Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Maryland and Boston College's respective starts to the season may feel like a dream, seeing as how both have begun with perfect 4-0 records. But one of those dreams is likely to end, as the two teams square off in one of the weekend's tastier matches.
Currently ranked No. 2 on Fox Soccer/SBI's Top 25 rankings, Maryland will have the advantage of playing at home when it faces 13th-ranked Boston College on Friday night. Led by forward Casey Townsend (who has three goals this season), the Terps will attempt to defeat a Boston College team which has only allowed three goals while scoring 12 through its first four games of the year.
Another of the weekend's marquee matches will be when eighth-ranked West Virginia visits UCSB, which is currently two spots higher. UCSB, which is off to a 3-0 start, will play its first home game of the season against the Mountaineers, which travels to California for the first time in the history of the program. One of the keys to the game will be how Gauchos junior goalkeeper Andre Grandt handles West Virginia forward Andy Bevin, who has three goals this season.
No. 3-ranked Louisville isn't playing a top 25 opponent, but it will attempt to bounce back from its loss to North Carolina when it faces IUPUI at Cardinal Park. Louisville should win the match without too much resistance, though a loss or a draw would put serious pressure on the Cardinals four games into the season.
Here's a look at who the top 25 teams square off against this weekend:
FRIDAY
(13) Boston College at Maryland (2)
IUPUI at Louisville (3)
(5) UConn at Tulsa
(23) SMU vs. Oakland
(8) West Virginia at UCSB (6)
Fordham at Creighton (7)
(9) South Florida vs. Bradley
Bucknell at Indiana (10)
(11) Virginia at Duke
Denver at Notre Dame (12)
St. Peter's at Penn State (14)
Saint Mary's at UCLA (15)
(17) Monmouth vs. William & Mary (22)
(19) Virginia Commonwealth vs. S.C. Upstate
(20) UC-Irvine at Wisconsin
Harvard at St. John's (21)
Valparaiso at Northern Illinois (25)
SATURDAY
(1) North Carolina at Virginia Tech
(4) Akron at Saint Louis
SUNDAY
Central Arkansas at Louisville (3)
(23) SMU vs. UConn (5)
Villanova at UCSB (6)
(8) West Virginia at Cal Poly
(7) Creighton at DePaul
(9) South Florida vs. Dartmouth
Denver at Indiana (10)
Bucknell at Notre Dame (12)
Loyola Marymount at UCLA (15)
Binghamton at Ohio State (16)
(17) Monmouth vs. Old Dominion
(22) William & Mary vs. East Tennessee State
(18) Central Florida at Mercer
(19) Virginia Commonwealth at Coastal Carolina
(20) UC-Irvine at Illinois-Chicago
Yale at St. John's (21)
(24) Washington at Seattle University
Portland at Northern Illinois (25)
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What do you think of these matches? Do you see Boston College stunning Maryland? Think UCSB will improve to 4-0?
Share your thoughts below.
Northern Illinois 1 – 0 Valparaiso
nothing like the feeling you get on gameday. lets go terps
woops I meant Duke isn’t to be overlooked despite being unranked
Ives, I’d toss Virginia at Duke in there as a serious matchup. ACC game, bitter rivalry, and even though UVA isn’t top 25, we all know the quality of that program