College Games to Watch: September 19 to 24

A pair of Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PSAC) teams will meet in a non-conference match this Friday.

At 3-1 overall, Slippery Rock has toppled formidable Northeast-10 (NE10) opponents like Adelphi and Pace, with their only loss of the season coming to No. 9 Lander in a tight overtime contest. So far, the Rock's 2025 campaign seems on pace to improve from last season's 4-12 record.

Shippensburg climbed to the second spot in this week’s national poll after an undefeated 4-0 start, only allowing two goals against so far this season—both coming from their double overtime win over West Chester. Raiders goalkeeper Emma Albee grabbed this week’s NFHCA DII Defensive Player of the Week honors, after the redshirt junior made 20 saves over the course of the team’s three most recent matches.

It will be a familiar sight for Shippensburg first-year head coach Rayell Wallace, who coached at Slippery Rock the previous five seasons.

Old Dominion opens conference play this weekend against Providence, looking to rebound after dropping their most recent contest to in-state foe Richmond, 2-1. Despite a difficult 2-4 start, the Monarchs boast this week’s Big East Defensive Player of the Week, Serea Langendoen. The Netherlands native posted a hat trick in ODU’s dominant 7-0 win over Wagner. The defense also proved strong in an early season match-up against No. 9 Princeton, which the Monarchs dropped by a score of 2-1.

Providence is off to a strong 4-1 start, suffering their first loss of the season last Sunday in a narrow 4-3 contest against New Hampshire. The Friars, who won their previous two matches by a combined score of 11-0, will host. Historically, Old Dominion comes out on top in this match-up.

Both Louisville and Ohio State enter this Friday’s contest 3-3, both dropping close matches to high nationally ranked opponents. Louisville notably held a 1-0 advantage over top-ranked Northwestern before ultimately conceding the equalizer late in the fourth quarter, and eventually the gamewinner in overtime. Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Young matched her career high of nine saves. The Cardinals could not find the same energy against Iowa, rounding out last weekend with a 5-1 loss.

Ohio State battled No. 5 Harvard in their inaugural matchup, but fell to the Crimson, 2-1, in double overtime. The loss came after another 2-1 double OT defeat at the hands of No. 4 Syracuse. The Buckeyes got a win back with a 2-0 shutout over Northeastern last Sunday.

Lafayette and Lehigh will kick off Patriot League play in a classic rivalry matchup in Bethlem, Pa.

Lafayette is coming off a three-loss streak, most recently a 5-2 defeat to No. 4 Syracuse. The Leopards struck first just two minutes into the contest with a goal from Josephine Van Wijk, marking the first time this season the undefeated Orange trailed behind an opponent. 

Lehigh also seeks to add to their win column. Their most recent victory was a 4-0 shutout against La Salle in their home opener, but has since been followed by four losses. Senior captain Kiki Mes earned Patriot League Midfielder of the Week honors after notching a trio of goals this past weekend, including two in a 4-3 loss to Monmouth. 

The ‘Pards hold a 18-6 advantage in all matchups, most recently shutting the Mountain Hawks out, 5-0, last season.

New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play continues this weekend for Tufts and Hamilton, who both sit at 1-1.

Tufts, 3-2 overall, were burned by No. 5 Williams last week in their lone conference loss. Most recently, it was a 2-1 overtime defeat at the hands of No. 6 Babson. On the flip side, the Jumbos picked up a 8-0 win over Colby last Saturday, with NESCAC Player of the Week Hannah Biccard scoring five goals to tie the university record for most goals in a single game.

For 4-1 Hamilton, their only loss was a near miss against number one ranked Middlebury in shootouts. The Continentals bounced right back with a shootout win over No. 23 Rochester and 4-1 victory over No. 13 Wesleyan.

Tufts has won all 14 meetings with Hamilton.

In a top-ten matchup, Shenandoah will travel to Maryland to take on Salisbury this weekend. 

Shenandoah was off to an undefeated 5-0 start until a midweek defeat to No. 25 Dickinson. Leading the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) in goals, Regan Flory garnered Player of the Week honors after notching four goals in the past two contests, including a hat trick over Hood.

Salisbury most recently shut out Stevenson and St. Mary's and looks for a victory over a ranked opponent, after falling 3-2 to No. 6 Johns Hopkins.

Last season when the duo faced off for the first time, Shenandoah took a 1-0 victory in overtime.

In a historically competitive match-up, TCNJ will host Ursinus in Ewing, N.J. on Satuday. The past nine meetings between the two have been decided by one goal, with TCNJ taking a 1-0 win last season.

TCNJ continues their tour of Centennial Conference opponents, which kicked off with a 3-0 shutout over Haverford and was followed by a 2-1 defeat to No. 3 Johns Hopkins. Sophomore Rachael Tetzlaff was tabbed NJAC Defensive Player of the Week after making two defensive saves in the loss. Most recently, the Lions had an emotional 4-3 victory over Swarthmore in double overtime.

Ursinus faces just their second NJAC team of the season after opening with a 2-0 loss to No. 12 Rowan. The Bears then went on a four-game win streak, only to have it shattered by Messiah in overtime this past Wednesday.

Undefeated Newberry will test their strength against their first ranked opponents this weekend—No. 6 Mansfield on Friday and No. 4 West Chester on Saturday. The Wolves have scored a combined 18 goals so far in just three games, without letting up a single goal against. The Keeler twins swept the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) honors this past week, with Parker Keeler earning Offensive Player of the Week and Payton Keeler being dubbed Defensive Player of the Week.

West Chester has rebounded with two wins this past week, including a 4-2 victory over reigning Division II Champion Saint Anselm. Sophomore Veerle Hersman has accumulated nine points in the past three games.

Undefeated Virginia and Syracuse will spar in an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) battle this Sunday.

Syracuse graduate student Bo Van Kempen earned another ACC Offensive Player of the Week honor after tallying her third hat trick of the season over Lafayette and converting a penalty stroke in overtime against No. 9 Princeton. It's been an explosive start for the van Kempen and the Orange, with a 6-0 record that is their best opening since 2023.

Virginia hangs on to the third spot in national poll for the third week in a row after rolling past James Madison 4-1. Two freshman stepped up with their first career goals against the Bulldogs—Mary Adams and Riley Savage.

The Orange will first take on No. 20 Wake Forest on Friday to open conference play, while the Cavaliers will have a test against No. 13 Boston College.

Off to a 5-1 start, Monmouth broke into the top-20 rankings last week—their highest in program history—after wins over California, LIU, and Temple. The Hawks suffered their first loss of the season last weekend, falling 3-1 to their fellow No. 18 ranked Yale. Junior Anna Moors has been key up and down the field, having picked up both Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week.

3-3 on the year, Rutgers has only lost to top-ten opponents: No. 4 Syracuse, No. 3 Virginia, and No. 9 Princeton. Their most recent was a 1-0 loss in overtime to the Tigers, which followed a 3-2 OT win over UConn.

In 2024, the Scarlet Knights needed double overtime to take down the Hawks, 3-2.

Lander is off to their best start in program history after notching their second SAC win against Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday, bringing their overall record to 4-0. The Bearcats also took down Converse, 3-1, and picked up a pair of wins over PSAC teams.

Before falling to No. 1 Kutztown this past Wednesday, IUP had not let up a single goal in their three victories. Senior Jess Davidson leads the Crimson Hawk attack with five goals.

Both teams have off this weekend, and will be meeting for the first time on Tuesday.

Currently both undefeated, Bates and Bowdoin will face off in an in-state match in competitive NESCAC play. 

With an early start to conference play, Bowdoin is already 2-0 in the NESCAC after a 3-2 win over Colby and 3-1 win over Connecticut College. Junior Emily Ferguson had a role in all three of those goals against the Camels, scoring two and assisting the third. Fergeuson also tallied two in a recent midweek win over Wellesley, which marked the 400th win for head coach Nicky Pearson.

Bates has only allowed two goals this season—in 2-1 wins over Trinity and No. 19 Lynchburg—and capped off last weekend with a dominant 7-0 shutout over Husson. First-year Sophia Cordoni scored three goals in the past three matchups, leading the team in goals alongside Elsa Copeland and helping the Bobcats to their first 5-0 start since 1983.

After 23 straight losses to the Polar Bears over the years, the Bobcats won their first match-up in 2022 and haven't lost since.

Kutztown looks to maintain its top-ranked spot for a third week. The Golden Bears most recently took down IUP, 4-1, after three straight shutouts in which they scored eight or more goals. Kutztown boasts a diverse attacking line that includes six goals apiece from sophomores Marissa Rice and Ellie Myers.

Millersville, who grabbed the No. 10 spot this week after previously being unranked, holds a 3-1 record after the first two weeks of competition. The Marauders' offensive efforts are notable, combining for 17 goals in their first four games, spread out amongst nine athletes. Their lone loss was a 2-1 defeat to Assumption last Sunday.