By FRANCO PANIZO
The University of Connecticut just got to the top of the Fox Soccer/SBI NCAA Top 25, but the Huskies could lose their No. 1 spot this weekend if they aren't careful.
No. 11 St. John's will be looking to knock UConn from the ranks of the unbeaten. The Huskies will have homefield advantage, but they will need to break down Connor Lade and the rest of the St. John's defense, which has not conceded a goal in its last 570 minutes.
Fourth-ranked Louisville will also be put to the test against No. 12 Notre Dame. With Andre Boudreaux manning the pipes, the Cardinals have won their last four games via shutout. The Fighting Irish will look to end the Cardinals' run while also extending their own three-game winning streak.
A third clash of top Big East sides takes place on Sunday when No. 17 South Florida and standout goalkeeper Chris Blais take on star centerback Eric Schoenle and No. 14 West Virginia.
One team that could potentially fall out of the Top 25 is East Tennessee State. Currently tied with Coastal Carolina for the final place on the list, the Buccaneers will need results against Winthrop and 24th-ranked Furman in order to remain among the nation's top teams. Forward Aaron Schoenfeld has proven to be in good form in recent weeks, and a pair of big games from him could go a long way in helping the Buccaneers win two matches in three days.
Here's a look at who the top 25 teams play this weekend:
FRIDAY
(3) North Carolina at Virginia
(13) Penn State at Indiana (7)
(8) Boston College at Rhode Island
Seattle University at UCLA (9)
San Diego at UCSB (10)
Florida Gulf Coast at Central Florida (15)
UNLV at UC-Irvine (18)
Loyola Marymount at New Mexico (19)
Houston Baptist at Washington (20)
Presbyterian at Furman (24)
(T25) East Tennessee State at Winthrop
Gardner-Webb at Coastal Carolina (T25)
SATURDAY
(11) St. John's at UConn (1)
(2) Maryland at Virginia Tech
(4) Louisville at Notre Dame (12)
Saint Mary's at Creighton (5)
(6) Akron at Tulsa
(16) Old Dominion at George Mason
(22) Northern Illinois at Drake University
Campbell at UNC-Charlotte (23)
SUNDAY
SMU at UCLA (9)
Sacramento State at UCSB (10)
(17) South Florida at West Virginia (14)
UAB at Washington (20)
Michigan at Ohio State (21)
(24) Furman at East Tennessee State (T25)
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Which matches are you most looking forward to? Think St. John's can hand UConn its first loss? See Notre Dame giving Louisville trouble? Who do you see winning the important Big Ten clash between Penn State and Indiana?
Share your thoughts below.
13,722 watched Luis Silva score a hat trick for UCSB over USD.
Go UCF Knights!
Charlotte @ Maryland on Tuesday as well… 49ers on the road?
Really enjoying the College Soccer coverage. Definitely believe the college game doesn’t get the respect it deserves.
While rankings mean nothing this early in the season, I still can’t believe you knocked Maryland out of the #1 spot after tying Seton Hall. Maryland clearly outplayed them, but was unlucky in finding the back of the goal. It happens.
Looking at Maryland vs. UCONN head to head, I think one can argue that strength of schedule so far is fairly even and both have played BC. Maryland beat BC 4-0 while UCONN won 2-0. Also Maryland has outscored its opponents 23-6 compared to UCONN’s 13-2.
Give Maryland its due at #1 until it is truly defeated.
ETSU’s game vs. Winthrop is cancelled due to rain.