Weekend College Games: October 6 - 12

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

Thursday, October 6, 2022 

DII: Adelphi vs. Southern New Hampshire | 3:00 p.m. ET | NE10 NOW

Southern New Hampshire (2-5, 1-1 NE10) will take on Adelphi (3-4, 2-0 NE10) in a Northeast Ten (NE10) Conference matchup on Thursday.

Southern New Hampshire has had a series of narrow losses this season to ranked opponents, including a 2-1 loss to then-No. 7 Assumption. In their conference opener against Bentley, freshman goalkeeper Emma Peeters had 12 saves in a 2-1 victory. Peeters earned dual honors this week as both the NE10 Goalkeeper and Rookie of the Week.

Six of Adelphi’s seven contests this season have been against top-ten opponents, including No. 1 and No. 2, shedding some light on their losing record. The Panthers recently picked up a pair of shutout victories, including an overtime thriller against then-No. 6 Saint Anselm. With a strong performance and a critical defensive save against the Hawks, junior Kylie Peregoy was dubbed NE10 Defensive Player of the Week in addition to NFHCA Division II Defensive Player of the Week.

Southern New Hampshire fell to Adelphi, 6-2, last fall. In seven all-time meetings, the Penmen have won just once - a 4-0 shutout in 2018.

Friday, October 7, 2022

DI: Cornell vs. Pennsylvania | 2:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

Cornell (6-3, 2-0 Ivy) looks to extend their win streak this Friday against Pennsylvania (2-8, 0-2 Ivy).

Cornell has won four in a row, including a pair of conference victories over Columbia and Dartmouth. Falling toward the middle of the conference in the rankings despite a 2-0 conference start, Cornell will need their athletes at full strength to take on the Quakers. This includes players like Caroline Ramsey, who has been a force both on the defensive line as well as the attacking penalty corner team. Ramsey is currently fourth in Division I for defensive saves (4) and has six goals on the season, including the game winner against Dartmouth. 

As mentioned before, Pennsylvania has had a tough schedule this season. The Quakers finally broke their seven-game skid with a 2-0 win over Temple, then picked up their second win against Long Island University. Some of their recent losses include close one-goal games against formidable foes in No. 15 Harvard, No. 7 Princeton and No. 1 Northwestern. 

The Bears were last victorious against the Quakers back in 2014, most recently losing 2-1 in 2021. In all matchups, dating back to 1976, Cornell has 10 wins to Penn’s 26.

DI: No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 4 Iowa | 6:00 p.m. ET | B1G+ ($)

No. 5 Penn State (9-2, 4-1 B1G) hosts No. 4 Iowa (9-2, 3-1 B1G) in a top-five, Big Ten conference game in primetime on Friday night. 

Despite success so far this season, Penn State was not able to accomplish what Iowa could - defeat Northwestern. The Lions fell to the Wildcats, 5-4, in overtime, giving them a tough battle down to the final minute. Senior Mackenzie Allessie had three goals on the day, making that 10 goals on the season in addition to eight assists.  

Iowa’s lone conference loss was to Maryland - the only other team to down Northwestern so far this fall. (Maryland’s recent success has them now polling at No. 2, and the Terrapins swept all three B1G weekly awards plus both NFHCA Division I weekly honors.) The Hawkeyes only other defeat was an early season overtime setback to now-No. 1 North Carolina. With a strong defense surrounding her, Iowa’s Grace McQuire has continued to perform in goal - she recently had a shutout against Rutgers and is third in goals against average (0.83) for all of Division I. 

The Hawkeyes have been dominant over the Nittany Lions - winning the past eight meetings with an emphatic 4-0 victory last season. Penn State previously had four straight wins against Iowa from 2015 to 2017.

DI: No. 14 Wake Forest vs. No. 7 Louisville | 6:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

No. 7 Louisville (9-2, 0-2 ACC) travels to No. 14 Wake Forest (8-3, 1-1 ACC) this weekend in search of their first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) victory of the season.

After two early season losses, the Demon Deacons have bounced back with eight wins in their past nine matches - the lone defeat to No. 1 North Carolina. Despite profound efforts by the defense and double digit saves by freshman goalkeeper Ellie Todd, they could not withstand the offensive prowess of the Tar Heels’ Erin Matson. A week later, Todd added five more saves to her total in a 3-0 shutout against Duke, garnering her the prestige of ACC Defensive Player of the Week.

Louisville has had similar success in their season but are looking to claim their first ACC victory after falling to then-No. 2 North Carolina and then-No. 7 Virginia. Cardinals’ goalkeeper Sasha Elliott tallied five saves against her alma mater Virginia Commonwealth in Louisville’s recent 3-1 victory.

In 2021, the Demon Deacons almost upset the then-No. 3 Cardinals but fell short in a 2-1 double-overtime defeat. Wake Forest last won this meeting in 2018 in the ACC Semifinals, and holds a 13-9 record against Louisville.

DI: Rider vs. Fairfield | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

Northeast Conference (NEC) play continues with a contest between Rider (5-5, 0-1 NEC) and Fairfield (4-6, 1-0 NEC).

Rider made program history last weekend when they defeated their first ranked opponent - No. 25 American. The Broncs utilized three different goalscorers in the 3-1 victory, including freshman Valeria Perales, who was crowned NEC Rookie of the Week for the third time this season. Perales leads the conference with 26 points and 11 goals, and is fourth in Division I in goals per game (1.10). Rider is looking to nail their first conference win this season after losing to Saint Francis, 3-2. 

After a rocky start, Fairfield has been finding their way with a recent shootout victory over Yale and a conference win against Sacred Heart. The Stags had a few close losses to ranked opponents, including a 2-1 defeat against then-No. 24 Miami (Ohio) and an overtime loss against the now-No.21 Albany. 

Last time the two met, Fairfield put an end to Rider’s 2021 campaign in the NEC Semifinals with a 2-1 victory. Despite two losses in 2021, the Broncs still hold more all-time wins at 17-11.

Saturday, October 8, 2022

DII: Belmont Abbey vs. Mount Olive | 8:00 p.m. ET | FloSports ($)

Meeting for the second time this season, Belmont Abbey (3-4, 2-1 SAC) and Mount Olive (3-3, 3-0 SAC) will battle it out in North Carolina.

Belmont Abbey has had a bit of a back and forth season, which included a narrow defeat to then-No. 2 Shippensburg. The Crusaders made it all the way to shootouts before succumbing to the Raiders. Sophomore Jessica Rybicki, who leads the Crusaders in goals, tallied the lone point in the loss. In the cage, sophomore Chloe Parker recently recorded her third shutout of the season with the 2-0 win over Coker, earning her the title of South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Defensive Player of the Week.

Against mutual opponent Shippensburg, Mount Olive fell by a score of 4-1. The Trojans recently grabbed a conference win against Lander, with a rush of offensive effort in the first quarter. The third goal, which was scored by sophomore Annefleur Moerkerken, turned out to be the game winner. 

Just a few weeks ago, the duo met in what ended as a 2-1 Mount Olive victory. It was the Trojans’ first win - and first time scoring against the Crusaders - in all six matchups. Nikki Bos and Avery Congleton scored in the victory as Mount Olive piled up a 17-6 shots advantage.

DIII: No. 18 Hamilton vs. No. 14 Bates | 11:00 a.m. ET | NSN

No. 18 Hamilton (6-3, 2-3 NESCAC) will welcome No. 14 Bates (6-4, 2-3 NESCAC) to Goodfriend Field on Saturday. 

In the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), you need all the conference victories you can get. Hamilton has already suffered three conference losses at the hands of ranked opponents Trinity, Tufts and reigning Division III champion, Middlebury. Hamilton’s game against Middlebury ended 2-1 - the closest any team has gotten against the Panthers so far this season. The Continentals recently pocketed two NESCAC victories against Wesleyan and Connecticut College. 

The Bobcats started their conference play off with all ranked teams, and garnered two tight victories against then-No. 6 Bowdoin and then-No. 8 Williams. In their recent 6-0 shutout of Thomas, sophomore Anna Lindeis and junior Kami Lambert tallied two goals apiece. 

Every contest between the Continentals and Bobcats has been close -  all nine of the matchups have been won by a single goal. Last season, Hamilton claimed a 1-0 victory, and in 2019, Bates won 3-2. The Continentals have the overall edge with six wins to the Bobcats three.

DIII: No. 5 Trinity vs. No. 16 Bowdoin | 11:00 a.m. ET | NSN

No. 5 Trinity (9-1, 5-1 NESCAC) welcomes No. 16 Bowdoin (6-3, 1-3 NESCAC) to Hartford, Conn., on Saturday for a morning conference contest. 

Trinity recently had their perfect record snapped by No. 4 Tufts in shutout fashion. Just the day before, the Bantams had to enter overtime in order to secure victory against conference opponent No. 14 Bates. Graduate student Caelin Flaherty tallied her sixth goal in this victory, which combined with her eight assists pushes her to the team lead in points. 

Throughout the season, Bowdoin has slowly dropped in the rankings - from No. 6 down to No. 16. The Polar Bears have only had three losses, which have all been to worthy opponents including No. 1 Middlebury. Bowdoin will be looking to straighten out their conference play with a victory against Trinity.

Often a close meeting, the Bantams have been the most recent victor with a 1-0 win in 2021. It was the Polar Bears who did so with a 4-2 victory in 2019. Trinity sits at 7-9 in overall meetings.

Sunday, October 9, 2022

DI: Lindenwood vs. Queens  | 11:00 a.m. ET | Live Stats

Two teams that transitioned to  Division I will face each other this weekend as Lindenwood (5-5) hosts Queens (0-8). 

To be expected, Queens is taking some time to adjust to competing against Division I opponents. Not afraid to challenge themselves, the young team has already faced two ranked teams - then-No. 11 Liberty and then-No. 25 American. Lindenwood is easing in a bit slower - sprinkling in some Division I foes in a mostly Division II schedule. The Lions will host Central Michigan and Appalachian State later in the season.

The Royals and Lions are not strangers, having faced off five times previously. Queens won in the 2021 meeting, 4-1, and has two wins to Lindenwood’s three.

DI: No. 12 Connecticut vs. No. 1 North Carolina | 1:00 p.m. ET | FloSports ($)

No. 12 Connecticut (7-3, 2-1 Big East) will take on undefeated No. 1 North Carolina (9-0, 2-0 ACC) in a non-conference matchup on Sunday.

Most recently, Connecticut dropped a 4-2 match to No. 9 Princeton. After going down 3-0, the Huskies gained momentum in the final ten minutes of the match to bring the score to 3-2, but ran out of time to catch up to the Tigers. UConn already has triumphed against several ranked opponents this fall, including victories over then-No. 7 Harvard and then-No. 14 Old Dominion. Despite their success on the season, the Huskies will have to have a truly special performance on Sunday if they want to upset the No. 1 Tar Heels. 

The Tar Heels have proven again and again this season that they deserve the No. 1 spot. North Carolina has downed a plethora of ranked opponents - accounting for six of their nine wins - and most recently beat No. 16 Liberty by a three-goal margin. There is no holding back from Erin Matson, who is second only to Northwestern’s Bente Baekers in the Division for points per game (3.22) and goals per game (1.44). Matson was named ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season after her four goals against the Flames. Coach Karen Shelton continues to enjoy the luxury of having two extremely talented athletes to split time in goal with sophomore Abigail Taylor and freshman Kylie Walbert. 

North Carolina defeated Connecticut, 3-1, in last season’s matchup and holds a 10-2 advantage in overall meetings. The Huskies last defeated the Tar Heels in dramatic shootout fashion to advance to the 2017 NCAA Championship.

DIII: Denison vs. Allegheny | 11:00 a.m. ET | North Coast Network

Allegheny (10-1, 1-0 NCAC) travels to Granville, Ohio to try for their first victory over conference foe Denison (6-3, 1-0 NCAC). 

Denison recently had their third consecutive shutout victory after defeating Centre, 1-0, last weekend. The Big Red’s trio of victories included a 2-0 win against Kenyon, who previously handed Allegheny their only defeat of the season. Both goals against the Owls came from the stick of sophomore Kristin Kelley - her first goals of the season coming at a clutch time.

Only halfway through the season, Allegheny has already matched their win total from their last two seasons - combined. The Gators have been dominating with half of their wins being shutouts. Their defense includes senior goalkeeper Hallie Reiger, who was the previous week’s NFHCA Division III Player of the Week. On the offensive line, juniors Maya Francisco and Debbie Nalesnik each have six goals, and are mere points away from breaking the program record for most points in a season. 

The pair have only met four times, due to Allegheny being a relatively new program. Denison has clinched all four victories, most recently winning 2-1 in October 2021.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

DII: Wingate vs. Limestone | 7:00 p.m. ET | FloSports ($)

Wingate (0-9, 0-4 SAC), in their inaugural season, will host Limestone (3-4, 2-1 SAC) for the first time.

The anticipation of a first program win is heavy for the Bulldogs and first-year head coach Kat Lind, who arrived this season after guiding another new program at Coker. Wingate recently fell, 3-2, to Mercyhurst in a back-and-forth contest. Freshman Lauren Montgomery tallied a pair of goals in the defeat. 

Limestone started their program back in 2009, and have quickly gone from a winless inaugural season to winning back-to-back South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championships in 2018 and 2019. The Saints are coming off of two recent conference victories which have a combined score of 9-0. Limestone’s attack is led by junior Josefina Golppi, who scored twice in each of the two victories.

DIII: SUNY New Paltz vs. Ithaca | 4:00 p.m. ET | Stretch

Sandwiched between two conference games, SUNY New Paltz (7-2, 2-0 SUNYAC) will take on Ithaca (8-2, 2-0 Liberty) in a weekday, non-conference contest.

The Hawks bounced back from a tight 3-2 loss to No. 7 Kean with a solid 7-0 win over Brockport. Natasia Plunkett - who had three goals against the Golden Eagles - was named SUNAYC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. The senior forward has nine goals (three of them game winners) and two assists so far. 

In a rematch of the Liberty League final last season, Ithaca recently downed Vassar in conference play, 1-0. It was goalkeeper Macy Brandwein’s third shutout of the season, helping propel her to the honor of Liberty League Defensive Performer of the Week. 

The duo have only met twice before and each team has a 3-0 victory over the other. Last season, it was New Paltz who defeated Ithaca.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

DIII: Saint John Fisher vs. Houghton | 4:00 p.m. ET | Cardinals All-Access

An Empire 8 meeting on Wednesday features Saint John Fisher (4-7, 3-1 E8) and Houghton (8-3, 4-0 E8).

Undefeated in the Empire 8 last season, Saint John Fisher fell to Harwick in their conference opener earlier this fall. After a more recent emphatic 11-0 win over Medaille, the Cardinals tested their strength against No. 1 Middlebury only to be shutout 9-0. 

Houghton has been on a roll - winning six of their past seven competitions and retaining a perfect 4-0 record in conference. The Highlanders recently pulled out a pair of 3-2 overtime wins over Keuka and Brockport, with sophomore Bekah Davie tallying three goals between the two victories.

In terms of mutual opponents, both teams have defeated conference opponents Keuka and Nazareth - the Cardinals by a higher margin each time. 

Out of their 11 total meetings, Saint John Fisher has won the past nine against Houghton. That puts the Highlanders' most recent victory against the Cardinals in 2012.

DIII: Ursinus vs. Bryn Mawr | 7:00 p.m. ET | CC Digital Network

More Centennial Conference action ensues this weekend and into next week with Ursinus (5-5, 2-1 CC) hosting Bryn Mawr (9-1, 3-0 CC) on Wednesday.

Despite a couple solid victories against teams like Lynchburg and then-No. 16 TCNJ, Ursinus has not been able to climb over .500. The Bears recently dropped a crucial conference game against Franklin and Marshall, 1-0, then almost hung on to a lead against No. 11 Messiah. Ursinus scored twice in the first half but could not reply to the Falcons second half wind, eventually falling 3-2.

Bryn Mawr has been having a strong season and is currently on a six game win-streak that includes three conference victories. The Owls also defeated a ranked opponent, No. 18 Christopher Newport, for the first time in program history. Bryn Mawr’s offense is led by sophomore Hazel Miller, who scored the winning goal against Haverford and recently had four goals against Gettysburg.

Bryn Mawr is looking to get their first win against Ursinus in all 18 of their all-time meetings. The Bears traditionally have won by extremely lopsided margins, but the gap has been getting closer in recent years. In 2021, Ursinus claimed a 4-2 victory.

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Division I rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Week 5 (posted October 4, 2022)
Division II rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II National Coaches Week 4 (posted October 4, 2022)
Division III rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Week 4 (posted October 4, 2022)

Photo Credit: Souther New Hampshire Athletics/Jim Stankiewicz, Cornell Athletics/Eldon Lindsay, Rider Athletics/Steve Tressler, Hamilton Athletics/Josh McKee, Allegheny Athletics/Ed Mailliard, Limestone Athletics/Brian Westerholt