BOSTON – Conference play starts this weekend for women’s soccer, while men’s soccer, field hockey, volleyball and cross country prepare for big weekends. Get the full scoop on what to watch out for in our weekend preview.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
- With just six playoff spots for nine teams every point is essential in #AEWSOC play, which starts on Sunday. Over the first month of the year, Binghamton and NJIT have separated themselves as each had a league-best five wins.
- The Bearcats are 5-1-2, unbeaten in their past five contests and own the best RPI in the league at 71. Sophomore Jahkaya Davis has a league-best five goals and is tied for the league lead in points with teammate Paige Luke.
- Binghamton hosts UMBC (4-3-3), who is third in the league in RPI and looking to rebound from a tough loss to Navy last weekend.
- NJIT has already surpassed their win total from last year and looks to get back to the playoffs after missing it in 2024. Senior Briana Andreoli ranks third in the conference with 11 points on four goals and three assists.
- The Highlanders travel to UMass Lowell (3-3-2), which has won two straight and is unbeaten in its past four games.
- Two time defending champion Maine is just 1-4-1 with its new-look roster but looks to right the ship when the Black Bears travel to UAlbany (1-5-2) in a matchup between the two teams at the bottom of the standings
- Vermont (2-3-3) welcomes Bryant (3-2-3), who is unbeaten in its past three contests which include a 0-0 draw at Boston University last weekend.
MEN’S SOCCER
- Defending national champion Vermont has yet to lose this season and it currently ranked 9th in the nation with a 5-0-3 after taking down No. 3 Akron 1-0 last weekend and then Hofstra 2-1 on Tuesday. The Catamounts travel to face Fairfield on Saturday.
- 2023 #AEMSOC Champion Bryant is up to No. 17 in the country and has won six straight to improve to 6-0-1. The Bulldogs look to extend it to seven games when they play at Stonehill on Saturday.
- UMBC is 4-2-1 and hosts a George Mason team (2-2-1) which was ranked just two weeks ago and has faced three top-15 teams already this year.
- UMass Lowell is off to a 4-2-1 start and travels to face Brown, while Binghamton (3-4) plays at Central Connecticut State.
- NJIT (2-3-2) looks to get back to .500 when the Highlanders play at Cornell, while UAlbany (2-3-1) travels to Princeton and UNH (0-4-3) looks for its first victory of the year at home against Dartmouth.
- Stat Leaders: Maximillian Kissel (UVM) leads the league in points with 11 right now while Jaime Amaro of Bryant is econd with eight. Alvaro Medrano (UML), meanwhile, has a league-best 0.250 GAA and .952 save percentage.
FIELD HOCKEY
- All six programs have at least two victories Vermont has won a league-best four straight games. The Catamounts have scored at least three goals in each win after 2-0 losses to both No. 12 UMass & No. 17 Rutgers. They travel south to face Queens and Appalachian State this weekend.
- UAlbany is also 4-2 and faces Holy Cross on Friday, and then the No. 12 Minutemen on Sunday. Both contests are on the road.
- UNH (2-3) has two straight wins and looks to keep up the momentum at No. 17 Rutgers on Friday and then Dartmouth on Sunday.
- Maine (3-3) has won 3 of 4 and faces Northeastern on Friday, while Bryant is at Boston University and UMass Lowell (2-4) has home contests against New Haven and Kent State this weekend.
- Stat Leaders: Pilar Lorenzini (UAlbany) has scored a AE-best seven goals this season, while Karlijn Kerkhof (UML) and Kathelijne Knuttel (UNH) are tied for the league lead in points with 15. UVM's Merle Vaandrager has a league-best .757 save percentage.
VOLLEYBALL
- New Hampshire owns a league-best 6-4 record this year, with two of those losses coming to top-15 teams. The Wildcats have another challenge at No. 14 Texas A&M Friday night before facing Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday.
- UAlbany (5-4) has the second-best record in the league and faces off against Texas Tech on Friday before facing Ole Miss on Saturday.
- Binghamton and Bryant both have four wins and each are on the road for contests on Friday and Saturday.
- UMBC is just 1-7 but has played a tough schedule, which continues with two contests this weekend, while NJIT welcomes Rhode Island this afternoon.
- Stat Leaders: Shynelle Woroniuk (UAlbany) leads the league in kills per set (3.84), followed by Arianna Ugolini (Bryant) at 3.77 kps. Defensively, Hannah Howard is averaging a league-high 4.45 digs per set.
CROSS COUNTRY
- Six teams are in action this weekend as we’re just six weeks from the conference championship.
- NJIT opens the racing with a competition at Haverford, while both Bryant and UMass Lowell look to make statements at UMass Dartmouth on Saturday morning
- Maine races up in the State meet, while Vermont competes at Dartmouth and New Hampshire races at Central Connecticut State.
- The USTFCCCA released its second regional rankings of the season and the UMass Lowell men sit at No. 7 in the Northeast while Maine moved into 14th. On the women’s side, Maine moved up from 14 to 11 after a strong start.
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 -