BOSTON – This weekend conference play gets underway for field hockey, while women’s soccer has a pair of game dates and the playoff picture could start to develop. Men’s soccer and volleyball continue league action as well, while cross country faces off at the Paul Short Run. Swimming & Diving gets underway in full force as five teams take to the pool this weekend.
Field Hockey
- Defending champion Vermont hosts New Hampshire on Friday at 3 pm in a rematch of last year’s championship. The Wildcats have won 3 of 4, with the lone loss a 6-2 decision to No. 15 Rutgers. The Catamounts have dropped two straight on the road entering Friday.
- UAlbany (5-3) hosts Maine (3-6), two of the perennial powers in the league. The Black Bears have lost 3 of 4, all by a single goal while UAlbany coming off a 2-1 loss to No. 14 UMass.
- Bryant (2-6) welcomes UMass Lowell (4-5) as the Bulldogs seek to end their six-game losing streak. The River Hawks have won 2 of 3 though are coming off a loss to Brown.
Women’s Soccer
- A few teams could make some moves up the standings with a pair of games this week, beginning with contests on Thursday.
- Binghamton sits atop the standings at 2-0 and faces NJIT and Maine this week. The Bearcats own an RPI of 64 and face the Highlanders on the road before welcoming the two-time defending champions on Sunday afternoon.
- New Hampshire plays a pair of home games as they look are currently one of two teams without a point in league play. The Wildcats welcome UMass Lowell (1-0-1) on Thursday and then NJIT (0-1-1) on Sunday.
- UMBC (0-2) also looks for its first points of conference play. The Retrievers play at UAlbany (1-1) on Thursday night and then host Vermont (1-0-1) on Sunday.
- Bryant is 0-1-1 and on Thursday plays at Maine in the first-ever contest at the New Balance Soccer Complex. The Bulldogs then host UAlbany on Sunday.
Men’s Soccer
- No. 4 Vermont owns the nation’s longest unbeaten streak at 20 matches and travels south to face NJIT on Saturday evening, who is actually 2-1 against the Catamounts over the past two seasons.
- No. 5 Bryant travels down to UMBC Saturday, putting their nation-leading nine-game win streak on the line. The Retrievers have knocked off at least one ranked team each of the past three years and look to make it four straight year.
- New Hampshire has rebounded from a slow start to win three straight as the Wildcats welcome the Great Danes. UAlbany is 2-4-3 and looking for three crucial points on the road.
- UMass Lowell and Binghamton both lost in their conference openers. A win for either team would provide a crucial three points as they look to earn a playoff berth in 2025.
Volleyball
- Bryant moved into first place in the league standings on Wednesday night with a 3-0 sweep at defending champion New Hampshire. The Bulldogs can stay atop the standings when they travel to face UMBC on Sunday afternoon.
- UMBC (1-0) is unbeaten in conference play but must travel to Binghamton on Friday before hosting the Bulldogs on Sunday in a battle for first place.
- New Hampshire (1-1) looks to rebound from its loss with a contest at home against UAlbany (0-1) in a rematch of last year’s #AEVB Championship.
- Binghamton and NJIT both are winless in league play but that will change when they face off on Sunday afternoon.
Cross Country
- Seven teams are in action this Friday at the Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh. The meet will serve as a measuring stick for defending champions UMass Lowell and New Hampshire with just four weeks until they can defend their conference titles.
- In the latest USTFCCCA Men’s XC Regional Rankings, UMass Lowell is holding steady at seventh place, right ahead of Army West Point, with Maine in 15th.
- In the latest USTFCCCA Women’s XC Regional Rankings, New Hampshire jumped into the rankings at No. 13, while Maine dropped down to 15th.
Swimming & Diving
- VMI and UMBC open up their seasons on Friday with a pair of road meets at Army West Point and American.
- On Saturday, Vermont, NJIT all begin thei seasons with three more road meets as they look to tstart the season off strong.
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