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively. Captain Makenzie Switzer and fellow senior Joesphine van Wijk also secured All-League placements. These four mainstays look to help defend the Leopard's home turf this Friday and build upon last year's 14-7 campaign.

The Fairfield Stags also return several integral players, including 2024 All-NEC and NFHCA All-Mideast Region Team selections Catalina Ness and Pilar Mengotti. Fellow All-NEC honoree Alex Senior also returns for her final season.

No. 19 MIT and No. 12 SUNY Cortland will begin their 2025 campaigns together at a weekend tournament hosted by Montclair.

MIT have remained in the national rankings the past several seasons, ending 2024 with a 14-5 record after falling to NEWMAC foe Babson in the conference championship. Offensive threats and All-American awardees Ingrid Tomovski and Bailey McIntyre return for the Engineers.

Just shy of the top-ten ranking, SUNY Cortland comes off the previous season as SUNYAC champions and with an impressive 18-2 record, and its pair of losses coming from two ranked teams. Anchoring the backline between the posts is two-time All-Conference honoree goalkeeper Emma Morgan.

The last time this duo met was in 2022, when MIT ended SUNY Cortland's season with a 4-1 win in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

Closely-ranked Saint Joseph’s and UConn will open their season this Saturday at a neutral site.

Saint Joseph’s made program history last year, making the NCAA tournament title game for the first time after stunning North Carolina in the semifinals. The Hawks also posted an impressive 20-4 record, and claimed the Atlantic 10 (A10) conference title. Despite losing a powerful graduating class, Saint Joseph's returns A10 Preseason All-Conference selections like Marith Bijkerk, Alison Buffington, and Erika Culp.

UConn also enters the 2025 season as a reigning conference champion after claiming the Big East title last fall. A historically successful team, the Huskies look to build after finishing 17-4 last season. The team returns national talents in Junior USWNT athletes Milaw Clause and Olivia McKenna.

In their meeting last year, the Huskies topped the Hawks in a high scoring contest, 5-4.

This will be the first matchup between No. 22 Swarthmore and No. 7 Babson.

Four-time NEWMAC champion Babson looks to defend MacDowell Field after a 19-4 season, which featured a 11-1 home record. The Beavers suffered a Second Round exit to Bates last season in the NCAA Tournament, falling by a narrow 2-1 margin. 2025 NFCHA Watchlist athletes Penny Baroni (who also snagged NEWMAC Rookie of the Year honors last season) and Caroline DiGiovanni return to aid in upholding the Beaver’s success.

Swarthmore enters the season ranked No. 22 in the NFHCA coaches poll, and looks to improve upon the previous year's 11-9 record. The program returns eight of last year’s starters, a necessary asset as they open 2025 with two nationally ranked opponents in their first three contests. The Garnet's pair of top scorers Sarah Cooper and Amelia Landry are both back, in addition to 2024 Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year Kayla Fink.

Rounding out opening weekend is a high-powered matchup between No. 5 Johns Hopkins and No. 6 Christopher Newport, set to take place at Mary Washington's Battleground Turf Field. The two are familiar names in the national rankings, each making runs in the postseason the past several years.

Christopher Newport had a dominant 16-3 run last year, ending with a loss to Salisbury in the national tournament in dramatic shootout fashion. The Captains only three losses on the season were to the Sea Gulls. NFHCA Watchlist athletes Caroline Hughlett, Courtney Hughlett, and goalkeeper Lily Kerr return in hopes for another dominant season.

Division III powerhouse Johns Hopkins has claimed six-straight Centennial Conference titles, with expectations for a seventh. The Blue Jays also recently had three straight appearances in the national title game (2021, 2022, 2023), but missed out on it last season after losing to eventual national champion Middlebury in the Third Round. Johns Hopkins return six starters from last year’s campaign, including NFHCA All-American Jenna Halpin and NHFCA All-Region goalkeeper Aubrey Kilgore.

In their previous six meetings, each side has won three games on their home turf. This weekend's match will take place at a neutral site.