College Games to Watch: September 12 - 18
by Caitlin Rubsamen, USA Field Hockey’s College Content Intern
Each week, USA Field Hockey highlights upcoming college games to watch. This edition covers the week of September 12 - 18.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2024 #
DI: No. 19 UAlbany vs No. 7 Harvard University | 4:00 PM ET | ESPN
In a top 20 matchup, the UAlbany Great Danes travel to Cambridge, Mass. to take on Harvard on Friday the 13th.
After losing to No. 8 Ohio State University in their season opener, the Great Danes (3-1) improved to a three game win streak, most recently picking up a shootout victory against Cornell. All-American senior Alison Smisdom, who already has 12 points to the season, played a key role in the win – scoring the opening goal, notching the gamewinning shootout, and making a career-high three defensive saves. Sophomore Mara Küskes and senior Floor de Ruiter have also contributed to the offense thus far, combining for 16 points in four games. UAlbany has had a solid goalkeeping performance from senior Lara Behn.
The No. 7 Crimson (2-0) look to secure their third straight win of the season this Friday. They have taken down William and Mary, 6-0, and then-No. 18 ranked Wake Forest, 1-0. First-year Emily Bronckers has led this Harvard team so far in scoring, notching two goals in the win against William & Mary. In the tight 1-0 win over Wake Forest, Emily Guckian scored the match's lone goal on a penalty stroke, while the Crimson defense limited the Demon Deacons to just three shots on goal.
Both Harvard and UAlbany are tough teams with returning talent. The only other time this duo met was in 2019, when Harvard won, 2-1, in overtime.
DI: No. 3 Virginia at No. 5 Maryland | 7:00 PM ET | B1G+
The Cavaliers (3-0) look to build upon their 3-0 record after defeating Penn State, 2-1; Temple, 7-0; and Liberty, 2-1. Graduate student Suze Leemans contributed to these efforts by tallying three goals. Emma Watchilla and Caroline Nemec have each tallied two goals so far, the latter firing the gamewinning shot in the final minutes against Liberty. Goalkeeper Tyler Kennedy has had a strong start to her season in cage, with a .846 save percentage, only allowing two goals.
The Terps (3-1) look to bounce back after a tough 1-0 loss to Duke last Sunday. The defeat came after a strong start to the season, with wins against No. 9 Louisville, Drexel, and No. 17 Boston College. Maryland has a slew of offensive weapons, including Hope Rose, who tallied the double overtime gamewinner against Louisville, and Ella Gaitan, who scored her first collegiate goal against Boston College last week.
The Cavaliers and the Terps both have the experience, talent, and grit to make this Friday's game a tight battle. In their long history of match-ups, Maryland leads 46-23-2, with Virginia winning the most recent meeting, 4-0, in the 2023 NCAA Quarterfinals.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2024 #
Saturday, September 14 is National Field Hockey Day! Celebrate by finding a college or high school game near you and attending.
DIII: No. 17 Ithaca vs No. 9 York | 2:00 PM ET | Youtube
No. 17 Ithaca is back at home this Saturday to host No. 9 York at Higgins Stadium.
Two away contests proved to be tough for Ithaca (3-2) this past week, as the Bombers fell to No. 23 New Paltz and No. 12 Cortland. Despite the recent losses, Ithaca made one of the biggest jumps up in the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Rankings after their opening three wins, which included a 4-0 shutout over then-No. 12 Kean. Off the bench, sophomore Abby Hennessy scored the winning goal in back-to-back matches – in the 3-1 win over St. John Fisher and 1-0 victory over Misericordia.
York (4-0) on the other hand has retained a perfect 4-0 record, most recently taking down Swarthmore with a goal in the final minutes from freshman Bella Reiss. Senior goalkeeper Belle Fields set a new school record with her 19th career shutout, and second of the season. Riley Bushert tallied at least one goal a match in the other three wins, as she currently leads the team in points (9).
Saturday’s match will be just the second time the Bombers and Spartans are meeting. In 2023, York came out on top with a 2-1 win.
DII: No. 3 Shippensburg vs No. 4 Assumption | 4:00 PM ET | PSAC Network
No. 3 Shippensburg (2-0) looks to extend their undefeated record after taking down No. 7 Mount Olive and Belmont Abbey last weekend. Returning two-time All-American Agus Garibaldi has notched five points on the season thus far, while freshman Anne Gardener started off her college campaign by scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Mount Olive. The win marked the 100th victory for head coach Tara Zollinger, now in her seventh season with the Raiders.
Meanwhile, the No. 4 Greyhounds also hope to remain undefeated after an incredible opening weekend. Assumption defeated No. 6 West Chester, 1-0, then took down No. 2 East Stroudsburg University, 2-1. Elle Murray picked up right where she left off last season, notching two crucial goals and one assist in the first two games. Sophomore Julia Carbone put away the gamewinner against the Warriors, while senior Mia Salah assisted a goal in each win. Assumption has also had stellar goalkeeping in the first two games of the season from NFHCA Division II Defensive Player of the Week Paige Gillette, who currently holds a .944 save percentage on the season.
This duo met last year for just the second time, with Shippensburg winning 6-1.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2024 #
DIII: No. 4 Babson vs No. 1 Middlebury | 12:00 PM ET | FloSports
Babson (4-1) started off their season with three wins but fell just shy of a fourth victory in overtime against No. 8 Williams College this past Saturday. The Beavers bounced right back with an impressive 3-0 weekday win over No. 7 Bates. The DiGiovani sisters have been leading the offense, combining for 11 points. Caroline DiGiovanni tallied three goals in the 4-2 opening win over Endicott, then assisted her sister Helen's winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Roger Williams. It’s been a strong performance in net thus far for Bayla Furmanek, who has a save percentage of .833 in four games and picked up the NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week award.
Middlebury (2-0, 1-0 NESCAC), who has not been defeated since October 2022 when Trinity beat them 2-1, opened up their 2024 season with two wins. A 7-0 shutout over Castleton was followed by a 3-1 conference win over Hamilton. The Panthers have already had much offensive success this season, led by veteran players like Caroline Segal, who tallied two goals in each of the two wins. To answer the question of who would start in the cage for the Panthers this year, so far it has been Izzy Redzic, who currently holds a .800 save percentage.
Babson was the only team to come within one goal of Middlebury in 2023, falling 3-2. The Panthers have only lost one match to the Beavers in their 13 meetings, back in 2017.
DIII: No. 22 Bryn Mawr vs No. 10 Lynchburg | 1:00 PM ET | CC Network
No. 10 Lynchburg and No. 22 Bryn Mawr will meet for the first time this Sunday.
After a strong first two weeks of their season, previously unranked Bryn Mawr find themselves back in the top 25. The Owls (3-1) enter the weekend 3-1, with three games – two of them wins – ending in overtime. The most recent was a Wednesday night match-up against No. 14 ranked TCNJ. Previously, Bryn Mawr defeated Widener and then-No. 12 Kean University, sandwiching an overtime loss to No. 13 MIT. Junior forward Novy Goetgeluk has not missed a beat since last season, and has found herself as the current points leader going into week three. Seven other Owls have also found the back of the net so far, including Noor Werndelij, who tallied the golden goal - and first in her career – in Bryn Mawr’s most recent victory over TCNJ.
The No. 10 Lynchburg Hornets (3-0) look to maintain their undefeated record. With the opening 4-1 win over DePauw, Jenni Releford picked her first win as head coach. Danielle Coon and Jill Pleiter lead the scoring for the Hornets so far this season, tallying three each. Pleiter was the hero of the most recent match, netting both goals in the 2-0 victory over Mary Washington. After getting some experience last season, goalkeeper Shay Schoones has stepped up for the Hornets so far this season, allowing only a single goal against.
DI: No. 8 Ohio State vs No. 18 Old Dominion | 12:00 PM ET | ESPN+
The Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) have been an offensive threat in their first four games, scoring a total of 20 goals while holding their opponents to just two goals allowed. These offensive contributions have come in large part from graduate student Makenna Webster and sophomore Brenna Bough, who have found the back of the net a combined nine times. Goalkeeper Abby Danson started off strong with a .895 save percentage that puts her third in Division I.
The Old Dominion Monarchs (4-0) have also put up big numbers offensively thus far, outscoring opponents 19-1. While goalkeeper Suus Broers and the Monarch defense has only allowed one goal against, Tess Jedeloo has helped lead the offensive charge, scoring seven goals in her first four games. Jedeloo joins this team after playing her first three seasons for the Division II powerhouse Shippensburg, and was this week’s Big East Offensive Player of the Week and NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week.
Neither of these teams have allowed many goals this season, so expect a lot of offensive energy from both sides of the field this Sunday.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2024
DII: D'Youville vs Mansfield | 4:00 PM ET | ECC Sports Network
In their inagural season, D'Youville (2-0) opened with a 6-4 victory, then followed it up with their first home win – a 3-0 shutout against Roberts Wesleyan. The Saints are led by head coach Nicole Scott, who comes with previous coaching experience at Cedar Crest, Frostburg State, and Kings. Graduate transfer Kelsey Robertson, who currently leads Division II in points per game (5.5), will be very familiar with Wednesday's opponent – having played out her undergraduate career at Mansfield.
The Mountaineers (2-0) also kicked off their 2024 campaign with a pair of wins, taking down So. Connecticut State and Saint Michael's last weekend. In the two matches, Mansfield has outscored opponents 6-1, with every goal scored by a different athlete.
ALL WEEKEND LONG #
DI: Terrapin Invitational
Maryland will host three teams in College Park this weekend for the Terrapin Invitational. This year, the teams are Virginia, Lock Haven, and American. Fans can stream the action live on B1G+.
Friday, September 13 #
American vs Lock Haven | 4:00 PM ET
No. 5 Maryland vs No. 3 Virginia | 7:00 PM ET (See above for preview)
Sunday, September 15 #
American vs No. 3 Virginia | 11:00 AM ET
No. 5 Maryland vs Lock Haven | 2:00 PM ET