USA: College Games to Watch: September 6 – 11

Each week, USA Field Hockey highlights upcoming college games to watch. This edition covers the week of September 6 – 11.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

DI: NO. 5 DUKE VS NO. 1 NORTHWESTERN | 12:00 PM ET | B1G+

Two giants will clash as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge when No. 5 Duke takes on No. 1 Northwestern this Friday.

The 2-0 Wildcats host this weekend after defeating Maine and UMass in their opening spread. Transfer Ashley Sessa tallied the first goal of the season and her first for Northwestern, while Olivia Bent-Cole notched three on the weekend.

Duke found their own success, shutting out William & Mary, 5-0, then defeating UMass Lowell 3-1. Their top scorer on the weekend was none other than Alaina McVeigh, with three goals and one assist.

It was two extremely close matches between Duke and Northwestern last season. In September, the Wildcats bested the Blue Devils 3-2, then did it again with a 2-1 scoreline in the NCAA Semifinal.

DII: NO. 7 MOUNT OLIVE VS NO. 3 SHIPPENSBURG | 1:00 PM ET | Trojan Sports Network

No. 7 Mount Olive and No. 3 Shippensburg will clash this Friday at the Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex in Mount Olive, N.C.

2021 NCAA Champion Shippensburg begins their season by traveling to Mount Olive for the first time, having defeated them 4-1 in both 2023 and 2022 at home. The Raiders return two-time All-American Agus Garibaldi to their offense, who tallied a goal and an assist in the win over the Trojans last September.

Now in just their sixth season, Mount Olive enters in the top-ten Division II rankings after notching a 15-2 record last fall. The Trojans’ started off their 2023 with a loss and ended with a loss – a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Lander in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championship. The season opening loss was at the hands of Shippensburg. This year, Mount Olive featured four athletes on the NFHCA Division II Watchlist – graduate student goalkeeper Alanna Barrett, senior forward Amber Dercksen, senior midfielder Annefleur Moerkerken, and senior midfielder Jule Schuurman.

DII: NO. 6 WEST CHESTER VS NO. 4 ASSUMPTION | 6:00 PM ET | PSAC Network

No. 6 West Chester and No. 4 Assumption will kick off their season together for the fourth consecutive year this Friday.

West Chester will be looking to start off the season strong and improve upon a 10-7 record from last season. The Golden Rams won the NCAA title as recently as 2019, and appeared in the championship match in 2021. The NFHCA Division II Watchlist includes four athletes – graduate student and First Team All-PSAC selection Paige Wolfe, senior midfielder Adriana Palumbo, junior defender Ella Shockley, and First Team All-PSAC selection Jasmine Miller, who finished last season with 37 points and ranked third in Division II for goals per game (1.06).

The Greyhounds just missed out on the NE10 Conference title last season, but are slated to finish on top in this year’s NE10 Coaches Preseason Poll. The team returns five of their six All-NE10 selections from 2023, including 2024 NFHCA Division II Watchlist selections Callie Beauparlant, Mia Salah, and May van Woundenberg.

West Chester has never lost to Assumption in their four meetings, most recently winning 6-1 last season. In 2021, the Rams shutout the Greyhounds 3-0 to advance to the National Championship match.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2024

DIII: NO. 15 SUNY CORTLAND VS HARTWICK | 11:00 AM ET | Empire 8 Network

With two games each under their belts, No. 15 SUNY Cortland and Hartwick look to come into their Saturday game with lots of energy and grit.

SUNY Cortland found themselves ranked 15th in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III Preseason Poll, a position they proved to be worthy of after winning both their games last weekend. The Red Dragons opened with a 3-1 win against Montclair State and then were first to score in sudden victory overtime against No. 18 Franklin & Marshall. SUNY Cortland returns key offensive weapons like Hannah Corrigan and Keirra Ettere, who were top scorers last season and have already begun their 2024 campaign with two goals each.

The Hartwick Hawks look to bounce back after two tough losses to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Rochester. They finished last season 12-6 (6-1 Empire 8) and with the Empire 8 conference trophy in hand. Hartwick welcomes back Danielle Hand and Ashley Tricarico, two of the team’s top goal scorers in 2023 who have both already tallied this season. The Hawks also return graduate student goalkeeper Ashley Luppes, who finished the 2023 season with a .800 save percentage.

In all time meetings, the Red Dragons are a perfect 14-0 against the Hawks. Last season, Hartwick fell by a score of 7-1.

DIII: NO. 7 CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT VS NO. 18 FRANKLIN & MARSHALL | 11:00 AM ET | CC Network

After falling twice to start the season, No. 18 Franklin & Marshall looks to secure its first win of 2024, while No. 7 Christopher Newport aims to extend its winning streak.

The Diplomats had a strong 2023 season, finishing 8-2 in conference play (11-8 overall) before losing in the Centennial Conference Semifinal to a tough Swarthmore team. It’s been a tough start to 2024, as the team opened with a 1-0 loss to Susquehanna followed by a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of No. 15 SUNY Cortland. Three different Diplomats tallied in the loss, including captain Jessica Miller.

Christopher Newport finished 17-1 last fall, picking up the Coast-to-Coast (C2C) Championship title after defeating Salisbury 2-0. The Captains’ perfect season came to end when they fell in overtime in the NCAA Second Round to Kean. The squad had five members named to the 2024 NFHCA Division III Watchlist: Katie Abendschoen, Brooke Billhimer, Caroline Hughlett, Courtney Hughlett, and Lily Kerr. Each of these players were key in the opening 4-0 victory against Denison, with Caroline Hughlett scoring the winning goal off an assist from her twin sister Courtney.

The last time these two teams met was last September, where Christopher Newport secured the 2-1 victory with a game-winning goal late in the fourth quarter. Franklin & Marshall was victorious in the only other meeting in 2022. Expect this game to be highly competitive but low scoring, as both of these teams boost strong defensive lines.

By USWNT