General

Weekend Preview: Oct. 3-6

BOSTON – Conference play is off to a strong start and this weekend there are a number of matchups which could end up determine seeding for some the top spots in the America East, including a double dose of #AEWSOC action starting on Thursday.
 
Women’s Soccer
Thursday
UAlbany at New Hampshire – 6 p.m.
Vermont at NJIT – 6 p.m.
UMass Lowell at Maine – 6 p.m.
Binghamton at UMBC – 7 p.m.
 
Sunday
UMBC at Vermont – 12 p.m.
Maine at Bryant – 1 p.m.
New Hampshire at NJIT – 1 p.m.
UMass Lowell at UAlbany – 4 p.m.
 
UMBC is off to its best start in league play since 2015 at 1-0-1 and looks to make a statement on Thursday at home against Binghamton, the two-time defending regular season champions. The Retrievers are 3-1-1 over their past five games, scoring twice in each of the three wins, They face a Bearcat squad that is 0-2 in #AEWSOC action after falling by one goal apiece to Maine and New Hampshire. Binghamton hasn’t gone winless in three straight league contests since 2021.
 
Maine and New Hampshire both started league play 2-0 and play a pair of contests this weekend. The defending champion Black Bears overcame a 2-0 2nd half deficit to beat UVM last week and hosts 0-1 UMass Lowell on Thursday before traveling to 2-0 Bryant on Sunday. The Bulldogs have already matched their #AEWSOC total from last year as they look to earn the program’s first conference tournament berth. Vermont faces NJIT and UMBC, seeking to get its first points of league play.
 
Volleyball
Friday
Binghamton at UMBC – 7 p.m.
 
Sunday
Bryant at Binghamton – 1 p.m.
UAlbany at UMBC – 1 p.m.
NJIT at New Hampshire – 1 p.m.
 
The last two regular season champions square off for the first time this Friday in a match which will have playoff implications. UMBC is just 2-10 this season, but won all three matches against the Bearcats last year, taking 9 of 10 sets. The Bearcats are an impressive 11-5 this season, including wins over Boston College (3-2) and Rutgers (3-0). They have won straight and four of five overall, and are led by Tsvetelina Ilieva who ranks second nationally in both total points (308) and kills (265).
 
On Sunday, the Retrievers host a UAlbany squad looking for its first league win of the year while the Bearcats host Bryant. The two teams split their matchups last year, with each team winning on their home court. New Hampshire has won five straight overall and hosts NJIT on Sunday afternoon.
 
Men’s Soccer
Saturday
New Hampshire at Bryant – 12 p.m.
Vermont at UAlbany – 6 p.m.
Binghamton at NJIT – 7 p.m.
UMass Lowell at UMBC – 7 p.m.
 
A rematch of last year’s #AEMSOC Championship highlights the slate on Saturday as Bryant (1-0) hosts the Wildcats (0-0-1). The Bulldogs haven’t allowed a goal in their past three games, outscoring opponents 4-0, while UNH is winless in its last four (0-1-3) with three goals. The last time these teams met, Bryant scored in the 102nd minute to escape with a 1-0 victory and the program’s first league crown.
 
UMass Lowell and UMBC both started conference play 1-0 and square off Saturday night. The River Hawks have only allowed more than one goal once all season, while the Retrievers have scored 2+ goals five times in 2024. UVM (0-0-1) looks for its first #AEMSOC victory at UAlbany (0-1), while Binghamton (0-1) and NJIT (0-1) seek their first points of league play.
 
Field Hockey
Friday
UC Davis at New Hampshire – 2 p.m.
Bryant at UMass Lowell – 3 p.m.
UAlbany at Hofstra – 3 p.m.
 
Sunday
UC Davis at Maine – 12 p.m.
Brown at Bryant – 12 p.m.
UConn at UAlbany – 1 p.m.
Vermont at Dartmouth – 1 p.m.
Northeastern at New Hampshire – 1 p.m.
LIU at UMass Lowell – 1 p.m.
 
On Friday, New Hampshire looks to stay perfect in league play when the team hosts UC Davis. The Wildcat offense is tied for the league lead with 29 goals this season, including 15 over its past three games. UC Davis is 0-2 in #AEFH action, after falling to UAlbany 2-0 and dropping an overtime contest at Vermont. Bryant, meanwhile, seeks to rebound from a tough loss to UNH last weekend when it travels to UMass Lowell. The River Hawks fell 2-1 in their conference opener to No. 13 UAlbany, but did go 7-1 in league play last year. On Sunday in league action UC Davis plays at Maine (1-0), who scored three times against Vermont.
 
This weekend’s biggest non-conference matchup features No. 8 UConn playing at No. 13 UAlbany. The Great Danes (8-1) have won eight straight games, while the Huskies are 9-1 overall this season with its since loss to Harvard (3-2). They have scored at 2+ goals in every game this season, while the Great Danes have scored 2+ goals in each of its last eight games.
 
Cross Country
Five different programs compete at the Paul Short Invitational on Saturday morning. UMass Lowell, Binghamton, New Hampshire, UMBC and NJIT all compete, with just four weeks left in the regular season.
 
Swimming & Diving
Four teams compete this coming weekend, with three opening up their seasons. NJIT starts is 2024-25 season at home against Iona on Friday evening while UMBC begins its year at home against American. Maine, meanwhile, hosts New Brunswick in a two-day meet to start its season. Vermont competes twice, traveling to Army and Marist.
 
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast. 
 
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -