Weekend College Games: September 29 - October 5

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

Thursday, September 29, 2022 

DIII: Transylvania vs. Centre | 7:00 p.m. ET | Transy Sports Network

Transylvania (3-5) welcomes reigning Southern Athletic Association (SAA) conference companion Centre (3-3, 2-0 SAA) for a non-conference contest on Thursday evening.

The interim coaching staff of Natalie Hernandez and Hannah Varel have already helped lead the Pioneers to a more promising season after going winless in 2021. Transylvania started off their 2022 campaign with a bang by downing Medaille, 5-2, then followed it up with a victory over Southern Virginia, 6-2. The Pioneers are now coming off of a tough stretch of losses on the road, but will be back at their home field to take on the Colonels.

Centre could almost taste victory against No. 18 Lynchburg last week, but couldn’t find the offense needed in the 1-0 defeat. Sophomore Carlie McKenry was a force in goal, garnering ten saves throughout the match, and earned SAA Defensive Player of the Week honors.  

Last season, the Colonels ran away with a 7-0 victory over the Pioneers. Of all their 28 meetings, Transylvania has only defeated Centre once back in 2008.

Friday, September 30, 2022

DI: No. 12 Old Dominion vs. Villanova | 1:00 p.m. ET | Monarchs All-Access

Big East play continues this weekend with an afternoon meeting between No. 12 Old Dominion (6-2, 1-1 Big East) and Villanova (7-2, 1-1 Big East).

So far this fall, Old Dominion has shown their strength by downing a pair of top-25 opponents in Boston College and American. The Monarchs most recently breezed past Quinnipiac, 6-1, in a victory that included two goals apiece from senior Delphine Le Jenue and junior Aubrey Mytych. On the backline, freshman Sanci Molkenboer helped tame the Bobcat offense while also tallying her first collegiate goal. This week, Molkenboer was dubbed the Big East Freshman of the Week. 

The Wildcats have a tough task ahead of them. Even with several of their own solid wins under their belt, most notably a 3-2 victory over then-No. 24 Temple, Villanova has had trouble shutting out opponents’ offensive. Efforts from key defensive players such as senior Shannon Drakeley will continue to be critical in their upcoming match. The Wildcats most recently defeated neighboring La Salle in a tight 3-2 overtime win.

Although the last time the Wildcats won this meeting was in 2018, last season ended up being a narrow 3-2 victory for the Monarchs. ODU has nine wins overall to Villanova’s two.

DI: No. 10 Saint Joseph's vs. Richmond | 3:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

Reigning Atlantic 10 (A10) champion Saint Joseph's (6-3, 2-0 A10) hosts Richmond (5-4, 2-0 A10) on Friday afternoon in Philadelphia. The pair are both currently undefeated in conference play.

With recent success in their program, the Hawks have continued to challenge themselves in non-conference games. Saint Joseph’s three losses have all been to top-20 opponents. Most recently, the Hawks compiled back-to-back shutouts over Delaware and Lock Haven, the latter a 2-0 win in their A10 opener. For their performances in those shutouts, junior Manu Ghigliotti and senior Anna Miller were announced as the A10 Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. 

Richmond is looking to improve upon their 2021 season having already equalized their win count. The Spiders’ had a notable win early in the year against an unranked William and Mary side, that has now climbed as high as No. 15 in the polls. The Spiders also had a pair of one-goal losses to No. 14 Old Dominion and No. 17 Wake Forest. 

After a ten game win-streak for Richmond in the series that ran from 2006 to 2015, the Hawks have been on their own seven-game winning spree. Last fall, after a close 1-0 win from Saint Joseph’s in the regular season, the Hawks destroyed the Spiders, 8-1, (their largest margin of victory in this matchup) in the A10 Semifinals.

DI: Lafayette vs. Lehigh | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

The rivalry returns on Friday night when Lafayette (3-7, 0-2 Patriot) hosts Lehigh (5-5, 0-1 Patriot).

Despite their current 3-7 record, the Leopards have shown glimmers of greatness. In their most recent contest, Lafayette took down No. 7 Princeton in overtime by a score of 3-2. Freshman goalkeeper Raffi Fragomeni tallied a career-high 12 saves in the victory, and earned the honor of Patriot League Rookie of the Week.

 

Lehigh will be entering this rivalry game with a .500 winning percentage, most recently defeating Long Island University in a competitive 1-0 overtime match. Senior Sarah Bonthuis scored the game-winner, tallying her seventh goal of the season. The victory was the Mountain Hawks’ third straight coming off of a tough 4-1 loss to Patriot League companion Boston University.

The last five rivalry games have been closely contested – with Lehigh claiming three victories. Last season, the Mountain Hawks bested the Leopards in a thrilling 3-2 overtime match. Before these five matches, Lafayette had been on a 13-game win streak, and holds a 16-5 overall advantage.

DI: No. 3 Iowa vs. No. 4 Maryland | 12:00 p.m. ET | B1G+ ($)

A massive top-5, Big Ten (B1G) game takes place this Friday as No. 3 Iowa (8-1, 2-0 B1G) hosts No. 4 Maryland (9-1, 3-0 B1G). It’ll be a high intensity game that field hockey fans won’t want to miss.

In dramatic 2-0 fashion, Iowa toppled then-No.1 Northwestern and shattered the Wildcats’ perfect record last Friday. Junior Alex Wesneski scored both goals for the Hawkeyes and secured the B1G Offensive Player of the Week honors. Showing poise and strength on the defensive line in this game and all season, senior goalkeeper Grace McGuire snagged B1G Defensive Player of the Week. McGuire had eight saves in the shutout, and is currently second-best in goals against average (0.80) among Division I goalkeepers.

Led by head coach Missy Meharg in her 35th season, the Terrapins have been a dominant force this fall. With five ranked wins already secured, Maryland has two big challenges coming up with No. 3 Iowa on Friday and No. 2 Northwestern on Sunday. Sophomore Hope Rose - second in the division for points per game (2.70) - has not slowed down her initial offensive momentum. Making plays in the midfield for the Terps has been freshman Sophie Klautz, who earned the B1G Freshman of the Week for the second time this season. 

In their matchup last season, No. 1 Iowa pulled away with a 2-1 victory. All three goals came in the second half, with the Hawkeyes finding the game winner in the 49th minute.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

DI: Columbia vs. Cornell | 10:00 a.m. ET | ESPN+ ($)

Ivy League play continues this weekend, with Columbia (2-5, 0-1 Ivy) hosting Cornell (4-3, 1-0 Ivy) in New York, N.Y.

Both teams had an 8-9 season in 2021, but Cornell’s conference performance was slightly more successful than Columbia’s. After a recent 3-1 loss to No. 14 Harvard, the Lions seek to clinch their first conference win of the season. The Bears are looking for their second after a 3-1 victory over Dartmouth last week. Senior defender Caroline Ramsey led Cornell to victory with two goals on the day, putting her at five for the season.

The Bears have found themselves on a two game win streak against the Lions, with a comfortable 5-0 victory in 2021 but a tight 1-0 shootout win in 2019. Columbia last won the matchup in 2018, and holds five victories overall to Cornell’s 11.

DII: No. 3 Shippensburg vs. No. 2 East Stroudsburg | 1:00 p.m. ET | PSAC Sports

In a top-3 matchup, conference rivals Shippensburg (6-0) and East Stroudsburg (7-0, 1-0 PSAC) will look to give each other their first loss of the season.

After starting the year in the top spot, Shippensburg recently dropped behind East Stroudsburg in the rankings even without a loss on their record. The dominant Raiders had a few close extra time victories against Mansfield and Belmont Abbey, but most recently tallied nine goals in a shutout against Limestone. Both teams registered 2-0 wins over No. 6 Saint Anselm.

The Warriors have an added ranked victory – a 6-0 shutout against then-No. 4 Assumption. Their recent two victories combined for a 12-0 scoreline, with senior Madison Kline leading the offensive effort. Kline recorded two goals and an assist in the 5-0 victory against Adelphi, earning her the honor of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Offensive Athlete of the Week.

The pair’s last meeting was a tense one with the Raiders overcoming the Warriors, 2-1, in the NCAA Semifinals. Shippensburg’s Tess Jedeloo scored the game winner in the final two minutes of the contest. As recently as 2019, it was East Stroudsburg who claimed a 2-1 victory. The Warriors are 9-20 in overall meetings.

DII: No. 1 West Chester vs. No. 4 Kutztown | 1:00 p.m. ET | PSAC Sports

No. 1 West Chester (6-0) hosts No. 4 Kutztown (6-1) in their conference opener on Saturday afternoon.

Claiming the No. 1 spot for the third week in a row, the Golden Rams are a force to be reckoned with. They have outscored opponents 37-3, with sophomore Valerie van Kuijick sitting fourth in Division II for points per game (3.33) and second in assists per game (1.33). 

Kutztown has their own impressive stats, outscoring opponents 31-4. Freshman Erin Gonzalez and graduate student Rachel Dusman have worked well together on the offensive line, with six goals apiece. 

The Golden Bears and Golden Rams are often extremely competitive against each other. In the 2021 season, West Chester came away with two victories – a 3-1 win in the postseason and a 3-2 overtime win in the regular season. 2019 saw a split – with Kutztown winning the regular season matchup 3-2 in overtime and West Chester winning in the postseason. The Golden Rams have 14 wins to the Bears’ four.

DIII: Ramapo vs. Montclair State | 1:00 p.m. ET | Ramapo Live

Ramapo (7-2), the dark horse of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), opens their conference play with a contest against Montclair State (5-4) on Saturday.

The Roadrunners, looking to continue the momentum from their historic 2021 season, will be hungry for another win against the Red Hawks. Ramapo has already shown promise of another strong season, producing four shutouts out of their six wins. After her breakout season last fall in which she tallied 25 goals, senior Victoria Docherty continues to perform for the Roadrunners. Docherty has found the back of the cage seven times already, including the game winner in a 1-0 victory over Misericordia last week. 

Off to a rocky 0-4 start, the Red Hawks have turned it around with five straight victories to bring their season back above .500. Senior Lauren Pickul’s performance in goal helped lead her team on this win streak with three shutouts in those five wins, including against then-No. 20 Vassar. 

After 19 years and 17 losses, Ramapo finally clinched a 1-0 victory against Montclair State last October.

Sunday, October 2, 2022

DI: No. 11 Connecticut vs. No. 9 Princeton | 12:00 p.m. ET | FloSports ($)

Sunday at 12:00 p.m. ET, No. 9 Princeton (5-4, 1-0 Ivy) hosts No. 11 Connecticut (6-2, 1-1 Big East).

After four straight ranked victories, the Huskies found themselves with a 0-4 defeat to conference foe Liberty. Before that shutout, UConn picked up their first conference win against then-No. 16 William and Mary. Senior McKenna Sergi netted two goals for the Huskies, whose offense has seen ten different contributors find the back of the cage this season.

It was a big win for the Tigers when they downed No. 3 Maryland in overtime last week. Beth Yeager, Ivy League’s Offensive Player of the Week, had two goals, the tying goal and overtime winner. UConn will remember Yeager, who scored both goals in Princeton’s 2-0 win last season. Recently, Princeton was upset by Lafayette in a 3-2 overtime match – despite outshooting the Leopards 21-9, the Tigers could not find the back of the cage when they needed to. 

In 2021, the Huskies found themselves with a tough 2-1 loss in overtime. After a regular season win in 2019, UConn suffered a season-ending defeat at the hands of Princeton in the NCAA Elite Eight. In overall meetings, the Huskies stand at 17-11. 

DIII: No. 3 Tufts vs. No. 5 Trinity | 12:00 p.m. ET | NSN

In what has the makings of a  thrilling conference matchup, No. 3 Tufts (7-1, 5-0 NESCAC) and No. 5 Trinity (8-0, 4-0 NESCAC) will battle it out on Sunday.

Tufts will look to continue their forward momentum from the past few seasons, making it all the way to the NCAA Final in 2018 and not dipping below a .750 overall winning percentage since. The Jumbos have seemed unstoppable thus far, with seven straight wins until No. 10 Babson took control in Tuesday night’s game. Both defensive lines played tough, allowing only nine shots on goal between the two teams – but the Beavers claimed a 2-1 victory in the heated competition. Despite the loss, Tufts remains unbeaten in conference play.

Trinity, who fell in the final four of the NCAA Tournament last season, has had continued success so far this year. At 8-0 on the season, the Bantams are off to their best start since 2009. Graduate student Caelin Flaherty, who tallied two goals and an assist against Springfield, leads Division III in assists per game at 1.17.

In the past seven meetings, victory has been claimed by the Jumbos. They shut out the Bantams, 4-0, last season in a statistically close contest. In overall meetings, Tufts has 14 wins to Trinity’s four. 

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

DII: No. 10 Newberry vs. No. 8 Converse | 7:00 p.m. ET | FloSports ($)

The fourth in a 12-game slew of conference matchups, No. 10 Newberry (5-2, 2-0 SAC) will host No. 10 Converse (6-0, 3-0 SAC) on Tuesday night.

The Wolves started off their conference performance with a pair of away wins over Limestone and Lincoln Memorial. Undefeated on their home turf at Setzler Field, Newberry kicks off three straight home games with a match against Lander on Saturday before hosting the Valkyries. 

Undefeated Converse has been extremely efficient with their offense as several Valkyries are leaders in the Division II statbook. Sophomore Lotte Kanters holds the top spot for points per game (4.80) and goals per game (2.20) – scoring three in the recent victory over Wingate. Freshman Kilee Bradeen is fifth in points per game (3.00) and sophomore Luisa Fasold is third in assists per game (1.20). Defensively, Converse has only allowed two goals in their net this season.

The two opponents meet up to play twice every season in conference play, although it was three times in 2021 as they also met in the conference semifinal. At their home stadium, Newberry won 1-0 in overtime; but fell 2-1 in overtime when Converse had the home field advantage. Continuing along that trend, the Wolves were defeated 4-1 in the postseason meeting that took place on the Valkyries’ home turf. Newberry holds the advantage at 8-3 in all time meetings.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

DIII: No. 17 Lynchburg vs. No. 14 Washington & Lee | 4:00 p.m. ET | YouTube

In a repeat of last season’s Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) title match, No. 17 Lynchburg (8-1) will take on No. 14 Washington and Lee (7-1).

Lynchburg is on a six-game win streak, which includes a rowdy 2-0 victory against then-No. 3 Johns Hopkins. Stellar defense and 16 saves from junior goalkeeper Kayla Brady kept the Blue Jays off the board, while the Hornets’ three shots on goal cashed in for two goals. Lynchburg’s early season loss came from then-No. 13 Ursinus in double overtime.

Last year, the Generals 3-1 win over Lynchburg secured an ODAC Championship. In the postseason, Washington and Lee downed Scranton 2-0 to advance to the NCAA Semifinal for the first-time in program history. Their historic 18-1 season ended with a defeat at the hands of the Rowan Profs. The Generals have continued to make strides this season, with their single loss being to then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins. Six of their eight contests so far have been shutouts – splitting time in goal has been junior Abby Long and freshman Julia McDonald.

Washington and Lee’s two wins over Lynchburg last season snapped a four-game win streak in the two program’s history, but the Hornets still claim a majority of wins overall against the Generals at 20-8.

DIII: No. 4 Salisbury vs. No. 16 York | 6:00 p.m. ET | SGSN

Undefeated No. 4 Salisbury (9-0) welcomes No. 16 York (7-2, 2-0 MACC) to Sea Gull Stadium in Maryland on Wednesday. 

The Gulls have been unstoppable so far, defeating formidable opponents like No. 16 TCNJ, No. 8 Messiah and No. 3 Johns Hopkins. They have outscored their foes 44-5, averaging almost five goals per game. Senior Allie Davis leads the squad in points with nine goals (including two at Hopkins) and four assists. As last year’s Coast-to-Coast Conference Champions, Salisbury are well on its way to extending their streak of 27 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Defense is key with the Spartans this season – all seven wins have been shutouts while the two losses bring them to a total of just three goals against. Then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins was able to slip past the defensive line, scoring on a penalty stroke to defeat York, 1-0. Despite their two losses, the Spartans have begun conference play with a perfect 2-0 record.

York has never defeated Salisbury in all their meeting, which date back to 1998. The Gulls will be defending their perfect 30-game record after a 2-0 victory last season.

DIII: Simmons vs. Saint Joseph's College of Maine | 5:00 p.m. ET | Simmons Athletics

Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play ramps up this weekend, and includes a game between Simmons (8-1, 3-1 GNAC) and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine (7-3, 4-0 GNAC). 

Simmons gathered their first defeat of the season to conference opponent Johnson and Wales, who Saint Joseph’s will take on this Saturday. Sophomore Sydney Gonyea scored the lone goal in the 2-1 loss – tallying her tenth of the season. The Sharks have had an impressive six shutouts on their season thus far.

Saint Joseph’s looks to continue their perfect record in conference play this weekend. The Monk’s most recent loss was a 4-0 defeat at the hands of No. 8 Kean, but they were able to bounce back with a big 12-2 victory over Regis. Against the Cougars, sophomore goalkeeper Kassidy Collins had herself a day with 25 saves. Collins’ performance over the past week, which included a .837 save percentage, earned her the title of GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week.

Last season, the Sharks pulled out a shocking 2-1 victory over the Monks. It was Simmons first victory in this matchup since 2015.

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Division I rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Week 4 (posted September 27, 2022)
Division II rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II National Coaches Week 3 (posted September 27, 2022)
Division III rankings based off of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Week 3 (posted September 27, 2022)

Photo Credit: Centre Athletics/Chris Zollner, Lehigh Athletics, Kutztown Athletics/Chris Sponagle, Princeton Athletics/Shelley Szwast, Converse Athletics, Salisbury Athletics