Weekend College Games: October 20 - 26

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

Friday, October 21, 2022

DI: Fairfield vs. Wagner | 3:00 p.m. ET | Stag Sports

Reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) champion Fairfield (7-7, 3-1 NEC) welcomes Wagner (9-5, 4-0 NEC) to University Field on Friday afternoon.

Otherwise off to a good start, Fairfield has only fallen in conference play to rival Rider. The Stags outplayed the Broncs in the statbook, but could not convert when needed. Freshman Konni Hoffman clinched NEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after helping lead her team to victory over Quinnipiac and Saint Francis - tallying three goals and an assist over the weekend pair of matches.

The Seahawks are on pace for a season above .500 and have already defeated over half of their conference opponents. Recently, Wagner picked up a 3-2 overtime win against La Salle, with Liselotte Koop scoring her second goal of the match in the final two minutes to send the game into extra time.

The Stags and Seahawks have clashed just twice before, in 2019 and 2021. Fairfield was victorious both times, most recently by a score of 3-0. 

DI: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 7 Virginia | 4:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

No. 7 Virginia (10-4, 3-2 ACC) will be the next team to try and break No. 1 North Carolina’s (12-0, 4-0 ACC) perfect streak in an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) contest on Friday.

North Carolina is a mere three games away from a perfect regular season, reminiscent of their dominant 23-0 season in 2019. While the team is stacked with players worthy of recognition, (Ryleigh Heck, Sietske Brüning and Meredith Sholder to name a few) there is no denying the continued reign of Erin Matson. After being named the NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season - plus the same title for the ACC for a third consecutive week - Matson went ahead and broke the all-time ACC scoring record. In their dominant 6-1 victory over No. 11 Syracuse, Heck tallied her first career hat-trick, lifting her to the title of NFHCA Offensive Player of the Week. If they have success against Virginia, the Tar Heels will need to overcome No. 9 Saint Joseph’s and No. 24 Duke to enter postseason play with a perfect record.

The Cavaliers have shown themselves to be a worthy opponent, taking down seven ranked opponents so far this season. For all of their stout offense, Virginia also carries an equally adept defensive line, boasting shutouts against ranked opponents such as No. 5 Louisville and No. 11 Syracuse. Freshman goalkeeper Jet Trimborn currently ranks third in Division I in goals against average at 0.82.

In the 2021 ACC Championship, Matson scored the lone goal to give North Carolina the victory over Virgina. In the regular season, it took overtime for the Tar Heels to defeat the Cavaliers 3-2, and Matson, returning to play after time off due to injury, tallied all three goals.

DI: No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 2 Maryland | 6:00 p.m. ET | B1G+($)

No. 5 Penn State (13-2, 5-1 B1G) takes on No. 2 Maryland (14-1, 7-0 B1G) in a top-five conference matchup on Friday.

Defeating Rutgers last Sunday for their seventh straight conference victory, Maryland clinched the B1G Conference title. The only question now is if they will share that title with Penn State. The Lions still have two games to play, but victories over Maryland and Rutgers will give them the title of Co-B1G champions, and would secure them the No. 1 seed for postseason play. 

Despite their best efforts, Penn State could not topple Northwestern, falling 4-3 in a highly competitive match. Senior Mackenzie Allessie had a breakout game – scoring three out of her team’s four goals to send the game into overtime. Bouncing back from the loss, the Lions went on to upset then-No. 4 Iowa in overtime, with the game-winner coming from Sophia Gladieux – who is currently third nationally in goals per game (1.20). Graduate student Anna Simon tallied a goal and an assist in the victory.

In their thrilling 4-3 win over Rutgers, Maryland’s Leah Crouse dug deep and scored her second goal of the game in the final minute to secure the victory. With a stellar defensive effort in the match, freshman Ericka Morris-Adams was awarded her second B1G Freshman of Week honor this year. The Terps have had an extremely impressive season, defeating highly-regarded opponents such as Iowa, Northwestern and Michigan. 

Often a competitive matchup, Penn State won most recently by a score of 3-2 in both the 2021 regular season and B1G Quarterfinal match. The Lions are 9-13 in overall meetings.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

DI: Yale vs. No. 24 Penn | 12:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+($)

Yale (7-7, 1-3 Ivy) hosts No. 24 Penn (4-8, 2-2 Ivy) at Johnson Field for a midday Ivy League contest.

Yale will be looking to make up for their recent 2-1 loss to conference foe Columbia – a matchup that had been a tight victory for the Bulldogs in the past three meetings. Yale rebounded from the loss with a 1-0 non-conference win over Lafayette. Lily Ramsey tallied the lone goal, marking the sophomore’s sixth career goal and fourth game-winning goal.

Penn’s strategy of stacking their early season schedule paid off, as the Quakers were able to break into the top-25 rankings with just a .333 win percentage. Unfortunately, they were unable to crack conference opponents No. 7 Princeton and No. 15 Harvard – falling in each match by a score of 2-1. This past weekend, the Quakers picked up a pair of Ivy League wins against Brown and Cornell, with junior Allison Kuzyk netting two goals in the 3-2 victory over Brown. Kuzyk’s efforts earned her the title of Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week.

The Quakers have defeated the Bulldogs in the past four meetings, and 29 times in overall matchups. Yales sits at 13 wins, most recently claiming victory in 2016.

DII: No. 6 Converse vs. Mount Olive | 11:00 a.m. ET | FloLive ($)

One team’s perfect conference record will be shattered as No. 6 Converse (9-0, 6-0 SAC) hosts Mount Olive (7-3, 7-0 SAC) in Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday.

With a perfect season so far, Converse appeared in the No. 6 spot this week – the highest ranking in program history. The Valkyries currently have three players on the Division II leaderboard, including Lotte Kanters who is first in points per game (4.67) and goals per game (2.11). Sophomore Catalina Pistaccio also ranks in the top five for those two categories, while Luisa Fasold is second in assists per game. Converse recently defeated Limestone 1-0, in a rematch of last season’s South Atlantic Conference (SAC) championship.

Mount Olive is on a seven-game win streak as their only losses of the season so far were in their three opening matches - and two of those included the top-two ranked teams. Against mutual conference opponents, the Trojans outscored their foes 25-5 while the Valkyries were at 15-4. Sweeping this week’s SAC awards, Nikki Bos was selected as SAC Offensive Player of the Week and goalkeeper Alanna Barrett as SAC Defensive Player of the Week. 

In their two 2021 matchups, the Valkyries and Trojans split. In September, Converse had a 1-0 victory while Mount Olive claimed a 2-1 win in October.

DIII: No. 6 Tufts vs. No. 2 Middlebury | 12:00 p.m. ET | PACK Network

No. 6 Tufts (10-3, 7-1 NESCAC) hosts No. 2 Middlebury (12-1, 7-1 NESCAC) in a New England Small Athletic Conference (NESCAC) showdown on Saturday.

To make conference play more interesting, Tufts’ single NESCAC loss was to Colby – not Trinity, who recently defeated Middlebury. The Jumbos, otherwise, have secured a few key victories, most recently a close 2-1 contest against No. 11 Bates. Coming in clutch when needed, junior Ashley Zolin netted her second goal of the season to gain the advantage over Bates.

Reigning champion Middlebury finally met their match last weekend when they fell 2-1 to No. 7 Trinity. The loss ended the Panthers’ 42-game win streak. Otherwise, Middlebury has been terrific against ranked opponents, defeating No. 7 Babson, No. 13 Bowdoin and No. 11 Bates consecutively with an cumulative score of 12-1. Junior Charlotte Marks and sophomore Emily Stone continue to hold down a tight defense for the Panthers.

In conference play last season, Middlebury defeated Tufts 2-1 in a highly competitive overtime contest. The Jumbos met the Panthers again in the NCAA Elite 8 match – and were blanked 2-0.

DIII: No. 11 Kean vs. Stockton | 1:00 p.m. ET | Kean All-Access

Stockton (6-8, 0-5 NJAC) will fight for their first conference win against Kean (12-3, 2-2 NJAC) on Saturday afternoon.

Kean had been cruising through opponents with 10 straight victories when they were challenged with conference play. In these recent matches, the Cougars fell to No. 2 Rowan, 4-1, and The College of New Jersey, 3-1. Kean battled Ramapo on Tuesday night, coming out on top with a 4-1 victory. Senior Peyton Mann has been indispensable for the Cougars, leading her team with 19 goals and six assists. 

Stockton has one more chance to claim a conference win this season – and unfortunately it is against Kean. The Ospreys have been just shy of two conference wins after falling 2-1 to Ramapo and 2-1 in overtime against William Patterson. In their recent match against The College of New Jersey, Stockton could not find the momentum to keep the Lions out of the circle.

The Ospreys last won in 2018, but in the four games since have not been able to crack the Cougars. Last year, the match was decided in shootouts, ending 3-2 in favor of Kean. The Cougars hold the overall advantage at 17-3.

DIII: Southern Virginia vs. Meredith | 2:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats

Continuing to grow the game of field hockey in the south, the two USA South Athletic Conference field hockey programs will meet as Southern Virginia (1-9) hosts Meredith (0-12).

In 2021 – their inaugural season – Meredith clinched two 1-0 victories over conference rival Southern Virginia. This year, the Avenging Angels are led by Maryland alumna Colleen Cassada in her first season as head coach.

Now in their fourth season, Southern Virginia secured a huge 6-1 victory over Notre Dame of Maryland that set a new program record for most goals scored in a game. Freshman Carly Hoffer offered a stellar offensive performance, tallying her first career hat-trick.

Last season, the pair met three times, resulting in two wins for Meredith and one for Southern Virginia. These three victories combined for the duo’s only victories last season. The two are currently tied for all-time program wins.

Sunday, October 23, 2022

DI: No. 12 Syracuse vs. No. 19 Rutgers  | 12:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

No. 12 Syracuse (12-3, 2-2 ACC) welcomes No. 19 Rutgers (7-7, 3-4 B1G) for their final non-conference contest of the season.

The Orange will look to bounce back after a 6-1 defeat to No. 1 North Carolina last weekend, by taking on ACC conference foe No. 4 Louisville and non-conference opponent No. 19 Rutgers. Before dropping to the Tar Heels, Syracuse had five consecutive wins – including victories over No. 16 Boston College and No. 18 James Madison. 

With three straight Big Ten losses, the Scarlet Knights needed a big win and they got just that against No. 3 Northwestern. The pair of goals in the 2-1 victory over the Wildcats were scored by Dutch duo Iris Langejans and Indy van Ek. In their next match, Rutgers suffered a close 4-3 whirlwind loss to Maryland in which two goals were scored by each team in the final ten minutes of play.

After a few years apart, the Scarlet Knights hosted the Orange in 2021 and claimed a 3-2 overtime victory. With matchups dating all the way back to 1982, Syracuse holds a 21-7 advantage. 

DI: No. 21 Boston College vs. Boston University | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

In the Battle for Commonwealth Avenue, Boston University (7-7, 4-1 Patriot) will make the three-mile journey to take on rival No. 21 Boston College (6-8, 2-2 ACC). 

As a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Boston College always seems to have a tough go when it comes to conference play (no surprise – every team in the ACC is currently ranked.) The Eagles started off strong with a pair of wins against Virginia and Duke, but followed it up with losses to Syracuse and North Carolina. Junior Kara Heck tallied two goals in the close 4-3 attempt against the Tar Heels. It was the first game this season that North Carolina found themselves being outshot by their opponent. 

After dominating the Patriot League in three of the past five seasons, Boston University fell short in 2021. The Terriers are on a good trajectory this season, going 4-1 in conference play with one final matchup later in October. In their 2-1 win over conference opponent American, Boston University secured a ranked victory over the previously ranked No. 25 Eagles. 

In a long, storied history between the two that dates back to 1978, Boston College stands at a 22-18 record. The Eagles have won the past four meetings, collecting a 3-2 victory last year.

Monday, October 24, 2022

DIII: No. 12 MIT vs. Johnson & Wales | 6:00 p.m. ET | MIT Athletics

In their first ever meeting, No. 12 MIT (12-3, 6-1 NEWMAC) will host undefeated Johnson and Wales (14-0, 9-0 GNAC).

The Engineers defense has been standing strong this season – with five shutouts in their six NEWMAC wins. On the offensive side, senior Paige Forester scored the game-winner against Roger Williams and tallied a goal in the 4-0 win over Wellesley. Forester received the NEWMAC Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts. MIT’s lone conference loss came when the offense could not capitalize on their 12 shots and six corners against No. 10 Babson, falling 1-0. 

Johnson and Wales is looking for a repeat after winning their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title last year and they seem to be on the right track. The undefeated Wildcats have 14 wins, 62 goals and nine shutouts. Leading her team offensively, Jillian Miele has tallied 19 goals, scoring in 12 of 14 matches this season.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

DII: American International vs. Pace | 7:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats

American International (2-10, 1-6 NE10) welcomes Pace (6-6, 3-4 NE10) to Ronald J. Abdow Field for a Tuesday evening competition.

AIC has struggled to make headway in conference play so far, but luckily they still have six more opponents to face. Their lone Northeast-10 (NE10) victory came in a 2-1 contest against Molloy in which senior Na’Bree Wallace and junior Morgan Martellio scored a goal apiece. 

Seven games through their 13-game regular season, the Setters have settled at 3-4 in conference play. Pace recently had a heartbreaking 1-0 overtime loss against No. 8 Assumption despite outshooting the Greyhounds 19-9. 

The Setters overtook the Yellowjackets, 4-0, in conference play last season, after downing them 7-0 earlier in the season in a non-conference match. Previously, in 2019, Pace had just barely slipped by with a 4-3 overtime victory. The last time AIC claimed victory in this matchup was in 2016.

 

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

DII: No. 4 Kutztown vs. No. 5 Millersville | 7:00 p.m. ET | Golden Bears Sports Network

A pair of top-five teams go head-to-head on Wednesday night as No. 4 Kutztown (11-2, 3-1 PSAC) hosts conference rival No. 5 Millersville (10-2, 3-1 PSAC).

Last week, the pair took down the two undefeated, top teams in Division II. Millersville defeated No. 1 West Chester, 2-1, while Kutztown downed No. 2 Shippensburg, 4-1. 

After defeating Shippensburg, the Golden Bears went on to shutout Neumann 11-0 and No. 10 Bloomsburg 2-0. Leading scorer Rachel Dusman tallied a hat-trick against Neumann and contributed a goal and an assist against Shippensburg – earning her the honor of PSAC Offensive Player of the Week in addition to NFHCA Offensive Player of the Week.

Millersville was three for three in conference play until they faced East Stroudsburg this past week. The game was tied at nothing for almost its entirety – East Stroudsburg’s Jady van Gils scored the game-winner in the last second of the match. In their victory over West Chester, the Marauder’s leading scorer Kate Strickland tallied a goal.

Millersville has been dominant over Kutztown in recent history, having won 13 of the past 14 contests. Before that, Kutztown had claimed 22 wins out of 24 total matches. In the 2021 season, the Marauders claimed a 5-1 victory.

DIII: No. 17 Washington & Lee vs. No. 15 Shenandoah | 7:00 p.m. ET | W&L All-Access

Washington and Lee (11-2, 4-1 ODAC) look to topple Shenandoah (14-1, 5-0 ODAC) in Lexington, Va. on Wednesday night. 

Washington and Lee recently fell to Lynchburg, 2-3, in what was their first loss to a conference opponent since 2020 (Their only two losses in 2020 also were to Lynchburg.) The Generals leading scorer Freddie Tobeason tallied a goal in the defeat – and in the two games after – bringing her to a total of 11 on the season.

Shenandoah has been cruising through the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), outscoring the four teams 36-5. Included in the Hornets voracious offense is Mairead McKibbin – who is fourth nationally for goals per game (1.57) – and Farren Winter, who is fourth in assists per game (0.86). Shenandoah had been undefeated until last week, when they were blanked 2-0 by Christopher Newport.

Last season, the Hornets fell to the Generals in a 2-1 match, despite outshooting their opponent 24-9. In overall meetings, Shenandoah is 8-9.

DIII: Roanoke vs. No. 20 Lynchburg | 7:00 p.m. ET | YouTube

At the same time, Roanoke (11-4, 5-1 ODAC) will be testing their strength against No. 20 Lynchburg (13-3, 5-1 ODAC) in another ODAC showdown.

After five conference victories, Roanoke took on No. 17 Washington and Lee in the first of three consecutive ranked conference opponents. Against the Generals, the Maroons fought hard but came up short with a final score of 2-1. In the previous match, Roanoke toppled Randolph-Macon, 3-1, with the help of two goals from junior Saige Bullock. Bullock had a combined four goals over the past week and grabbed the ODAC Player of the Week honor.

Lynchburg has already taken on Shenandoah and Washington and Lee – splitting the results. The Hornets upset the Generals with three unanswered goals, including the game winner from leading scorer Emily Yanes. They were unable to do the same against Shenandoah, falling 2-1 after allowing two fourth quarter goals.

Last year, the Hornets’ 3-1 victory marked their 24th consecutive win against the Maroons. The last time Roanoke’s defeated Lynchburg, it was October 25, 2003. 

---

Division I rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Week 7 (posted October 18, 2022)
Division II rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II National Coaches Week 6 (posted October 18, 2022)
Division III rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Week 6 (posted October 18, 2022)

Photo Credit: Wagner Athletics/Matt Kipp, Penn Athletics/Michael Nance, Mount Olive Athletics/Bobby Williams, Southern Virginia Athletics, MIT Athletics/DSPics.com, Millersville Athletics