College Games to Watch: October 3 - 9

Each week, USA Field Hockey highlights upcoming college games to watch. This edition covers the week of October 3 - October 9.

Reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) champion Sacred Heart (3-6, 2-0 NEC) comes into this matchup 2-0 in conference play. The Pioneers have taken down Mercyhurst, 1-0, and just recently defeated Merrimack in shootouts. Samantha Maresca has started all nine games in net, boasting a .760 save percentage and 57 stops this season. 

Saint Francis (6-2, 2-0 NEC) also comes into this matchup 2-0 in conference play, picking up wins against Mercyhurst and Stonehill. The Red Flash  are led offensively by Consu de Castro with six goals and two assists. In goal is Mia DiGenova, holding a .783 save percentage after nine games. Dolores Zavaleta played a pivotal role in the win over Stonehill last week, and earned a NEC Prime Performer Selection alongside DiGenova.

Last fall, the Pioneers ended the season for the Red Flash by taking a 1-0 OT win in the NEC Semifinal. 

With conference play underway, these two Patriot League teams will battle it out this Friday.

Boston comes into this matchup 4-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play, most recently taking down Lehigh, 3-0, after losing in overtime to Bucknell. Payton Anderson, who tallied the lone goal against the Bison and scored twice against the Mountain Hawks, leads the scoring for the Terriers. Freshman Addison Jay also had a strong game against Lehigh, picking up her first assist and earning Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors.

Holy Cross (4-5, 0-2) is on the hunt for their first conference win after falling to Bucknell and Lafayette. Meggan Fourie and Sarah Potter have been the primary offense generators, combining for ten goals in the first nine games. Freshman Mia McCloskey has been the starting keeper for the Crusaders, putting up a save percentage of .753.

The last time the Terriers and Crusaders faced off was last September, in which Boston came away with a 4-0 victory.

It’s a big rivalry matchup in this Ivy League contest Friday afternoon in Cambridge, Mass.

No. 9 Harvard (7-1, 2-0 Ivy) looks to continue its winning streak, both overall and in conference play. The Crimson snapped No. 19 Massachusetts' win streak last Sunday, defeating them in shootouts. The winning shootout goal came from offensive leader Lara Beekhuis – her fifth gamewinner of the season. After a stellar performance in goal that included eight saves, Tessa Shahbo was named the Ivy League Player of the Week. Harvard's two Ivy wins came against Dartmouth and Brown.

Yale (6-2, 1-1 Ivy) looks to bring their momentum from their most recent 4-2 victory over Quinnipiac into this Ivy League game, and bring their conference record to over .500. The Bulldogs have played both of their conference games into overtime, losing to Brown but pulling out the win against UPenn last weekend. Offensive weapon Poppy Beales tallied both goals in the 2-1 OT win, and was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week.

With each team holding an Ivy League Player of the Week and talent on both ends of the field, this should make for a close matchup. Last season, the Crimson took a narrow 3-2 win.

Williams (8-0, 5-2 NESCAC) comes into this game as one of two undefeated New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) teams. The Ephs had a dominating performance last weekend, downing Bowdoin, 5-2, and shutting out Colby, 2-0. Junior Kiki Higgins has been a key player in keeping the undefeated record alive, tallying three goals and two assists over the two wins. The Ephs defense has only conceded two goals this season – both in the recent game against Bowdoin. Goalkeeper Ellie Smith has a .909 save percentage on the season, putting her third in Division III.

Bates (6-2, 3-1 NESCAC) has had a strong start to conference play, losing only to  No. 12 Wesleyan, 5-1. The Bobcats are coming off of two big wins – a 6-0 victory against Castleton and a 2-1 victory over then-No. 9 Amherst. Senior Anna Cote has been a strong offensive presence recently, scoring two goals in the game against Castleton and tallying an assist in the win over Amherst.

The pair last met in the 2023 NESCAC Semifinals, where Williams came away with the win 2-1. Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg scored the lone goal for the Bobcats, but Higgins were able to capitalize in the fourth quarter to help push the Ephs into the NESCAC Final. 

Bryn Mawr (8-1, 1-0 CC) has been enjoying a successful 2024 campaign so far, picking up seven straight wins and five consecutive against ranked teams since their lone loss on September 1. The Owls opened up conference play on Wednesday, taking down the Swarthmore Garnet, 1-0. Bryn Mawr scored late in the game when Sophie Vagts found the back of the net off of Maggie Barilla’s deflected shot. 11 different Owls have scored in the first ten contests – five with three or more goals.

Franklin & Marshall (5-4, 2-0) comes in with a pair of Centennial Conference wins after taking down Washington College and Dickinson this past week. Sophomores Hannah Fitzgerald and Caroline Krisko have started off conference play with two goals apiece. The Diplomats are 0-2 against ranked opponents so far this season, falling to No. 9 SUNY Cortland in overtime and getting shut out by No. 5 Christopher Newport.

After falling 1-0 to the Diplomats last season, Bryn Mawr looks to come out with a win.

Northeast-10 (NE10) preseason favorite Assumption (6-3, 4-0 NE10) has stood up to the challenge so far, picking up four consecutive conference wins. In addition, the Greyhounds have won two out of their three matches against PSAC/ranked opponents – early season victories over No. 4 West Chester and No. 3 East Stroudsburg. Their most recent win over New Haven was a 5-0 shutout, with goals from four different athletes. 

Pace (5-4, 2-2) has split their conference play so far, bouncing back from a tight 3-2 loss to Saint Anselm last Saturday with a 6-2 midweek victory over St Thomas Aquinas. Kristina Dietz and Katelyn Fairhurst each notched two in the win. Dietz now has 24 points on the season, sitting third in Division II for points per game (2.67).

The past five meetings between the two have been decided by a single goal. In the 2023 NE10 Semifinal, the Greyhounds took down the Setters, 1-0.

A storied rivalry continues on Sunday afternoon when No. 6 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State clash in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ohio State (9-0, 1-0) stays undefeated after this weekend, picking up a fourth win against ranked opponents. The 4-3 win over No. 16 Louisville propelled the Buckeyes to their best start in program history, as Makenna Webster picked up her ninth and tenth goals of the season. Powered by a stout defense, goalkeeper Abby Danson sits fourth in Division I for goals against average (0.80).

Michigan (7-1, 1-0) is on their way to an improved season after finishing 9-8 in 2023. The Wolverines have already outscored their previous year’s goal total of 38, picking up six this past weekend with wins over Michigan State and Miami (Ohio). The offense has been spread out, with 12 different athletes tallying so far, and Kate McLaughlin leading with nine. 

After losing 13 consecutive matchups, Ohio State was finally victorious over Michigan last season, taking a dominant 5-1 win.

The leader of the Big East will clash with the America East frontrunner this Sunday afternoon in Albany, N.Y.

It’s been impressive play from No. 8 UConn and No. 13 UAlbany so far, each team boasting ranked wins and just a single loss. For the Huskies (9-1, 2-0 Big East), it was a narrow 3-2 defeat at the hands of No. 9 Harvard. The Great Danes (8-1, 2-0 AE), who defeated Harvard 3-2 in overtime, fell to No. 4 Ohio State in their season opener.

Last Sunday, UConn pulled out a 2-1 overtime victory at Delaware off two goals from Julia Bresser, earning her the honor of Big East Offensive Player of the Week. It was a nice day for UAlbany as well, as the Huskies took down then-No. 14 Liberty, 4-2. Alison Smisdom, who leads the Great Danes with 15 goals and is third in Division I in points per game (3.44), tallied a hat trick.

This pair hasn’t met since the 2014 NCAA Semifinal, where UConn defeated UAlbany, 1-0.

It’s another Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) showdown as No. 1 Shippensburg travels to No. 4 West Chester on Wednesday.

Still undefeated, Shippensburg (8-0, 2-0 PSAC) shut out Millersville and No. 5 Bloomsburg to pick up their first two conference wins last week. Goalkeeper Emma Albee leads Division II in save percentage (.962) while the whole defensive unit has only allowed two goals so far. Agus Garibaldi, who sits fourth in the division in points per game (2.50), tallied the gamewinner against Millersville.

West Chester (7-3, 1-1) had trouble against Bloomsburg this past Tuesday, falling 1-0 in a tight match. Before that, the Golden Rams picked up their first PSAC win against Slippery Rock, 6-2. A hat trick from senior Jasmine Miller – her second of the season – earned her PSAC Athlete of the Week. Ryan Curley has been strong in goal, ranking fourth in Division II in save percentage (0.833).

In their long history of matchups, Shippensburg leads 16-11, and has won the past eight.

It’ll be the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) opener for No. 15 Shenandoah next Wednesday. The 7-2 Hornets are currently riding a five-game win streak, which includes a huge upset against No. 2 Salisbury. Despite trailing in shots and penalty corners, the Shenandoah defense kept the Sea Gulls off the board for the full 62 minutes, with Cassidy Morrison scoring in overtime. Senior goalkeeper Taylor Swann made ten saves on the day.

Washington & Lee will be out for revenge after losing the Hornets 2-0 in last year’s ODAC Semifinal. The 6-2 Generals begin their ODAC campaign this Saturday against Eastern Mennonite. Washington & Lee recently had their own upset, taking down No. 24 Stevens in overtime. Goalkeeper Julia McDonald notched seven saves in the win.