SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
DI: UMASS LOWELL vs BROWN | 3 PM | AE TV ($)
With momentum from their second ever win over a ranked team, UMass Lowell will welcome Brown to Wicked Blue Field on Sunday afternoon.
In their recent battle for the state of Massachusetts, UMass Lowell (5-2) defeated nationally ranked UMass for the first time. The 2-1 victory was led offensively by sophomore Meike Vishcer, who tallied both goals, while goalkeeper Marie Oliemans anchored the defense. Oliemans was honored as the America East (AE) Defensive Player of the Week after posting a shutout against Northeastern and making a pair of saves in the win over the Minutewomen.
Brown (4-1) has had a solid start to their 2023 campaign, losing only to Northeastern in a tight 3-2 match. Most recently, the Bears picked up a 2-1 OT win against Miami (OH) – notching their first goal in the fourth quarter from sophomore Lexi Pellegrino to tie it up. Brown will begin conference play on Friday when they travel to No. 15 Harvard.
The River Hawks and Bears have split their two previous matchups, which took place back in 2014 and 2015. Both teams have a 2-1 victory over the other.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
DII: NO. 1 EAST STROUDSBURG vs NO. 2 KUTZTOWN | 3 PM ET | WATCH THE WARRIORS
A rematch of last November’s PSAC semifinals is in store in Pennsylvania on Tuesday as No. 1 East Stroudsburg hosts No. 2 Kutztown.
East Stroudsburg (5-1), who faces Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday as part of a six-game homestand, is coming off a surprise overtime loss to Pace last Wednesday. Before that, the Warriors had allowed just four goals in five comfortable wins. The reigning champions have a trio of players with five goals already — Madison Kline, Jady van Gils, and Hanna Lewis.
It’s been smooth sailing for Kutztown (5-0) — the Golden Bears are the only Division II teams that have yet to allow a single goal. Remarkably, Kutztown boasts a 136-3 shot advantage and are averaging over four goals per game. They’ll look to hold off a high-flying East Stroudsburg offense with goalie Mia Kepler, who already boasts three shutouts on the young season and has a combined shutout as well.
The pair split two meetings last year, with Kutztown winning a 1-0 thriller in the regular season before East Stroudsburg avenged the loss with a 2-0 blanking in the semifinals. The Warriors hold a 17-10 advantage historically.
DIII: NO. 2 BABSON vs NO. 5 TUFTS | 6 PM ET | BABSON SPORTS NETWORK
It’s a top-five match-up on Tuesday as No. 2 Babson hosts No. 6 Tufts in Babson Park, Mass.
Babson (7-1, 1-0 NEWMAC) has asserted themselves as a team to fear this season after tallying seven wins and nearly knocking No. 1 Middlebury off their undefeated pedestal. The 3-2 loss to the Panthers saw 13 saves from junior goalkeeper Bayla Furmanek and an assist from midfielder Sinead Walsh. Walsh, who earned NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week, now leads in assists for the Beavers after tallying a goal and an assist in the 3-2 victory over then-No. 15 Bates. First, Babson faces Wheaton on Saturday in NEWMAC action.
Tufts (4-0, 2-0 NESCAC) is slowly making their way through the season – the Jumbos picked up two NESCAC wins, including a 2-1 overtime victory over then-No. 10 Amherst, and have only played four matches so far. Tufts has a pair of challenging NESCAC games to contend with over the weekend: No. 15 Hamilton College and No. 14 Trinity College.
Just a half hour drive away, the two teams are frequent opponents. The Jumbos hold a large 22-6 advantage in overall match-ups, but it was Babson who won in the 2022 season when they handed Tufts a 2-1 loss.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
DIII: NO. 4 MESSIAH vs NO. 10 ROWAN | 6 PM ET | GO MAC SPORTS
After two road games, No. 4 Messiah hosts No. 10 Rowan at Anderson Field in Grantham, Pa.
Messiah (5-1), who already has ranked wins over Salisbury, Ursinus, and TCNJ, faced No. 2 Johns Hopkins on Wednesday – where they conceded their first loss of the season. It was a battle of two strong defensive lines that ended 2-1 in OT. Aubrey Clark, who earned a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Offensive Player of the Week nod a week ago, has four goals and two assists on the young season. Clark scored in each of the first four games, then four other Messiah players found the back of the cage in a 5-0 shutout of TCNJ.
Rowan (4-3), the preseason No. 3 team, has traded wins and losses in the early going. Two losses were to ranked opponents — Catholic and Johns Hopkins — and the third to unranked Haverford on Wednesday night. Amber Powell earned NJAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, serving as a sweeper while also piling up three goals and serving as the inserter on penalty corners.
It’s been a remarkably even historical series: Messiah holds a slight 9-8 edge, benefitting from a six-game winning streak that ended last November when Rowan came away with a 3-1 win.
Images courtesy of: Tufts Athletics, Northwestern Athletics, Jerod Ringwald / Iowa Athletics, Duke Athletics, Natasia Plunkett / New Paltz Athletics, Erin Farina / Christopher Newport Athletics, James T Vanrensselaer / Johns Hopkins Athletics, McKenzie Yi / Mount Olive Athletics, Saint Anselm Athletics, Nick Grace / Umass Lowell Athletics, Chris Sponagle / Kutztown Athletics, Messiah Athletics
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