Weekend College Games: September 2 - 4

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

Friday, September 2, 2022

DI: No. 18 Duke vs. No. 1 Northwestern | 3:00 p.m. ET | ACCNX ($)

No. 18 Duke (2-0) takes on reigning champion No. 1 Northwestern (2-0) as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge this Friday. 

Duke had two long and hard-fought victories last weekend, showing everyone that the Blue Devils are a force to be reckoned with to start the season. After staying deadlocked through double overtime against No. 8 Rutgers, they won in shootouts, earning head coach Pam Bustin her 300th win. Duke entered double overtime again in their second match against No. 16 Saint Joseph's and secured the victory with a goal from sophomore Josephine Palde. Junior goalkeeper Piper Hampsch’s stellar weekend performance - which included a combined eleven saves -earned her the NFHCA Division I Defensive Player of the Week.

Meanwhile, No. 1 Northwestern are coming off the high of winning their first NCAA Championship trophy, as well as two top-25 victories this past weekend. The Wildcats tallied nine goals while dispatching No. 22 Maine and No. 25 Massachusetts. Bente Baekers, back after a phenomenal season, was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week – the fourth time she has received this honor.

Included in the Wildcats' championship-winning season was their first win against the Blue Devils since 2013.

DI: No. 14 Boston College vs. No. 5 Maryland | 6:00 p.m. ET | ACCNX ($)

ACC/Big Ten Challenge hosts No. 14 Boston College (1-1) will take on No. 5 Maryland (2-0) on Friday evening.

The Terrapins started off their season with a solid 7-1 victory against Drexel and followed it up with a narrow 1-0 win over Stanford. Midfielder Sophie Klautz clinched the first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor of the season after scoring twice in her debut against Drexel.

The Eagles are currently 1-1 after securing a 5-0 victory against Providence, then falling 3-2 to No. 19 Old Dominion. Senior Margo Carlin made a strong start, with one goal and two assists in the season opener against Providence. 

In last year’s ACC/Big 10 Challenge, BC defeated Maryland in a close 3-2 match. The two teams go back-and-forth with their wins and losses, with the Terrapins having won four times in the last seven meetings.

DI: No. 12 Virginia vs. Temple | 6:00 p.m. ET | ACCNX ($)

No. 12 Virginia’s (1-1) home opener comes against an unbeaten Temple (2-0) side on Friday night in Charlottesville.

The Cavaliers dropped their season opener, 3-2, to No. 11 Penn State. Two days later, they entered the win column, handing No. 17 Delaware a 4-1 defeat behind two goals from Laura Janssen. Virginia lost to the Nittany Lions in last year’s season opener as well, but rattled off four wins in a row after which could portend troubles for Temple.

The Owls are flying high to start 2022, having dispatched their in-state rivals in Lafayette and Lehigh. Temple slipped past the Leopards, 1-0, on the road before returning home to rout the Mountain Hawks, 6-0. It’ll be a particularly exciting game for the Owls’ second-year head coach Michelle Vittese, as she’s a Virginia alumna and was a three-time All-American with the Cavaliers.

Saturday, September 3, 2022

DI: Albany vs. No. 11 Penn State | 1:00 p.m. ET | AETV

After welcoming in another Big Ten foe last weekend, Albany (1-1) hosts No. 11 Penn State (1-1) on Saturday.

The Great Danes cruised past Northeastern before falling to No. 22 Ohio State, 3-0, in New York last week. Under the watchful eye of Phil Sykes, Albany has posted 15 straight winning seasons - excluding the COVID-shortened season - and will be looking to avenge a narrow 3-1 loss to Penn State last year.

The Nittany Lions also split their opening weekend, beating No. 12 Virginia before dropping a narrow one-goal decision to ninth-ranked Louisville. Sophia Gladieux, who totaled 18 goals a year ago, has paced the Penn State offense with a pair of goals.

Sunday, September 4, 2022

DI: No. 9 Louisville vs. No. 13 Princeton | 11:00 a.m. ET | ACCNX ($)

The Ivy League begins play this week, and No. 13 Princeton will open their season participating in an Ivy League/ACC crossover. No. 2 North Carolina will host No. 9 Louisville (2-0), Pennsylvania and Princeton in Chapel Hill, N.C.

After taking on the Tar Heels on Friday, Princeton will face Louisville on Sunday morning. The Cardinals matched their program record for wins last season with a 16-4 finish, and began their 2022 with two victories, including one over No.11 Penn State. 

The duo have met twice before, most recently in 2021, when the Cardinals escaped the Tigers with a 3-2 overtime victory.

DI: No. 15 Connecticut vs. No. 7 Harvard | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

No. 7 Harvard hosts No. 15 Connecticut (2-0) on Sunday afternoon in Cambridge, Mass.

The Huskies started off their season with a pair of home wins, building back up after their 11-11 record last fall. UConn had a series of close losses amidst a plethora of ranked opponents during the 2021 campaign. 

The Crimson earned a top-10 nod in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Preseason Poll after a 17-2 season – with its sole regular season loss being to the Huskies in shootouts. Despite this narrow loss, the Crimson hasn’t won in this matchup since 2005. These long-time rivals had their first recorded clash in 1987.

DI: No. 21 American vs. No. 19 Old Dominion | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

No. 21 American (1-1) is set to host No. 19 Old Dominion (1-1) in the nation’s capital on Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles came in at No. 21 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Preseason Coaches Poll. American split their opening weekend in Michigan, beating Central Michigan and falling to Michigan State.

As anticipated, Old Dominion’s contest against No. 14 Boston College last weekend was a tight one. Junior Marlon De Bruijne scored the game-winner for the Monarchs off a penalty corner in the final three minutes of regulation. 

The Eagles lost, 3-2, in overtime to the Monarchs in their 2021 matchup. Old Dominion holds the overall record of 9-3 against American.

Weekend Tournaments:

ACC/Big Ten Challenge:

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge continues this weekend, hosted by Boston College in Newton, Mass. 

This weekend, the challenge features Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams in No. 18 Duke and No. 14 Boston College up against No. 4 Maryland and reigning champion No. 1 Northwestern from the Big Ten. All games will be available on the ACC Network ($).

Friday, September 2, 2022

No. 18 Duke vs. No. 1 Northwestern | 3:00 p.m. ET
No. 14 Boston College vs. No. 4 Maryland | 6:00 p.m. ET

Sunday, September 4, 2022

No. 18 Duke vs. No. 4 Maryland | 12:00 p.m. ET
No. 14 Boston College vs. No. 1 Northwestern | 4:00 p.m. ET

ACC/Ivy Challenge:

North Carolina hosts fellow ACC team Louisville and two members of the Ivy League, Princeton and Pennsylvania, this weekend. All games will be available to stream on ACC Network ($).

Friday, September 2, 2022

No. 9 Louisville vs. Pennsylvania | 2:30 p.m. ET
No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Princeton | 5:00 p.m. ET

Sunday, September 4, 2022

No. 9 Louisville vs. No. 14 Princeton | 11:00 a.m. ET
No. 2 North Carolina vs. Pennsylvania | 1:30 p.m. ET

Last Weekend's Results:

ACC/Big Ten Challenge:

No. 2 North Carolina was out for revenge after losing to both Michigan and Iowa in this tournament last fall. The Tar Heels opened their season by handily defeating the third-ranked Wolverines, 5-1, in a victory that included a hat trick from freshman Ashley Sessa. 

No. 5 Iowa started out their match against UNC with a two-goal lead that vanished in the second half after a burst of Tar Heel energy. The heated match entered overtime, where NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week Erin Matson secured the win for North Carolina. 

In a double-overtime thriller, Iowa defeated No. 20 Wake Forest, 2-1. Graduate transfer Sky Caron tallied her first assist for the Demon Deacons and displayed strong leadership in the backfield. 

Michigan beat Wake Forest, 3-1, powered by two goals from freshman Abby Tamer. Wake held the Wolverines to a 1-1 score in a game that seemed destined for overtime–but instead had two Michigan goals in the last eight minutes of the match.

Battle of the Banks:

No. 8 Rutgers opened their campaign by hosting the first “Battle on the Banks” tournament, featuring No. 18 Duke and No. 16 Saint Joseph’s. The high-powered trio of teams faced off over two days.

The Scarlet Knights battled through two overtimes against the Blue Devils, eventually falling in shootouts. Rutgers took on Saint Joseph’s on Sunday, and after a 0-0 halftime score, the Hawks unleashed their offensive strength on the Scarlet Knights. In what ended up being a 5-0 victory for St Joe’s, junior Lily Santi had two goals and three assists. The third and final game of the battle saw Duke slipping past the Hawks in double overtime.

Hoosier Invitational:

Indiana opened their season with the Hoosier Invitational, welcoming a first-time foe in No. 6 Liberty and an old nemesis, Kent State. Liberty made a statement to start off the tournament with an emphatic 9-0 victory over Kent State. The Hoosiers’ battle against Kent State, however, was forced into overtime - just as three of the previous four matches between the pair have. This time, Kent State walked away with the victory. 

The invitational wrapped up with a 2-0 win for the Flames over the Hoosiers. Liberty is a remarkable 19-1 over its last 20 games dating back to September 2021. A 2-0 start seems like nothing new for the Flames.

Division I rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Preseason Poll (posted August 23, 2022)

Photo Credit: Penn State Athletics/Craig Houtz, Duke Athletics/Rich Graessle, Connecticut Athletics/Brian Foley