College Games to Watch: September 26 – October 2

Each week, USA Field Hockey highlights upcoming college games to watch. This edition covers the week of September 26 - October 2.

Both Rutgers and Iowa come into Friday’s matchup in search of their first Big Ten (B1G) conference win of the season.

The Scarlet Knights (3-4, 0-1 B1G) enter this contest 3-4, most recently falling to No. 16 Princeton, 3-2. Guillermina Causarano leads the offense with 16 points, while graduate transfer Kara Heck follows with nine. Puck Winter continues to be a force on defense, and has four defensive saves on the season. All four of Rutgers’ losses have been one-goal games, while three have been to ranked opponents.

No. 7 Iowa is 4-2 overall, standing 0-1 in B1G play after a tough loss to No. 2 Northwestern this past Friday. The Hawkeyes' only other defeat came at the hands of No. 1 North Carolina. In their most recent victory, a close 1-0 match against Delaware, senior Annika Herbine tallied the lone goal. In net for the Hawks this season has been Mia Magnotta, who has a save percentage of .759 in six games.

This will be the 16th time these two Big Ten schools have faced off. Iowa has won the past five meetings, winning in 2023 with a score of 7-2.

The heavy favorite to win the Atlantic 10 (A10) for a fourth consecutive year, Saint Joseph's (6-2, 1-0 A10) will face their closest A10 competitor from last fall: UMass. Last October, it took the Hawks – who finished conference play undefeated – double overtime to defeat the Minutewomen. Saint Joseph's has been racking up wins so far this season, most recently taking down then-No. 5 Duke in shootouts. It was the first shootout win for the Hawks, with A10 Defensive Player of the Week Marith Bijkerk making four out of five saves in goal.

Friday's match will be test for the Minutewomen (6-2, 1-0), who are hot off of six consecutive wins. Last weekend featured a pair of shutouts – 2-0 over VCU and 4-0 over Quinnipiac. Defender Elena Cloconeanu earned A10 Offensive Player of the Week honors after scoring in both games.

The No. 9 Blue Devils and the No. 3 Cavaliers battle in a top five matchup this Friday.

After falling to No. 10 Saint Joseph's in shootouts last Sunday, the Blue Devils (4-3) hope to come out strong in their first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) game of the season. An asset on attack, junior Alaina McVeigh has scored five goals in seven games – three of them gamewinners. 2023 All-Ivy League goalkeeper Frederique Wollaert has been a welcome addition from Penn this season, starting all seven games while averaging a save percentage of .786.

Virginia (7-0, 2-0 ACC) remains undefeated overall and in conference play after taking down new ACC foes California, 4-3, and Stanford, 5-1, last weekend. Seven different Cavaliers scored in the two games, with two each from Daniela Mendez-Trender and Noa Boterman.

The last time these two teams met was last October, when Virginia came away with a 2-1 victory in double overtime. The Cavaliers lead in all time meetings, 41-23.

In this Ivy League competition, the Columbia Lions and Princeton Tigers both look to pick up a second conference win. Columbia’s first came over Cornell, in which a goal from Lindsey Yu in the first quarter and a tireless defensive effort propelled the Lions to a 1-0 win. Meanwhile, the Tigers secured their first Ivy win of the season over Penn, 3-0, with Beth Yeager scoring a hat trick.

Senior Katie Wimmer has had a strong performance in goal so far for the Lions, ranking third in Division I with a save percentage of .870. Wimmer made an impressive 14 saves in the recent 1-0 loss to Monmouth and nine in the win over Cornell. The victory over the Big Red was a big one for Columbia, as it marked their first conference win since 2022. The Lions are led by new head coach Nikki Miller, who was previously the head coach at Wagner.

After their win over Penn, the Tigers picked up a 3-2 victory over Rutgers last Sunday to bring their record to 4-2. Grace Schulze, who missed most of last season due to injury, was unstopabble – tallying all three goals.

When these two teams last met, Princeton came away with a 2-1 win.

The Colby Mules look to end the undefeated record of the Williams Ephs this Saturday.

Colby (4-1) comes into this game 1-2 in New England Small Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play, losing to Connecticut College and No. 7 Tufts but defeating then-No. 16 Bowdoin in double overtime. Casey Winslow leads the team in goals (6) with Bridget Everett (3) not far behind. The Mules have seen three different goalkeepers so far – freshman Opal O’Rourke and seniors Harri Baker and Leah Anderson.

Williams comes in ranked No. 3 nationally after previously sitting at No. 4 the past few weeks. The Ephs have yet to yield a goal this season – even against ranked teams like No. 7 Tufts and No. 6 Babson – boasting a stout defensive line that includes goalkeepers Ellie Smith and Miriam Silver. Haley McAuslin and Pilar Torres have led the offensive charge so far this season, combining for nine of the 19 total goals.

The two met last September when Williams took a huge victory, 8-1. Six different Ephs scored in that game, and four of those players are back this season.

This Saturday two rivals will come together in this North Coast Athletic Conference competition to play in Gambier, Ohio in dedication to Morgan’s Message.

Kenyon (6-2, 3-1 NCAC) has started off strong in conference play, with the only loss coming in overtime this past Tuesday to Ohio Wesleyan. All three of the Owls’ NCAC victories were shutouts, a testament to their strong defensive line that is anchored by senior goalkeeper Megan Lydon. Senior Grace Lane leads the team in goals, scoring six so far, with sophomore Maren Lawrence close behind with five.

Despite a sub .500 win percentage, the Denison Big Red (3-5, 2-0 NCAC) are currently undefeated in conference play –  felling the College of Wooster and Transylvania by a combined score of 10-0 last week. Emma Gebhart, who notched two goals in both wins and currently leads the NCAC in points with 16. Dubbed the NCAC Player of the Week, Gebhart has scored in the past five games.

In their previous meeting last season, Denison  took down the Owls, 4-0. They are also the reigning NCAC Champions after beating Ohio Wesleyan in Overtime last year. The Owls fell in the NCAC tournament in the semi finals last season, but are hoping to come away victorious over Denison to find themselves back in the win column.

No. 1 Shippensburg and No. 4 Bloomsburg open up their conference play together this Saturday.

The Division II rankings have been shaken up quite a bit this week. Shippensburg, previously No. 2, stole the No. 1 spot from Kutztown after defeating the Golden Bears, 2-0, last Wednesday. With a win over Slippery Rock this past weekend, the Raiders extended their undefeated streak to 6-0. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg moved into the No. 4 spot after taking down D’Youville, 7-0.

Shippensburg has had a strong offensive presence so far this season, outscoring opponents 31-2. 13 different Raiders have contributed goals, with junior Agus Garibaldi leading the charge with seven. Garibaldi notched one and assisted another to Nya Gilchrist in the win over Kutztown, and was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Co-Athlete of the Week. PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week Emma Albee has shut down almost all opponents attacking efforts this season and currently leads Division II in save percentage (.950).

Bloomsburg comes into this contest 8-1, their only loss coming against No. 5 West Chester. The Huskies have also generated a significant amount of offense this season, outscoring their opponents 43-5. While 13 different Huskies have contributed to these efforts, senior Aydan McFarland stands out with 35 points, leading the Division in points per game (3.89) and goals per game (1.67). It was a 20 point week for McFarland, who was honored as PSAC Co-Athlete of the Week alongside the Raiders’ Garibaldi. Senior Jackie Nevel has been a brick wall in goal for the Huskies, averaging a save percentage of .808.

When Shippensburg and Bloomsburg last met in September 2023,the Raiders came away with a 4-1 victory.

Previously unranked Newberry (6-0, 3-0 SAC) has jumped up to No. 7 spot after a trio of wins last week, and is one of just two teams in Division II to remain undefeated. Nearly all of the Wolves' victories have been by a single goal, highlighting the importance of impact players like junior Emma Westbrook, with six goals on the season, and senior Stembile Chikoore, who has notched two gamewinners and a winning shootout goal. Just last week, senior Tamsin Bangert became Newberry's all time goal and points leader, with 80 points and 31 goals.

No. 9 Mount Olive (4-3, 3-2 SAC) is seeking another South Atlantic Conference (SAC) win after dropping a double overtime heartbreaker to Limestone on Tuesday. Senior defender Gwen Wood tallied her first collegiate goal – the Trojan's only of the match – on a penalty stroke. Mount Olive's two other losses were also by a singe goal, including against No. 1 Shippensburg.

In all time meetings, the Trojans and Wolves are all tied up at 5-5. Mount Olive has won the past four match ups.

This Saturday marks the start of Centennial Conference play for the Bullets of Gettysburg and the Mules of Muhlenberg.

The Mules (5-2) enter Saturday’s contest on a five game win streak, outsourcing opponents 21-1 in those five matches. Erin DiSandro and Abba Diglio, who led the conference last season in points (35) and goals (17) respectively, lead the scoring efforts with a combined 17 goals. DiSandro was named Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week after tallying the gamewinner in a 1-0 victory over Miscordia then notching a hattrick against Vassar.

The Bullets come into this contest 7-1 and have played four of their eight games into overtime. Bella Bonazinga leads the scoring efforts for the Bullets with eight goals on the season, while her fellow starting forwards Jillian Somers and Sabrina Post have tallied three apiece. Emilia Saccento has started all seven games for the Bullets, holding a save percentage of .733. Senior defender Katie Regan has helped in the defensive circle to hold opponents to just eight goals so far this season.

Both the Bullets and Mules just missed the conference tournament last season and will be looking to secure a crucial first conference win. The past three times these teams have met, Muhlenberg has come away with a 2-1 win.

No. 4 Ohio State looks to extend their undefeated record this Sunday when they take on No. 13 Louisville.

Ohio State (8-0, 1-0 B1G) comes into this contest outsourcing opponents 33-5, averaging just over four goals a game. Graduate student Makenna Webster has earned points in every game, and was named B1G Offensive Player of the Week after notching two goals and three assists over the weekend. Senior goalkeeper Abby Danson has led from the back for the Buckeyes, only allowing four goals with a save percentage of .875 – the second best in Division I.

Louisville (5-3, 1-0 ACC) enters this match with three straight wins, including their opening conference victory against Stanford. The Cardinals' leading goal scorers Rylie Wollerton and Izzy Bianco have a combined 17 points on the season. All three of Louisville's losses have been to top ranked opponents, such as their 2-0 defeat to then-No. 1 Northwestern two weeks ago.

Louisville has won the last two meetings, in 2023 and 2021, by a score of 2-1.

The Great Danes of UAlbany and the Liberty Eagles will clash for the first time in this Sunday's top-25 match up.

After an opening loss to Ohio State, UAlbany (6-1, 1-0 AE) has continued the season strong. The Great Danes have won six straight since then, including a conference win against UC Davis. Senior Alison Smisdom has been a standout on offense so far with 12 goals – including hat tricks in two different games. The second was in a 3-2 win on the road against then-No. 7 Harvard.

Liberty comes into this matchup 4-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The Flames are coming off of a tough two loss weekend, which follows a big 1-0 victory over then-No. 4 Duke – the highest ranked win in program history. Martu Cian and Tuti Dell Anna lead the attack with a combined seven goals.

It's been a rollarcoaster for the No. 8 Spartans (6-2) recently, who fell 1-0 to No. 18 Ithaca only to turn around a few days later and defeat then-No. 3 Johns Hopkins in OT. York and Salisbury have been the only two teams to claim victory over the Blue Jays, with the Gulls taking a more dominant 2-0 win. The Spartans found themselves bested again this past weekend as they fell 2-1 to undefeated Christopher Newport. Senior Riley Buschert tallied the lone goal in the loss, notching five on the season.

After downing four ranked opponents, No. 2 Salisbury (7-1) finally met their match this past Saturday in No. 17 Shenandoah. The Gulls found themselves unable to score despite leading in the statbook, while Hornets goalkeeper Taylor Swann made ten saves on the day to help guide Shendoah to a 1-0 OT victory. Besides this, Salisbury has been perfect, outscoring opponents by a wide 37-4 margin. The Gulls are lead offensively by sophomore Arden Hunteman (25 pts) with junior McKenna Horner contributing five gamewinners.

Salisbury has won all 33 match ups against York, with the past three all being 1-0.