Weekend College Games: October 13 - 19

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

Thursday, October 13, 2022 

DIII: Worcester State vs. Endicott | 7:00 p.m. ET | Boxcast

Worcester State (9-4, 6-1 LEC) breaks up their conference play with a weekday contest against Endicott (10-2, 3-0 CCC).

Now more than halfway through the regular season, Worcester State sits at 6-1 in conference play. Their one conference loss out of seven games was to Southern Maine, a 4-2 defeat that was tied 1-1 for a majority of the match. The Lancers will have to keep a consistent defense for all 60 minutes of play if they wish to be victorious over Endicott. 

The Gulls pulled off a huge upset last week when they defeated No. 4 Tufts for the first time in program history. It was freshman Maddy Dengler who scored the gamewinner in overtime, while goalkeeper Brianna Anslow made a career-high 12 saves. Dengler’s golden goal was her eighth of the season and lifted her to the title of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Rookie of the Week. Assisting Anslow on the defensive line, senior Rachael Lemay was named the CCC Defensive Player of the Week. With their recent success, Endicott received votes in this week's Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III Coaches Poll.

The duo has only met twice before – most recently in 2021, when Worcester State dropped to Endicott 5-0, and then in 2006 with a similar 3-0 outcome.

Friday, October 14, 2022

DI: Miami (Ohio) vs. Kent State | 2:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats

Miami (Ohio) (7-6, 3-0 MAC) and Kent State (6-5, 4-0 MAC) will battle it out on Friday in an attempt to hand their opponent their first conference defeat of the season. 

Recently, the Red Hawks had a tight 2-1 loss to No. 6 Virginia, in which they could not find the tying goal on their nine penalty corner opportunities. Miami has had some frustrating results – all six of Miami’s losses this fall have been by one goal – and three of those were in overtime. Senior Macy McHale has been a force on the defensive line as she is not only second nationally in defensive saves (6), but also leads her team in assists with nine.

Kent State is looking to continue their offensive momentum after a 5-0 win over Central Michigan last Sunday. Showing off a deep offensive line, five different Golden Flashes tallied a goal in the victory, including the team’s leading scorers Agustina Florio and Patricia Strunk. 

Kent State claimed last season’s victory 1-0 over Miami and will look to even up the all-time series as they sit at 11-12 against the Red Hawks.

DI: Stanford vs. California | 9:00 p.m. ET | PAC-12 Live ($)

Two west coast rivals meet on Friday night when California (3-8, 2-3 AE) travels to Stanford (5-6, 3-2 AE). 

Stanford recently earned a ranked victory over No. 21 Albany in a close 1-0 upset. Splitting time in goal, Daisy Ford and Kendall Dowd kept the Dukes off the board for the entire game. The Cardinal then took on Bryant (their third game in just five days) and came away with a 3-0 victory.

California has had a tough time building momentum this season, often following up every win with a few losses. This past week, the Bears could not hold on to a back-and-forth contest against No. 22 Maine that eventually panned out as a 4-3 defeat. Despite the eight losses, California’s offense never stops fighting, and the Bears have scored at least one goal in ten of their 11 contests. 

The pair has met two or more times almost every year since 1998. In all their 48 meetings, there is an even 24-24 split between wins and losses. California won both matches in 2021 by scores of 2-0 and 1-0.

DIII: Vassar vs. Rochester | 4:00 p.m. ET | Boxcast

Vassar (8-3, 2-1 LL) hosts Liberty League conference rival Rochester (10-3, 3-0 LL) at Weinberg Turf Field on Friday.

Vassar recently came away with a decisive 8-0 victory over Union, following a 2-1 overtime win against No. 20 SUNY Cortland. The Brewers played an impressive defensive game against the Red Dragons – surviving nine shots and eleven corners. Sophomore Leilani Llamas secured the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute of play.

Rochester was on a six-game tear before falling to No. 3 Salisbury on Monday. Despite this loss, the Yellowjackets have accumulated three solid conference wins so far. Senior Nikki Mercer has been crucial on attack – scoring two goals in the 3-2 win against Skidmore and all three goals in a 3-1 victory over St. Lawrence. Meanwhile, freshman Anya Arseneau had two goals – including the gamewinner – against SUNY Brockport, earning her the Liberty League Rookie of the Week title.

Last season, the Brewers were victorious over the Yellowjackets by a 1-0 score. In the previous season, Rochester defeated Vassar both in the regular season and in the Liberty League Championship match – by a 1-0 score both times. Rochester’s overall record is 18-7 against Vassar.

 

Saturday, October 15, 2022

DIII: Scranton vs. Moravian | 11:30 1.m. ET | Landmark Network

Scranton (7-3, 2-1 Landmark) looks to avenge their lone 2021 regular loss as they take on Moravian (6-7, 3-1 Landmark) this Saturday at Weiss Field. 

Scranton will also be looking to win their third consecutive Landmark Conference title this season. The Royals had a rather impressive 2021 campaign – going 18-2 and advancing all the way to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Most recently, Scranton broke a three-loss spell with a 6-1 win over Drew. Royals leading scorer Katie Redding tallied two goals to bring her total to 13 on the season.

Moravian is coming off of a pair of conference victories, including a close 4-3 overtime thriller against Elizabethtown – who recently defeated Scranton 3-1. Earlier in the week, Senior goalkeeper Brooke Wilkinson had a shutout in the 6-0 win against Drew and a career-high 13 saves against The College of New Jersey, earning her the honor of Landmark Defensive Player of the Week. 

Before last season’s 2-1 loss, Scranton had won eight straight matchups. The Royals hold a 22-6 advantage over the Greyhounds.

DIII: Widener vs. No. 14 York | 1:00 p.m. ET | Widener Digital Network

No. 14 York (9-4, 3-1 MACC) will travel to Widener (8-5, 3-1 MACC) this weekend to seek revenge for last season’s Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Semifinal. 

In a midweek non-conference match, Widener recently clashed with No. 2 Rowan, falling 5-1.

Freshman Lilly Rejrat stepped up in cage to deny four out of seven shots in her first college shootout in the Pride’s victory over Lebanon Valley. Rejrat received the title of MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. 

York has looked strong so far this season. The Spartans recently fell 3-2 to No. 10 Messiah – similar to their one goal losses to No. 3 Salisbury and then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins earlier in the season. In the win column, York defeated an admirable Bryn Mawr team, 5-0, and blanked conference opponent Alvernia, 2-0. The Spartans have only allowed eight goals on the entire season, in part due to the goalkeeping from sophomore Belle Fields as she ranks fourth nationally in goals against average (0.49). 

York, who was welcomed into the MAC Commonwealth in 2021, picked up their first-ever conference win against Widener in September of last year. When the two met in postseason play, it was Widener who picked up the 1-0 victory to propel them to the conference final – where they eventually fell to No. 1 Messiah.

Sunday, October 16, 2022

DI: No. 18 Massachusetts vs. No. 23 Albany  | 2:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

No. 18 Massachusetts (10-3, 3-1 A10) welcomes No. 23 Albany (9-4, 3-2 AE ) in a Sunday afternoon non-conference, top-25 contest.

Massachusetts has been steadily climbing in the polls, going from No. 25 in preseason to No. 18 this week. The Minutewomen have already clinched three conference wins – plus one loss to No. 9 Saint Joseph’s. The squad recently secured a 1-0 win over Yale, with the game’s lone goal coming in the first minute from senior Bella Ianni. 

Unranked until two weeks ago, Albany has turned heads after picking up a few notable wins in overtime the past few weeks, including a 2-1 victory over Vermont and a 4-3 upset against No. 16 Boston College. Sophomore Alison Smisdom tallied two goals and one assist in the victory over the Eagles – bringing her total goals for the season up to 11. The Great Danes rank one spot below conference rival No. 22 Maine, who ended their 2021 campaign in the America East Title match.

In 2021, Massachusetts defeated Albany 2-1 after four straight close losses. Overall, the Minutewomen have two wins to the Great Danes’ four.

DI: No. 17 James Madison vs. No. 12 Wake Forest | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

No. 17 James Madison (7-5) will return to their home field to take on No. 12 Wake Forest (10-3, 2-1 ACC) on Sunday afternoon.

After winning the Colonial Athletic Association outright in 2021 – only to fall to Delaware in the conference championship game – James Madison is taking on 2022 as an independent entity. The Dukes have accumulated three ranked wins this season over No. 20 Duke, No. 12 Liberty, and previous conference foe, No. 16 William and Mary. There have also been several close one-goal losses to powerhouses like No. 4 Iowa and No. 5 Louisville. Leading her team in assists (10) and sitting fifth in Division I for assists per game (0.83) is defender Kara McClure.

The Demon Deacons notched their first top-10 win since 2018 when they blanked No. 7 Louisville last weekend. Wake Forest has now won ten of their last 11 games, with the lone blemish a loss to unbeaten No. 1 North Carolina. For the second week straight, freshman goalkeeper Ellie Todd was proclaimed the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defensive Player of the Week. Todd made five saves in the win against Louisville and allowed just two goals in their past three games.

Wake Forest holds the advantage in this matchup – winning 12 times to JMU’s three, including the past seven games. Most recently, the Demon Deacons touted a 6-2 win over the Dukes.

DI: Michigan State vs. Indiana | 12:00 p.m. ET | B1G+($)

Two teams often overshadowed by their Big Ten companions will showdown as Michigan State (6-6, 0-5 B1G) hosts Indiana (8-6, 1-3 BIG) on Sunday.

Excluding conference play, the Spartans have only dropped one match on the season – a 2-1 shootout loss to Stanford. Michigan State recently picked up a 5-3 win over Ball State, with the team’s leading scorer Merel Hanssen finding the net twice. The last time the Spartans defeated a conference opponent was in the shortened 2021 spring season against Indiana.

Indiana has had slightly better luck in conference, recently shutting out then-No. 21 Rutgers, 2-0. It was sophomores Sofia Arrebola Garcia and Yip van Wonderen who scored the two goals, both in the last ten minutes of the match. Against mutual opponent Stanford, the Hoosiers came away with a narrow 3-2 victory after overtime. 

For the past eight meetings, the two teams have consistently gone back-and-forth on wins. If this year follows the same pattern, then Michigan State will be crowned winner – after a 5-0 win by Indiana last season.

Monday, October 17, 2022

DII: Maryville vs. Lander | 4:00 p.m. ET | GLVC Network

Two newcomers to the Division II landscape square off as Maryville (2-8) hosts Lander (2-4) on Monday. 

Maryville, in their program’s inaugural season, has already picked up two wins – a 1-0 shutout against Limestone that was followed up with a 2-1 victory over Lindenwood. It was Delanie Winkelmann who scored the Saints first ever goal, followed by the go-ahead goal from Tia Sansone. Sansone also notched the game-winner against Limestone.

Lander, a part of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC), has also claimed victory twice in their first year on the scene. The Bearcats had identical, emphatic 7-0 victories over Lincoln Memorial. In just six games, Sophie Schmitz already has seven goals – putting her second nationally in both goals per game (1.40) and points per game (3.0). Schmitz was named the SAC Offensive Player of the Week after her recent hat trick.

DIII: Christopher Newport vs. Susquehanna | 12:00 p.m. ET | CNU All-Access

Christopher Newport (10-3) will host Susquehanna (11-3, 4-0 Landmark) for the first time at Jennings Family Stadium on Monday.

Christopher Newport recently took on No. 13 Shenandoah and came out on top with a big 2-0 shutout. The defense held strong, as freshman goalkeeper Lily Kerr made 13 stops while Chloe Thompson had a pair of defensive saves. Sweeping the Coast-to-Coast Conference awards this week were senior Captains Abby Asuncion and Marcella Sabbagh. Asuncion was named Offensive Player of the Week after two goals and two assists in their most recent pair of victories against Centre and Roanoke. Sabbagh claimed Defensive Player of the Week after her stellar work on the backline on the defensive penalty corner unit. The Captains do not begin conference play until the last week in October. 

Currently on an eight- game win streak, the River Hawks are undefeated in conference play and are preparing to take on reigning Landmark champion Scranton, who defeated them in the semifinals last season. Making an impact on both ends of the field is Susquehanna’s Annalee Smith, who leads her team in both goals (9) and defensive saves (3). 

The Captains and River Hawks clashed for the first time last season, which ended with a 1-0 victory by Susquehanna.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

DII: No. 9 Mansfield vs. Frostburg State | 3:00 p.m. ET | PSAC Network

No. 9 Mansfield (6-5, 1-2 PSAC) will take their only break from conference play to host Frostburg State (7-4) at Karl van Norman Field on Wednesday. 

Back in the rankings again for the first time since 2019, Mansfield has shown strength with a few tight games against top-ranked opponents. In their first of two matchups against No. 4 Kutztown, the Mounties shut out the Bears, 2-0. Earlier in the season, Mansfield was just shy of a victory against No. 2 Shippensburg – falling after entering overtime knotted at the 3-3.

Frostburg State continues to improve from their 2021 season – recently picking up ranked wins against No. 4 Millersville and No. 7 Indiana of Pennsylvania. In their thrilling 2-1 victory over the Marauders, senior goalkeeper Madison Manalansan had ten saves to lead the Bobcat defense in their spectacular efforts. 

The Mounties and Bobcats have met just two times before, in 2019 and 2021. Mansfield was victorious both times, by a score of 2-0 most recently.

DII: No. 1 West Chester vs. No. 2 Shippensburg | 4:00 p.m. ET | PSAC Network

No. 1 West Chester (8-1, 2-1 PSAC) and No. 2 Shippensburg (8-1, 2-1 PSAC) will face off in a rematch of last season’s Division II Championship game.

West Chester remained undefeated until a mid-week upset against conference foe No. 5 Millersville. The Golden Rams led up until the fourth quarter, and didn’t allow the Marauders’ winning goal until the final two minutes of the match. West Chester’s previous two matches had both been overtime victories against ranked opponents. Sophomore Jasmine Miller tallied two goals – including the golden goal – to match the team’s leading scorers Claudia Jaszczak and Valerie Van Kuijck with a total of seven goals on the season.

Shippensburg, who had won their last 29 matches over the past two seasons, fell this week to No. 4 Kutztown. Despite holding the advantage in shots and penalty corners, the Raiders dropped the match by a score of 4-1. Previously, Shippensburg had been downing every opponent they faced – including blanking then-No. 2 East Stroudsburg, 1-0. Goalkeeper Lindsay Tripodo is ranked third nationally in save percentage (0.828), while Agus Garibaldi – who scored the winning goal against the Warriors – ranks fifth in points per game (2.62).

Starting with a meeting in 1983, the Raiders and Golden Rams have almost split their results – Shippensburg with 12 wins and West Chester with 11. The Raiders won all four contests in 2021 – which included two regular season games, the PSAC Final, and NCAA Final. The season before, it was West Chester who won their only two meetings, which took place in the regular season.

DIII: No. 2 Rowan vs. No. 3 Salisbury | 7:00 p.m. ET | YouTube

A top-three showdown between two undefeated teams will ensue on Wednesday night in prime time as No. 2 Rowan (13-0, 3-0 NJAC) hosts No. 3 Salisbury (12-0). 

Rowan continues their 2022 campaign without a loss on their perfect record. It may not be too soon to predict a deep postseason run for the Profs, who have won this year’s bid to host the NCAA Final. Rowan recently clinched three straight conference victories, outscoring their opponents, 19-2. Kristiina Castagnola and Julia Patrone remain at the top of the Prof’s offensive statbook with 28 and 38 points, respectively. Castagnola picked up five goals last week plus a New Jersey Athletic Conference (JNAC) Offensive Player of the Week award. 

Salisbury has also had an exceptional season so far, and has defeated foes they couldn’t in 2021 such as Johns Hopkins and The College of New Jersey. Earlier this season, both the Gulls and Profs defeated top-three ranked Johns Hopkins by an identical score of 2-1. Salisbury is currently led offensively in both points (27) and goals (11) by senior Allie Davis.

Rowan came away with a 3-2 victory in their most recent match against Salisbury last season. Previously, the two had not faced off since 2014, when the Gulls outscored the Profs 8-2. Overall, Salisbury holds 11 wins to Rowan’s seven.

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Division I rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Week 6 (posted October 11, 2022)
Division II rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II National Coaches Week 5 (posted October 11, 2022)
Division III rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Week 5 (posted October 11, 2022)

Photo Credit: Miami Athletics/Brian Mack, Rochester Athletics, York Athletics/Devon Gerena, Wake Athletics, Maryville Athletics, Mansfield Athletics