Weekend College Games: September 16 - 22

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

Thursday, September 16, 2021

DII: Mercy vs. St. Thomas Aquinas | 4:00 p.m. ET | NE10 NOW

In the first of two scheduled Northeast-10 games between these two programs, Mercy (1-1, 0-1 NE-10) travels to St. Thomas Aquinas College (0-4, 0-1NE-10) in Sparkill, N.Y. for a 3:00 p.m. ET match.

Mercy will be playing in their third game of the 2021 season. In their two previous matches, the Mavericks won 1-0 at Molloy and dropped their second 3-0 against Bentley. Led by ten upperclassmen, Mercy will look to even their NE-10 regular season record with a win over the Spartans.

St. Thomas Aquinas is off to an 0-4 start after dropping matches against three top-10 foes in No. 6 Millersville, No. 9 Adelphi and No. 10 Stonehill. With their game against Molloy, scheduled for September 14, postponed, the Spartans will look for their first tally in the victory column in this contest. 

Their most recent meeting took place on October 19, 2019 where St. Thomas Aquinas took home a 3-1 victory. Mercy leads the all-time record 7-3 with their first face-off taking place during the 2015 regular season. 

DIII: Arcadia vs. William Paterson | 7:00 p.m. ET | WPU All-Access

 

Hosting the only contest across Division III field hockey, William Paterson (2-1, 0-0 NJAC) welcomes Arcadia (1-4, 0-0 MAC) to campus for a 7:00 p.m. ET matchup.

In Arcadia’s sixth game of the regular season, the Knights look to turn around a four-game losing streak. This will be the team’s first away match after a three game home series where they welcomed No. 5 Kean, Scranton and Stockton to campus.

 

William Paterson comes into this contest on a two-game win streak. The Pioneers most recently tallied victories against Drew by a score of 7-0 as well as Union 3-2.

 

Historically, Arcadia leads the all-time record 4-3 against the Pioneers. In their last meeting, during the 2019 season, Arcadia registered a 2-1 victory and is currently on a three-game win streak versus William Paterson. 

 

Friday, September 17, 2021

DI: No. 2 Iowa vs. Indiana | 2:00 p.m. ET | BTN+

Indiana (4-2, 0-0 Big Ten) welcomes No. 2 Iowa (6-0, 0-0 Big Ten) to Bloomington, Ind. for both programs Big Ten regular season opener at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Iowa is off to a stellar start as one of the few remaining programs to remain undefeated through regular season play thus far. Before the weekend, this was the second consecutive season in which the Hawkeyes have started undefeated for the first four contests. In their opening weekend during the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Iowa beat then ranked No. 1 North Carolina, 3-1, and No. 11 Wake Forest, 5-3. They went on to post four consecutive shutouts against New Hampshire, Boston University, Ohio and Saint Louis. 

Indiana comes into the contest after a close battle with No. 5 Louisville, losing 1-0. The program has posted wins against Ball State, Central Michigan, Davidson and then ranked No. 21 Miami. The Hoosiers welcome Iowa to Bloomington, Ind. in the first of three home matches scheduled for them the next two weeks. 

Their last matchup took place earlier this year in February 2021. The Hawkeyes edged out Indiana 1-0 making the all-time record 19-5 in favor of Iowa dating back to 2000.

DII: Mount Olive vs. No. 5 Kutztown | 2:00 p.m. ET

Mount Olive (1-2, 1-2 SAC) travels to Millersville, Pa. to take on No. 5 Kutztown University (3-1, 0-0 PSAC) at 2:00 p.m.

Mount Olive will look to continue their win streak in Pennsylvania coming off a 3-1 victory against Queens. In their early games, the Trojans posted a 5-1 loss to Limestone and a close 1-0 defeat against Converse.

Kutztown, currently 3-1, look to continue their dominance at Andre Reed Stadium. They are coming off a tough overtime loss to No. 7 East Stroudsburg on Tuesday and will look to bounce back against Mount Olive. So far in the 2021 regular season, the Golden Bears beat Southern Connecticut State 7-0. The team also comfortably won 10-2 against Saint Michael’s and 3-1 versus Mansfield, in their first home game.

DIII: Albertus Magnus vs. Saint Joseph (CT) | 7:00 p.m. ET | Blue Jays Network

In their second meeting of the regular season, Saint Joseph (CT) (1-4, 0-1 GNAC) will welcome Albertus Magnus (0-2, 0-1 GANC) to town for a 7:00 p.m. ET game.

Albertus Magnus has only played two games so far this season. The Falcons were scheduled to play Rivier on September 11 but that game was canceled. In their last meeting, Albertus Magnus dropped a 1-0 decision in double overtime. They then went on to play Elms where they were handed a 7-0 loss.

Saint Joseph will look to comeback from their most recent 4-1 loss to Bridgewater State. The Bluejays started the season with their win at Albertus Magnus but since then went on to drop a 3-2 loss to Morrisville, 6-0 defeat against Roger Williams and 7-1 loss to Anna Maria.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

DI: No. 8 Penn State vs. No. 7 Maryland | 1:00 p.m. ET | BTN+

No. 8 Penn State (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) travels to College Park, Md. to face Big Ten foe No. 7 Maryland (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) in this top-10 matchup at 1:00 p.m. ET.

After starting 2019 with seven straight losses, the Nittany Lions are now one of the last remaining undefeated teams left in the 2021 season. So far Penn State has tallied wins against No. 11 Virginia, William and Mary, No. 9 Saint Joseph's, Albany and No. 22 Delaware. their roster features U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team athletes Grace Wallis and Brie Barraco. 

Maryland is on a three-game win streak after posting wins against then ranked No. 12 Duke, No. 21 Massachusetts and California. The Terrapins’ first match of the season was a 4-3 overtime thriller against current No. 9 Saint Joseph’s. Maryland then went on to drop a 3-2 decision to current No. 3 and undefeated Boston College. Maryland’s roster is highlighted by a plethora of U.S. Women’s National Team talent ranging from the senior team to Rise. Rostered on the senior squad are Brooke DeBerdine, Hope Rose and Julianna Tornetta. Representing the U-21 roster is Emma DeBerdine, Riley Donnelly and Kyler Greenwalt. Finally, the Terrapins have Rise threat Anna Castaldo. 

The two programs have a rich history between each other, facing off 20 times since their first meeting in 2003. Maryland currently leads the all-time record 13-7 and came out victorious 3-2 in the last meeting between the two earlier this year in March.  

DII: Slipper Rock vs. Seton Hill | 12:00 p.m. ET | PSAC Network

Seton Hill (1-3, 0-0 PSAC) hosts Slippery Rock University (2-2 , 0-0 PSAC) in Greensburg, Pa. for a 12:00 p.m. start for a non-conference game.

Slippery Rock are coming off a 4-1 win over Frostburg State on Wednesday. Prior to that, they had a tough 0-1 loss at Belmont Abbey on Saturday. The Rock played Lindenwood in their first game of the season and while they went on to lose that game 3-1 they posted a 2-1 win a few days later in their second game of the season against Queens.

Like their opponent, Seton Hill has only played four regular season games so far. The Griffins won their first of the year against Frostburg State, 2-1, but went on to drop the next three in a row against Lindenwood, 5-0, Newberry, 5-0, and No. 6 Millersville, 10-0.

Slippery Rock won 4-3 in the program’s last match-up on October 29, 2019. Slippery Rock has never lost to Seton Hill in the 12 total meetings between the Rock and Griffins dating back to 2012. 

DIII: Johnson & Wales vs. Dean | 12:00 p.m. ET | Boxcast

In a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) game in Franklin, Mass., Johnson and Wales (2-3, 0-1 GNAC) will face off against Dean (0-4, 0-1 GNAC) at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Johnson and Wales opened their season with a 5-2 win at East Connecticut State. Since then, they’ve lost three and registered a 7-3 win against Westfield State. The Wildcats opened GNAC regular season play with a close 5-3 loss against Colby-Sawyer. 

Dean will look to turnaround their season after an 0-4 start. So far, the Bulldogs have faced UMass-Dartmouth, New England College, Framingham State and Simmons. Their game against Simmons marked the programs first in GNAC regular season play. 

Johnson and Wales posted a dominant 7-0 victory against Dean in the last matchup on October 9, 2019. 

Sunday, September 19, 2021

DI: William & Mary vs. No. 12 Liberty | 12:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+

The in-state match-up between William and Mary (0-4, 0-0 CAA) and No. 12 Liberty (3-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) is set for 2:00 p.m. ET in Lynchburg, Va.

William and Mary started the season against top ranked opponents in currently ranked No. 8 Penn State and No. 11 Virginia. The Tribe went on to drop a pair of one goal differential games against Virginia Commonwealth, 1-0, and Longwood, 4-3. William and Mary was also scheduled to face off against American on September 5 but that game has been postponed until later this season.

Liberty opened their season on August 27 with a 7-1 victory against UC Davis in California. The Flames continued their win streak in the Golden State against California and then ranked No. 25 Stanford. Liberty’s game against William and Mary will be the Flames second home match this season.

The Tribe and Flames last met back in 2016 where Liberty took home a 3-2 win. With that win, Liberty tied up the all-time record 1-1. 

DII: Limestone vs. Frostburg State | 12:00 p.m. ET | Mountain East TV

Frostburg State (0-5) hosts Limestone (3-1, 2-0 SACC) at Bobcat Stadium in Maryland at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Limestone comes into this contest splitting most recent result by dropping a double overtime thriller to No. 6 Millersville, 2-1 on Saturday and bouncing back with a 3-0 win against South Athletic Conference Carolinas (SACC) opponent Queens on Wednesday. The Saints also picked up wins against SACC foes Mount Olive, 5-1, and Coker, 5-0. Limestone will play No. 1 Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon before this game.

Frostburg State has lost the first five matches of the season. The Bobcats began their 2021 campaign with four straight away games, and during that span fell to Seton Hill, No. 6 Millersville, Lindenwood and Newberry. They played their first home game against Slipper Rock on Wednesday, where they lost by a margin of 4-1.

The team’s last meeting took place on October 20, 2019. This game also marked the first-time these program’s competed against one another. Limestone tallied a comfortable 6-0 victory against the Bobcats.

DIII: No. 12 Babson vs. No. 1 Middlebury | 1:00 p.m. ET | NSN

No. 12 Babson (3-0, 0-0 NEWMAC) travels to Kohn Field in Vermont to take on No. 1 Middlebury (3-0, 1-0 NESCAC) at 1:00 p.m. ET.

The Beavers have only played three matches so far. Their games between both Endicott and Connecticut College were both postponed, however they posted dominant victories against Union, Saint Joseph's (ME) and New England, recording shutouts in two of those contests. Before their meeting with top-ranked Middlebury, Babson will play Mount Holyoke in their first counting New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game. 

Middlebury, sitting at 3-0, has defeated their first three opponents of the year with a goal differential of 22-1. The Panthers opened the season with an 11-1 victory over Castleton. They then went on to comfortably defeat Wesleyan and New England posting shutouts in both contests. Senior midfielder Erin Nicholas comes into this matchup as the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Week after an impressive individual performance in week one. The Scarsdale, N.Y. native scored six times and had two assists tallying a total of 14 points on the week and pushing her over the 100-career point mark. Middlebury will face No. 11 Bowdoin on Saturday before the Sunday afternoon meeting against Babson.

The teams last met in the NCAA Division III Tournament Second Round on November 16, 2019. Middlebury took home a 2-1 win to advance to the NCAA Regional Final. The Panthers eventually went on to win their third-straight NCAA Title. 

Monday, September 20, 2021 

DII: N. 6 Millersville vs. Mercy | 4:00 p.m. ET | NE10 NOW

No. 6 Millersville (5-0, 0-0 PSAC) will play in their first away game of the season in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. when they take on Mercy (1-1 , 0-1 NE-10) at 4:00 p.m.

Millersville remains undefeated as they look ahead to their matchup with Mercy. They started the season with a pair of shutout victories against Saint Thomas Aquinas and Frostburg State. The Marauders then captured an overtime win against Limestone as well as a 3-1 win at Converse and a dominant 10-0 victory over Seton Hill. Millersville will take on Mount Olive on Satuday before their face-off at Mercy.

This will be Mercy’s third game in four days, after they face St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday and No. 8 Stonehill on Saturday. They will look to move their record above .500 when they face top-10 ranked Millersville.

October 25, 2018 marked the first and latest meeting between Millersville and Mercy. The Marauders came out on top defeating Mercy, 3-1. 

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

DI: Bryant vs. Holy Cross | 6:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+

Holy Cross (2-2, 0-0 PL) will host Bryant (0-6, 0-0 NEC) at Hart Turf Field and Track in Worcester, Mass. at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Holy Cross, currently at 2-2, will look to extend their win streak against Bryant. The Crusaders started their season at St. Francis (Pa.) where they registered a 3-0 win. They then faced Vermont and Northeastern in two-game away series. Those matches finished 3-2 in favor of Vermont and 4-0 to Northeastern. The Crusaders open Patriot League (PL) regular season play against Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa. on Saturday before they face off with Bryant on Tuesday night. 

Bryant looks to turn around their 0-6 start to the 2021 season. Posting losses against Providence, UMass Lowell, La Salle, Lehigh, Brown and Dartmouth, the Bulldogs will play New Hampshire and Vermont prior to the meeting with Holy Cross. 

Holy Cross edged out Bryant 2-1 in double overtime in their last meeting on September 24, 2019.

DIII: Lasell vs. Nichols | 6:00 p.m. ET | Livestream

Lasell (2-3, 1-0 GNAC) travels to Nichols (4-2 , 0-0 CCC) for a 6:00 p.m. start time on Tuesday.

Nichols started their season off strong with a 3-0 victory against Bridgewater State. They then split the Caryl Newof Classi games, losing 8-1 to Smith and picking up a 3-1 win against Westfield State. The defeated Elms on Wedneday, 4-0, and will play Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe Gordon on the September 18. 

Lasell opened their season with two losses against Salem State and Ramapo. They bounced back and registered two back-to-back wins against New England College, 4-3, and Regis, 6-1. The Lasers will face Rivier on. Saturday before their meeting with the Bison Tuesday evening. 

Nichols and Lasell last met on September 7, 2019, where Lasell tallied a 4-2 victory in that match.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

DI: No. 14 Syracuse vs. Cornell | 4:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+

In the only Division I matchup taking place on Wednesday, No. 14 Syracuse (3-2, 0-0 ACC) travels to Dodson Field to take on Cornell (2-0, 0-0 Ivy League) at 4:00 P.M.

Syracuse started the year with a pair of shutout victories against Sacred Heart, 7-0, and Vermont, 6-0. The Orange then dropped back-to-back overtime losses to No. 23 Kent State and then ranked No. 8 Rutgers. The following week they picked up a big win over No. 12 Connecticut, 5-3. Before the game with the Big Red, Syracuse will travel to Chestnut Hill to face undefeated and No. 3 ranked Boston College in a huge Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) game.

Cornell sits at 2-0 coming into this weekend. Posing wins against Wagner and Colgate, the Big Red is slated to face Albany on September 17 as well as top-ranked Michigan on the September 19 in a series of home games. 

Syracuse beat Cornell 3-1 in the last matchup on October 27, 2019. The all-time record sits at 24-3-1 in favor of the Orange, who are on a 15-game win streak against the Big Red. The teams first met on October 9, 1979. 

DII: Bentley vs. Assumption | 7:00 p.m. ET 

No. 4 Assumption (3-1, 1-0 NE10) welcomes Bentley (3-2, 2-0 NE10) to Worcester, Mass. at 7:00 p.m. ET for the second of two Northeast 10 (NE10) regular season matches scheduled between the two programs.

The Falcons and Greyhounds first met on September 8. Assumption comfortably won 5-1 with Senior Isabel Primack leading the way scoring twice and recording an assist in the game.

Bentley comes into this weekend most recently registering a win against Southern New Hampshire, 4-2. The Falcons opened their season with a double overtime victory against Bloomsburg and then dropping matches against No. 2 West Chester University and No. 4 Assumption.  

Assumption is on a three-game win streak tallying victories against No. 7 East Stroudsburg, Bentley and No. 10 American International. The Greyhound’s roster also features Kylie Gargiulo who was voted as NFHCA Division II Defensive Player of the Week in the opening week.

DIII: Elms vs. Anna Maria | 4:00 p.m. ET | Boxcast

Elms College (1-3, 1-1 GNAC) makes the trip to Anna Maria (1-4, 1-0 GNAC) for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Elms started their 2021 campaign with a 2-1 overtime loss against Colby-Sawyer. In their next match, the Blazers defeated Albertus Magnus, 7-0, at home. Elms will play another two games before their game with Anna Maria. The Blazers will face Regis and St. Joseph (CT) to make three game in five days.

Anna Maria was shutout in their first three games of the season. The Amcats registered losses against Worcester State, Fitchburg State and Nicholas. They captured their first win against St. Joseph (CT) by a dominant score line of 7-1. The Amcats will play Saint Joseph’s (ME) on Saturday before their matchup with the Blazers.  

Anna Maria tallied a 3-2 victory against Elms in the last contest on September 28, 2017.

Division I rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll Week 2 (posted September 14, 2021)
Division II rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II National Coaches Poll Week 1 (posted September 14, 2021) 
Division III rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll Week 1 (posted September 14, 2021) 

Photo Credit:William Paterson Athletics, Iowa Athletics/Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com, Slippery Rock Athletics, Frostburg State Athletics, Millersville Athletics, Holy Cross Athletics/Mark Seliger Photoraphy, Syracuse Athletics