Photo by Marquette Athletics
By AARON CRANFORD
A majority of College Soccer’s top teams play this Saturday, with SBI’s No. 10-ranked Marquette visiting the No. 5 Georgetown Hoyas standing out as the marquee matchup this weekend.
The Hoyas defeated their last non-conference opponent, Maryland, Tuesday, but they have many tough matchups in their Big East conference schedule, with Marquette being the first Saturday.
The Golden Eagles are 6-2 and have won six consecutive matches, since dropping their first two matches of the year to No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 7 Indiana. They have only defeated one team with a winning record in their six-game winning streak, Oregon State, but they will look to continue their impressive defensive performance, as they have not allowed a goal since losing to the Hoosiers in August.
The Hoyas are 6-1-3, but they have not had an impressive win so far this season. They drew to the Fighting Irish and Hoosiers and lost to No. 3 UC Irvine, so a win against Marquette would be their first win against a ranked opponent this season.
No 12. Syracuse continued their unbeaten streak and shutout streak, as they topped Virginia 1-0 last Saturday, but they will play another tough side from No. 25 Virginia, as they travel to Blacksburg to play the 7-3 Hokies Saturday.
The 8-1 Orange have only allowed one goal in ten games this year, which came in their only loss to the Fighting Irish, but Virginia Tech have won five consecutive matches, outscoring their opponents 12 to two in that stretch.
Meanwhile, No. 2 Penn State looks to become the first team with 10 wins this season, as they play Rutgers Saturday. The Nittany Lions’ Connor Maloney is tied for second in the country with 7 goals scored this season, and another standout player for the Nittany Lions has been Mikey Minutillo, who has five goals and three assists this season.
Here is a rundown of this weekend’s top college matches:
THIS WEEKEND’S COLLEGE SOCCER SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
7 p.m. — No. 6 Notre Dame vs. Boston College
7 p.m. — North Carolina State vs. No. 24 Louisville
7 p.m. — North Carolina vs. Clemson
7 p.m. — Wake Forest vs. Duke
SATURDAY
12:00 p.m. — No. 5 Georgetown vs. No. 10 Marquette
1:00 p.m. — Providence vs. Xavier
1:00 p.m. — American vs. Holy Cross
4:00 p.m. — Eastern Illinois vs. Denver
6:00 p.m. — Campbell vs. No. 20 Coastal Carolina
7:00 p.m. — Virginia Tech vs. No. 12 Syracuse
7:00 p.m. — No. 2 Penn State vs. Rutgers
7:00 p.m. — Pittsburgh vs. No. 25 Virginia
7:00 p.m. — Ohio State vs. No. 11 Michigan State
7:00 p.m. — VCU vs. No. 4 George Mason
7:00 p.m. — South Carolina vs. No. 14 Charlotte
7:00 p.m. — UNC Wilmington vs. Delaware
7:00 p.m. — Akron vs. No. 18 UAB
7:30 p.m. — Dayton vs. No. 19 Davidson
8:00 p.m. — No. 15 Creighton vs. Seton Hall
9:00 p.m. — No. 16 New Mexico vs. Florida International
10:00 p.m. — San Diego State vs. No. 9 UCLA
10:00 p.m. — UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 3 UC Irvine
SUNDAY
1:00 p.m. — Northwestern vs. Maryland
2:00 p.m. — No. 17 Saint Louis vs. St. Bonaventure
4:00 p.m. — Air Force vs. UMKC
4:00 p.m. — UNLV vs. Grand Canyon
5:00 p.m. — No. 1 Washington vs. No. 8 Stanford
6:00 p.m. — Oregon State vs. No. 13 California
NC State beat Louisville 2-1 in Raleigh today.
Hey question! I’m from Seattle, and I haven’t followed college soccer much, but I have noticed that in the SBI weekend previews, Washington games aren’t ever highlighted, even this week where it is an SBI No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup against Stanford.
Is this because Washington’s playing style isn’t exciting to watch, or is the ranking thought to not reflect the quality of soccer? Or is it a lack of historic rivalries or a regional thing? I’m really a super n00b when it comes to NCAA soccer, so this is a non-sarcastic/loaded question. I’m just curious whether checking out UW games here in Seattle is worthwhile or not.
Washington’s not really a traditional soccer power, and it’s been rare in the past for West Coast teams outside of the state of California to get much attention. Definitely worth checking them out though. Especially for matchups like this week, it’ll be a good cost/quality ratio.