BOSTON – Conference play begins this Saturday for men’s soccer, while women’s soccer and field hockey continue to battle in conference action on Friday and Sunday.
MEN’S SOCCER
Saturday
UMBC at UAlbany – 6 p.m.
#18 UNH at Binghamton – 6 p.m.
#17 Vermont at RV Bryant – 7 p.m.
UMass Lowell at NJIT – 7 p.m.
Heading into conference play, 7 of 8 #AEMSOC programs boast a .500 record or better. The America East is also one of three conferences nationwide to have 85% of its conference members own a .500 record or better, along with the ACC and the Pac-12. Vermont and New Hampshire are both currently ranked in the top-20 nationally and boast impressive 4-1-1 records while facing nationally ranked teams.
Bryant, meanwhile, is receiving votes nationally thanks to its impressive 7-0 start. The Bulldogs have record seven shutout victories, the only team in the nation to accomplish that feat this year. They also rank third in the nation in goal differential at +17 and eighth in scoring at 2.43 goals per game. Last season Bryant was just 3-10-1 and 0-6-1 in conference play, but under first-year head coach Ruben Resendes the new-look team already has its most wins in a season since 2019.
Individually, UMBC’s Taylor Calheira is currently tied for second in the nation with seven goals and ranked seventh overall in points with 15 while leading his Retrievers to a 4-2-1 mark. Maximus Barboto has pushed NJIT to a 3-3-2 mark thanks to his nation-leading eight assists, including four last week.
FIELD HOCKEY
Friday
California at UAlbany – 2 p.m.
UNH at Vermont – 3 p.m.
UMass Lowell at Maine – 3 p.m.
UC Davis at Stanford – 4 p.m.
Sunday
California at Vermont – 12 p.m.
UAlbany at Bryant – 2 p.m.
This weekend every #AEFH program gets underway in conference play after just four played last week. Maine is a perfect 2-0 already and hosts a UMass Lowell squad which is 5-2 overall and is coming off a 2-1 victory over #18 UMass. The River Hawks’ only losses this year were to #1 Iowa and #13 Saint Joseph’s. UNH is also 2-0 in #AEFH action, and this year has scored 3+ goals in 6 of 7 games this season, while Vermont is coming off a 4-0 win against Merrimack.
California enters conference play at 3-3 and on a three-game win streak with 14 goals over those three contests. UAlbany (4-3) hosts the Golden Bears on Friday and has scored 3+ goals in each of its past four games. UC Davis and Stanford battle on Friday as each is 0-2 and looks to get that first conference win.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Sunday
NJIT at UMass Lowell – 12 p.m.
UMBC at Binghamton – 1 p.m.
UNH at Bryant – 1 p.m.
Maine at UAlbany – 1 p.m.
Maine (6-0-3) is one of 19 teams in the nation that remains unbeaten following their 3-2 comeback victory against Vermont last Sunday. The Black Bears travel to face UAlbany (3-4-1) on Sunday, who is coming off a 1-1 draw with NJIT last week. Regular season champion Binghamton (2-4-3) won its second contest of the season last week, taking down defending tournament champion UNH 1-0. The Bearcats look to keep it rolling when they host UMBC.
The Wildcats seek to bounce back from their opening loss when they travel to face Bryant, which earned a 2-2 draw with UMBC last week. UMass Lowell (0-3-4) opens conference play seeking its first win of the season against NJIT, who is 0-2 against the River Hawks since they joined the conference.
Fans will once again be able to watch every conference contest this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
- Building the Complete Student-Athlete –