Weekend College Games: October 7 - 13

Each week, USA Field Hockey' highlights some college games in Division I, II and III.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

DI: No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 12 Virginia | 4:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+

In the only game across all three Divisions on Thursday, No. 8 Maryland (7-4, 1-3 Big Ten) takes on No. 12 Virginia (7-3, 2-1 ACC) in a top-15 matchup at 4:00 p.m. ET in Charlottesville, Va.

Maryland comes into this late-week game after most recently dropping a close 2-1 decision against No. 1 Iowa in their third Big Ten regular season game of the year. The contest went scoreless until the fourth quarter when Iowa struck first in the 44th minute of play. Two minutes later Maryland’s Riley Donnelly answered back with a strike off a penalty corner. The Terrapins generated attack and momentum earning three penalty corners in the last seven minutes of play but were unable to put any of those chances away. Ultimately, the Hawkeyes scored the game winner late in the 49th minute of play to remain undefeated and bumped Maryland’s conference record to 1-3. The loss also put them seventh overall in the Big Ten standings.

Virginia’s last matchup ended as a double overtime thriller against No. 22 Duke. The Cavaliers walked away with a victory after 78 minutes of play. Virginia and Duke were evenly matched with the Cavaliers edging the Blue Devils 17-16 in shots. In the first bout of overtime, both Rachel Robinson and Amber Ezechiels were issued green cards, putting Virginia down two players for 1:30 for the remainder of the first period and 30 seconds in the second overtime stint. Virginia successfully played out both penalties with Ezechiels getting the game winning goal and her fifth of the season with 1:42 on the clock.   

The last meeting between these two was back in 2019 during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. A closely contested battle, then ranked No. 4 Virginia moved on with a 1-0 win on November 17, 2019. 

Friday, October 8, 2021

DI: No. 9 North Carolina vs. No. 22 Duke | 7:00 p.m. ET | ACCNX

In a classic rivalry, No. 22 Duke (4-7, 0-3 ACC) makes the eight-mile trek to take on No. 9 North Carolina (7-4, 1-1 ACC) for a 7:00 p.m. ET push back in Chapel Hill, N.C.

North Carolina bounced back against Albany after dropping a 5-0 decision last Friday at Syracuse. The Tar Heels responded, capturing a 6-0 victory against the Great Danes. U.S. Women’s National Team athlete Paityn Wirth scored the game winner 1:35 into play. The 1-0 advantage carried into the second quarter where two North Carolina freshmen scored one each making it 4-0. Finally, putting the game away with two more tallies was USWNT’s Erin Matson. Matson now has 15 goals on the season making her all time total for UNC so far 97. 

Duke comes into this rivalry game after a 5-2 defeat to Liberty in Lynchburg, Va. The Flames got out to an early 2-0 lead, scoring in the 7th and 9th minutes of play. The Blue Devils got on the score sheet in the second quarter off a penalty stroke conversion from Lexi Davidson making her a perfect 7-for-7 from the marker in her career. Overall, Liberty led in shots 17-12 and penalty corner opportunities 6-5. Both goalkeepers registered five saves throughout the game. 

In their most previous meeting on April 2, North Carolina won a tight, double overtime contest, 4-3. 

DII: Pace vs. Bentley  | 4:00 p.m. ET | NE10 NOW

Pace (7-4, 5-3 NE10) travels to Waltham, Mass. for a 4:00 p.m. ET game with Bentley (6-4, 4-2 NE10).

Pace last played on October 5 against Molloy. The Setters comfortably won that contest 6-1. Getting on the scoresheet for Pace in the first half was Kate Demars, Noelle Meij and Danielle Marante, who registered the game winner with a deflection in front of the cage. With the score 3-1 after halftime, Krista Dietz went on a scoring spree tallying a second half hat-trick. Overall, Pace led on that stats sheet in shots 21-5 and penalty corners 14-6. 

Bentley looks to stay in the win column after posting a 2-1 win at Adelphi. In a come from behind victory, the Falcons found success behind Madison Halas and Amanda Lee. The Bentley defense went on to blank the home team in the last 49 minutes of play behind three saves from Falcon goalkeeper Madison Clark. This win marks the third victory in the last four matches and moves them to fifth in the Northeast 10 (NE10) current standings.

These programs last met on October 5, 2019, where Bentley secured a close 2-1 victory. 

DIII: Brockport vs. Oneonta  | 5:00 p.m. ET | Red Dragons Sports Network

Brockport (5-6, 0-2 SUNYAC) and Oneonta (2-5, 1-1 SUNYAC) will meet in Oneonta, N.Y. for a regular season State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Brockport last played on Tuesday against Rochester, where the Golden Eagles dropped that game 4-1. Scoring the lone goal for Brockport was Katelynn Mello off an assist from Katie Ziemba in the third quarter. Rochester dominated statistically, recording 19 shots to Brockport’s 7 and totaling 13 penalty corners to the Golden Eagles’ three. Splitting time in net was Emma Acevedo and Ella Buchanan who combined registered six saves on the day. 

Oneonta will first play Ithaca before their game with Brockport on Friday. The Red Dragons last played on September 25 against Morrisville, where they won 2-0. The difference came early in the contest with Oneonta scoring the game winner just 2 minutes into the game off a Morgan Fleming unassisted goal. Oneonta struck again 7 minutes later with Emilia Montogomery tallying her first goal of the season. The game went scoreless the next three quarters with Oneonta holding Morrisville to zero shots all game. 

Oneonta won the last meeting against Brockport on October 26, 2019 by a score of 2-0. The all-time record sits at 22-18-2 in favor of the Red Dragons. Brockport’s last victory came in 2012 with their first-ever meeting taking place back on October 18, 1974. 

Saturday, October 9, 2021

DI: Brown vs. Columbia | 11:00 a.m. ET | ESPN+

Brown (5-5, 1-1 Ivy) travels to Columbia Field Hockey Stadium for an Ivy League battle with Columbia (6-3, 0-2 Ivy) at 11:00 a.m. ET on Saturday morning.

Brown last played on Tuesday where they blanked Holy Cross on the road 4-0. After a scoreless first quarter, Brown scored the game winner off a Dani van Rootselaar direct penalty corner shot. The Brown Bears recorded 17 total shots and earned nine penalty corners, and their defense held Holy Cross to just two shots on goal with Ella Edmonds stopping both. 

Columbia most recently lost to No. 7 Syracuse 3-0 last Sunday. Pleun Lammers registered her sixth goal of the year and the game winner 6 minutes into the first quarter. Syracuse led in shots 22-1 and penalty corners 6-0. Coming up big for the Lions was goalkeeper Alex Conomikes who tallied nine saves of the 12 shots on goal she faced. Columbia looks to get back in the win column with their last victory occurring back on September 19 against Colgate.

Brown and Columbia last met on September 27, 2019, where Brown came away with a 4-2 victory. 

DII: No. 9 Bloomsburg vs. Indiana University of Pa. | 1:00 p.m. ET 

No. 9 Bloomsburg University (7-4, 1-2 PSAC) faces Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) (7-2, 1-2 PSAC) at 1:00 p.m. ET at Frank Cignetti Field. 

Bloomsburg stays at No. 9 after most recently suffering a 5-0 defeat to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) competitor, No. 6 East Stroudsburg. Striking early for the Warriors was Jady van Gils who tallied the game winner at the 5:42 mark in the first quarter. Holding the score at 2-0 leading into halftime, ESU came back and knocked home three more second half goals. Statistically, East Stroudsburg and Bloomsburg were even on saves at three yet Bloomsburg led in penalty corners 8-4. Goalkeeper Abby Shaffer totaled three saves in the eight shots she faced.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania looks to continue their win streak after securing a 2-0 victory against Seton Hill on Tuesday. IUP’s Georgiana Chiavacci knocked home the game winner just 7 minutes into the game off of an assist from Blaise Cugini. Cugini registered a goal of her own off a corner in the third quarter. In total, IUP tallied 20 shots to Seton Hill’s four with IUP also leading in penalty corners 12-4. 

Historically, these teams have met 27 times overall. IUP came out victorious in the last meeting 2-1 on October 12, 2019. Indiana is currently on a two-game win streak in the matchup. 

DIII: Earlham vs. Allegheny | 11:00 a.m. ET | Allegheny Gators

Earlham (9-1, 0-0 NCAC) opens North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season play against Allegheny (5-4, 0-1 NCAC) at 11:00 a.m. ET for senior day in Meadville, Pa.

Earlham heads into this contest on a three-game win streak after most recently defeating Oberlin 6-0 last Saturday. Earlham’s game winner came from Denise Bergdolt late in the 6th minute of play. Guin Schalck tallied her sixth and seventh goals of the year in the second and fourth quarters. In total, the Quakers led in shots 26-0 and penalty corners 11-0. 

Allegheny most recently posted a dominant 8-0 victory against Medaille on Tuesday evening. Tallying five first quarter goals, the Gators scored early and often, scoring the game winner 1:23 into the game off a direct penalty corner shot from Ramsay Smith. Statistically, Allegheny posted an incredible 40 total shots and registered eight penalty corner opportunities. Eight different Gator’s scored on the eight total goals in the contest.

The last meeting between these two teams took place October 12, 2019. Earlham comfortably won that contest 4-0, which was also the first ever meeting between these two programs.

Sunday, October 10, 2021

DI: California vs. Vermont | 12:00 p.m. ET | AE.TV

California (6-3, 2-0 AE) will face off with Vermont (8-4, 1-2 AE) in regular season America East (AE) conference game at 12:00 p.m. ET in Burlington, Vt.

Before their meeting with Vermont, California will play No. 25 Maine on Friday in another AE contest. The Golden Bears most recently captured a 1-0 overtime victory against UMass Lowell last Sunday. Scoreless after 60 minutes of play, Anne Van Hoof scored the game winner in the 66th minute on an unassisted effort. California led UMass Lowell in shots on goal, 11-4, and penalty corners, 6-4. Starting goalkeeper Eleonore Boekhorst registered a career high eight saves on the day.

Vermont looks to stay in the win column after most recently defeating Wagner, 2-1. Before the game with California, Vermont will play UC Davis at home on Friday. Vermont struck early, scoring their two goals of the game in the first half. The Catamounts posted a shutout in the third quarter and held on to a 2-1 decision after Wagner got one late in the fourth. Sierra Espeland was in goal for Vermont, tallying four saves in the contest and lowering her overall goals against average to 1.68.

Vermont and California last met on April 8, 2021 for senior day in Burlington, Vt.. California went back to the west coast with a 1-0 victory at the end of 60 minutes. 

DII: Newberry  vs. Coker | 3:00 p.m. ET | Cobra Sports Network

Newberry (6-4, 3-3 SAC) travels to Hartsville, S.C. to take on Coker (2-6, 2-5 SAC) at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Newberry played this past Tuesday against Belmont Abbey in an South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Carolinas regular season matchup. The Wolves comfortably won that game 4-1 extending their win streak to three. All three recent wins come against SAC competitors putting them third in the current standings. Newberry came from behind in their contest against the Crusaders. The Wolves went on to score four unanswered goals with the game winner coming from Yasmin De Meyer. Statistically the game was close with Belmont Abbey leading in shots, 13-12, and in penalty corners, 5-4. Goalkeeper Grace Lee registered six saves in the win.

Coker is slated to play Mount Olive for the second time this year prior to their game against Newberry. In their last recorded match, Coker lost a 3-0 decision at Converse during SAC conference action. Scoreless through the first quarter, the Valkyries took a lead with 6 seconds remaining before halftime. Converse came out strong putting another goal away four minutes into the third quarter and put the contest away with a final goal in the fourth. Coker totaled 12 shots with six on target. Kelsey Gibbons registered seven saves in the net for the Cobras.

Coker took home a 4-3 victory the last time the Cobras and Wolves met. That game occurred back on September 19, 2021 and broke a three-game win streak for Newberry. Newberry leads the all-time record 4-2. 

DIII: Rhodes vs. Mary Washington | 1:00 p.m. ET

Rhodes (5-3, 2-0 SAA) will face Mary Washington (6-4, 0-0 C2C) in a neutral site contest at Christopher Newport University at 11:00 a.m. ET in Newport News, Va.

Rhodes start their double header weekend against Christopher Newport on Friday prior to their game with Mary Washington on Sunday. The Lynx last played on October 2 against Sewanee in a Southern Athletic Association (SAA) game handing the Tigers a 5-0 loss. Sabrina Simpson got on the board first for Rhodes scoring in the 12th minute of play. Two more goals were scored before halftime by Grace Utz and Sophie Croci. Rhodes led the way in shots by a margin of 22-8 and penalty corners 13-6.

Mary Washington looks to get back in the win column after posting a 2-1 double overtime loss to Centre. Centre led for the majority of the game scoring their only goal in regulation in the second half at the 21-minute mark. Paige Stewart was the only goal scorer for the Eagles, putting one home off an assist from Lauren Boucher to tie the game at 1-1 late in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The decisive goal came in the 73rd minute from Centre’s Meredith Wickenheiser. 

The last game between Rhodes and Mary Washington took place back in the 2019 regular season on September 29. The Eagles took home a 3-1 in that contest. 

Monday, October 11, 2021 

DII: Holy Cross vs. UMass Lowell | 1:00 p.m. ET | Livestream

Holy Cross (4-6, 0-3 PL) takes on UMass Lowell (6-3, 1-2 AE) in Lowell, Mass. for a 1:00 p.m. ET matchup.

Holy Cross most recently faced Brown this past Tuesday, where the Crusaders dropped that game 4-0. After a scoreless first quarter, Brown went one goal ahead from a successfully converted penalty corner shot from Dani Rootselaar. With only a 1-0 lead at the half, the Brown Bears put the game away with three second half goals with another from Rootselaar and two other scorers. Holy Cross goalkeeper Brooke Ross faced 16 total shots registering six saves on the day.

UMass Lowell will play against Monmouth in America East (AE) action prior to their game with the Crusaders. The Riverhawks will look to continue a string of success after capturing a 3-1 victory over Sacred Heart last Sunday. Both teams scored one each in the second quarter leaving the game wide open heading into the second half of play. UMass led in shots 17-8 but weren’t able to break through Sacred Heart’s defense until the fourth quarter. The game winning goal was an unassisted effort from Barbel Rozema at the 46-minute marker.

Holy Cross and UMass Lowell last played on October 20, 2019. The Riverhawks took home a 2-1 victory over Holy Cross tying the all-time record at two each. The first-ever matchup took place back in the 2014 regular season on September 5. 

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

DII: Saint Thomas Aquinas vs. New Haven | 7:00 p.m. ET | Chargers Sports Network

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1-7, 0-4 NE10) matches up against New Haven (5-5, 5-1 NE10) in a Northeast 10 (NE10) regular season conference game at 7:00 p.m. in West Haven, Conn. 

Saint Thomas Aquinas look to bounce back after a 4-1 loss against Saint Anselm, extending their losing streak to three games. After picking up their first win of the season against Mercy back on September 16, the Spartans most recently have lost close decisions to NE10 opponents Pace and Bentley. In that contest with Saint Anselm, Erin Bacalles was the lone scorer for the Spartans putting one on the score sheet midway through the fourth quarter. Goalkeeper Jessie Hohenstein played the full 60 minutes and registered 10 saves on the 14 shots that came her way. 

New Haven will play Southern Connecticut and Southern New Hampshire in NE10 play prior to their game with Saint Thomas Aquinas. The Chargers most recently dropped a close contest to No. 3 Assumption, 1-0. After three scoreless quarters, the difference maker came from Jenna Graf in the 58th minute of play. Despite the close score line, Assumption led New Haven in shots 17-4 and penalty corners 7-4. Keira Integlia was in goal for New Haven registering a season-high nine saves. 

The last matchup in October of the 2019 regular season ended in a 2-1 decision in favor of Saint Thomas Aquinas. This game marked the first time these programs ever met. 

DIII: Nichols vs. Clark  | 6:00 p.m. ET

Nichols (6-5. 0-2 CCC) travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on Clark (2-9, 0-4 NEWMAC) at 6:00 p.m. ET for a midweek matchup.

Nichols last played on October 2 against Springfield and lost 2-1. Both teams scored one before halftime with Nichols freshman Ryan Mellor tapping one home in the second quarter. The game winner was scored in the 51st minute by Lauren Lemay. The Bison and Springfield were dead even in shots at 14 each with Springfield leading in penalty corners 8-4. Nichols will face Wellesley and Salve Regina over the weekend prior to their Tuesday matchup with Clark. 

Clark will also be looking to get in the win column after dropping a 9-0 conference decision to MIT on Tuesday. Senior goalkeeper Grace Sawyer recorded five saves in the fourth quarters as the Cougars fell. 

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

DII: No. 8 Saint Anselm vs. Franklin Pierce | 6:00 p.m. ET | NE10 NOW

No. 8 Saint Anselm (7-3, 5-2 NE10) will face Franklin Pierce (3-7, 1-6) for the second time this season at 6:00 p.m. ET in Rindge, N.H. in a Northeast 10 game.

Saint Anselm most recently dropped a close contest with Adelphi this past Monday in a rescheduled match from September 18. Scoring early at the 5-minute mark, Carly Lacasse got her second goal of the year for the Hawks. Adelphi went on to score two unanswered goals in the 14th minute and with 2 minutes remaining in the game. Saint Anselm only registered six shots to Adelphi’s 16. Hawk goalkeeper Mackenzie McConnell tallied 14 saves on the day.

Franklin Pierce will face No. 3 Assumption prior to the contest with Saint Anselm. Franklin Pierce is coming off a dominant 6-0 win against Molloy on Saturday. Feline van Doorn got on the board three times, registering her first, and ultimate game winner, at the 12-minute mark. The Ravens relied on three other different scorers to get the other three goals on the day. Franklin Pierce tallied 34 shots and had 15 attacking penalty corners throughout the game. 

The last meeting earlier in the year on September 4, 2021 ended in favor of Saint Anselm 6-1. The all-time record now sits at 19-16 with the Hawks winning every matchup since 2013. The first contest between these two programs dates back to October 18, 2001.

DIII: Bryn Athyn vs. Cedar Crest | 7:00 p.m. ET

Bryn Athyn (0-5, 0-1 CSAC) and Cedar Crest (3-7, 1-2 CSAC) meet in Allentown, Pa. for a 7:00 p.m. Colonial State Athletic Conference (CSAC) matchup. 

Bryn Athyn look to get their first win of the season against CSAC opponent Cedar Crest. They will have another opportunity prior to their meeting with Cedar Crest when they face Keystone this Saturday. The Lions last played Centenary, dropping that game 3-1. Bryn Athyn got on the board first and early in the first quarter with a shot from Ava Fino. Centenary scored two unanswered goals to secure the win.

Cedar Crest looks to get back in the win column after posting a 2-1 loss to Wilson in CSAC play. Wilson got on the board first, but Cedar Crest’s Amber Cieri responded 2 minutes later with a goal of her own picking up a rebound from the goalkeeper's glove. Wilson put the game away with a third quarter goal in the 38th minute of play. In total, Wilson tallied 15 shots to Cedar Crest’s eight with both teams recording 11 penalty corners in the contest. Brynn Rifino played the full 60 minutes stopping seven of the nine shots that came her way.

The last meeting saw Cedar Crest walk home with a 6-0 win against the Lions. This extended the all-time record to 4-0 in favor of Cedar Crest dating back to 2017. 

 

Division I rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll Week 5 (posted October 5, 2021)
Division II rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II National Coaches Poll Week 4 (posted October 5, 2021) 
Division III rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll Week 4 (posted October 5, 2021) 

Photo Credit: Allegheny Athletics/Ed Mailliard, Clark Athletics, Maryland Terrapins/Zach Bland, New Haven Athletics/Clarus Studios, Pace Athletics, Rhodes Athletics, Saint Anselm Athletics, UMass-Lowell Athletics, Vermont Athletics/Brian Foley