College Games to Watch: September 26 to October 1

Behind the Ivy League titans that are Princeton and Harvard, several teams jostle for the next top spots. Last year, those two teams were Brown and Columbia, who secured their place in the conference tournament with gritty wins.

This will be a crucial match for the two squads, who have started off conference play with losses to teams they defeated last season. Brown fell to No. 17 Yale, 3-1, while Columbia was thwarted by Cornell, 5-2.

Their regular match against each other last fall went into shootouts, where Brown came out victorious.

The weekend will see a 2024 Ivy League Tournament rematch, as Harvard travels to Princeton, N.J.

Harvard brings recent momentum after six straight wins, and will look to remain unscathed, building upon the team’s best start since 1976. Princeton, coming off a 5-0 senior-day romp over UConn and a sweep of the Ivy League weekly honors, will be intent on protecting home turf. Junior goalkeeper Olivia Caponiti picked up Defensive Player of the Week after posting back-to-back shutouts, including in a 1-0 win over Penn. Beth Yeager, who scored that lone goal against the Quakers off an impressive assist from Caitlin Thompson, was honored on the offensive side.

North Carolina enters this top-15 matchup riding an unbeaten run, and fresh off dominant performances against California and Stanford to open Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play. Ryleigh Heck’s standout five-goal game tied a program record for single-game goals, earning her another ACC Offensive Player of the Week honor.

The Tar Heels’ potent attack will be tested by Wake Forest, who has climbed into the rankings after a six-game win streak and recent ranked conference victories. Last Friday, the Demon Deacons handed No. 6 Syracuse their first loss of the season, then finished out the weekend with a 2-1 road win over then-No. 13 Boston College. Sophomore Lauren Storey notched the gamewinner in both matches, earning Co-Offensive ACC Player of the Week alongside Heck. Senior goalkeeper Ellie Todd rounded out the awards with ACC and NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week.

Michigan looks to bounce back after James Madison stunned the Wolverines, 3-1, this past weekend. The loss came after five straight wins, including a dominant 5-0 shutout over in-state rival Michigan State.

Maryland, equal in record (5-2), enters this Big 10 (B1G) contest after downing No. 20 Penn State, 3-1, in their conference opener. Jordyn Hollamon scored her second B1G Freshman of the Week accolade, notching a goal and an assist in the win over the Lions. The rookie is tied with Maci Bradford for most points (10) on the team.

Another important NESCAC match-up goes down this weekend, as Hamilton hosts Bowdoin in Clinton, N.Y.

Bowdoin now sits 2-1 in conference play and 5-1 overall after giving up a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to No. 7 Bates this past Tuesday. The defeat was preceded by a 3-0 shutout over Wellesley, marking the 400th win for head coach Nicky Pearson. Junior Emily Ferguson tallied two goals in the win.

It's a similar spot for Hamilton, who sits one seat away in the rankings, but is 1-2 in conference with losses to No. 8 Tufts and No. 1 Middlebury. The Continentals picked up a 4-1 NESCAC win over No. 12 Wesleyan two weeks ago.

This has been a one-goal game in eight of the past nine meetings. Last season, Hamilton took a narrow 2-1 victory.

Both 6-1 overall, Haverford and Franklin & Marshall will open their Centennial Conference play together this Saturday.

Haverford has made some noise this season, downing two of the three ranked opponents they've come up against. Both were two-goal wins against the then-No. 12 ranked team, first against SUNY Cortland and second against Rowan. The Fords are led offensively (18 pts) by junior Erica Pardón, who scored a goal in each ranked win.

Franklin & Marshall was six games unbeaten until last weekend, where they were quelled by Washington & Lee, 4-3, in overtime. The Diplomats picked up one ranked win so far, a 3-2 early season victory over then-No. 9 Messiah.

Against mutual opponent Alvernia, Haverford won 2-1, a game Franklin & Marshall won 2-0 four days later. In the past 17 meetings between the Fords and Diplomats, Haverford has only won once—back in 2021.

IUP entered the national rankings this week after closing out last weekend 3-1, their only loss to then-No. 1 Kutztown. This past week, the Crimson Hawks dropped a close 1-0 loss to No. 8 Lander, bringing their record to 3-2.

Shippensburg sits atop the Division II NFHCA Coaches poll for the first time this season, and remains unbeaten through seven games. The Raiders have a strong defensive line, which has only allowed three goals—all from ranked opponents. Goalkeeper Emma Albee won a second consecutive PSAC Defender of the Week award after making five saves against Mansfield in a 2-1 win, including on a penalty stroke.

Last season, IUP handed Shippensburg their only loss of the regular season in a 1-0 overtime thriller.

It’s a battle between two of the last-standing undefeated teams in Division II this Saturday in Greenwood, S.C.

Newberry has been untouchable this season, staying perfect after a 3-0 shutout over No. 5 West Chester last Saturday and picking up both South Atlantic Conference (SAC) weekly honors. Goalkeeper Ayanda Mangenah, who has four shutouts on the year, earned Defensive Player of the Week, while forward Wibien Dahmen was tabbed Offensive Player of the Week after a four-point weekend.

Lander enters on their own five-game win streak, most recently edging No. 9 IUP, 1-0. The win marked the Bearcats' first shutout of the season, as well as setting a new program record for best start.

Last season, these two teams split their two conference matches. Newberry won the first, 2-1, while Lander took the second with a 1-0 victory.

Christopher Newport has continued its rise in the Division III polls, claiming its highest ranking in program history at number two this week. Six of the Captains' seven matchups have been shutouts, only allowing No. 3 Johns Hopkins any goals back in their 5-3 win on August 31.

Stevens has done some climbing of their own, breaking into the top-10 this week after toppling New Paltz, 2-1, and Eastern, 10-0, to match Christopher Newport's perfect 7-0 record. The Ducks now have wins over two ranked teams this season—No. 11 York and No. 18 Rowan. Stevens swept the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom weekly awards, with Gabi Moroney on the offensive side and Lauren Flynn on the defensive end.

Syracuse looks to bounce back after suffering their first two losses of the season, at the hands of conference threats No. 13 Wake Forest and No. 3 Virginia. The Orange had gone into the weekend undefeated and with three ranked victories.

Penn State is also looking to get back in the win column after two weekend road losses to Maryland and Lafayette. The Nittany Lions fell to Lafayette in penalty shootouts on Sunday, a team that the Orange defeated 5-2 earlier this season.

James Madison bounced into the national rankings this week after notching a 3-1 victory over then-No. 8 Michigan. The Dukes had previously lost their ranked match-ups, which were 4-1 defeats to No. 3 Virginia and No. 5 Liberty. Not only did James Madison pick up a clean sweep of all three Mid-American Conference (MAC) weekly awards, but freshman forward Madelief Molier was also recognized as the NFHCA Offensive Player of the Week after scoring all three goals in the win against the Wolverines. Ava Drexler-Amey and Molly Schreiner earned MAC Defensive Player and Goalkeeper of the Week, respectively.

It's been a good start for App State, whose single loss in an overall 6-1 record was to No. 2 North Carolina. Outside of that game, the Mountaineers have outscored opponents, 35-9, and senior midfielder Lise Boekaar leads the division in points per game (4.29).

App State won this MAC contest, 4-3, last season.

Dickinson has surged into the national conversation following an unbeaten 8-0 start and a recent NFHCA ranking lift. Last week, the Red Devils triumphed over then-No. 10 Shenandoah, 5-1, and will face No. 18 Ursinus in their conference opener on Friday before taking on Johns Hopkins. Dickinson brings confidence after sweeping Centennial Conference weekly awards, highlighting upperclassmen talents forward Megan McClure and defender Natalie Slusser.

Johns Hopkins, a perennial Division III power, will be a stern test for the newly nationally ranked Red Devils. The Blue Jays are coming off of a double overtime 1-0 win against No. 14 York and 1-0 victory over Messiah. The lone blemish to their 6-1 record came via an early season loss to No. 2 Christopher Newport.

This conference matchup pits Dickinson’s early-season breakout form against Johns Hopkins’ established national pedigree.

It's a rematch of last year's Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) final when Westfield State travels to Bridgewater State.

After toppling Westfield State 5-0 in the regular season last fall, Bridgewater State State dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker in the MASCAC title game. This year, the Bears have started off 6-1, with three consecutive conference wins.

Westfield State is off to a 5-3 start, with a pair of conference wins. The Owls most recently picked up a 3-2 double overtime victory to Johnson & Wales.

These two teams have been dominating the MASCAC weekly awards, most recently seeing Abbie Zuber, of Bridgewater State win Offensive Player of the Week, while Westfield State's Emma Gniadek and Kacey Curran earned Defensive and Rook of the Week, respectively.

Kutztown and East Stroudsburg both sit near the top of the Division II rankings, each riding impressive 7-0 undefeated win streaks. This Keystone State clash between two top-three programs could be a predictor for national tournament play in November.

Kutztown currently leads the division in points per game (21.67) and goals per game (8), with Grace Harrold leading in assists per game (1). Against mutual opponent Millersville, the Golden Bears had a 2-1 overtime win, while the East Stroudsburg Warriors won that match 5-1.

East Stroudsburg knocked Kutztown out of the PSAC Semifinal last season, after losing 4-3 in OT in the regular season.

Undefeated Bloomsburg hosts Frostburg State and Mansfield this weekend in two PSAC contests. The Huskies boast an impressive 44 goals on the season with just one goal against, putting senior goalkeeper Maura Greek at the number one spot in the division for goals against average (0.13). The match on Sunday against Mansfield will be their first ranked opponent of the year.

Mansfield meanwhile has had a higher strength of schedule, dropping four matches to ranked opponents. The losses have been close, including a 2-1 defeat at the hands of No. 1 Shippensburg last weekend.

The Huskies won both matches against the Mountaineers last season by scores of 1-0.

Endicott will travel to Keene State for a nonconference meeting on Wednesday. The Gulls are 6-1 on the season and on a six-game win streak after opening with a 4-3 loss to No. 6 Babson. Since then, Endicott has picked up four shutouts, including a 3-0 win over then-No. 19 MIT early in the season.

Keene State started off with six straights wins, only to have their streak broken in last week's match-up against Western New England. The Owls most recently fell, 3-2, to Smith, following a 4-2 conference win over UMass Dartmouth. Little East Conference (LEC) Offensive Player of the Week Grace Bazin tallied two goals and an assist.