Photo credit: Maryland Sports Insider
Sacred Heart (0-7) vs Vermont (2-5) – An 0-7 record doesn’t mean that Sacred Heart is an easy team to beat. They have stayed in games just by playing hard. The most they’ve lost by was 8 to Yale, other than that, teams have only gotten away with an average of three goal wins. Vermont’s biggest win out of their two comes against Bryant in a one goal win. It will be a fight to the finish as the Catamounts walked away with only a one goal win just last season.
#17 Penn State (4-3) vs Saint Joseph’s (4-4) – CAA matchup. The Nittany Lions made an impressive start to 2013, downing Michigan and the Denver. They put up a fight against Notre Dame, Ohio State and Lehigh but fell short. Coach Tambroni helped his team rebound to get a big win over UMass and Binghamton. After getting dominated by Lehigh in a 14-1 loss, the Hawks have come around and started to find themselves. SJU enters todays game off a win over Marquette and starts their CAA play. Penn State only won by four in 2012. The Hawks have a chance to make a huge statement if they come out with the victory.
Providence (5-2) vs. Siena (1-6) – Previously undefeated Providence will hold host to the Saints from Siena. The Friars visited the Carrier Dome, Coach Galloways old homestead, where they were viciously taken apart as they watched the Orange walk away with an 18-9 win. The Saints had a tough challenge to open up their 2013 campaign taking oh Johns Hopkins. Their goalie Matt Sharp held his ground in that game and others, but one person can’t do it all. Siena beat Providence in 2012 by three goals. With the new and improved black and silver, can the Friars get back to their winning ways?
UMBC (2-5) vs Mount Saint Mary’s (4-5) – Only an hour separates these two teams when traveling to take on one another. The Retrievers lost to fellow Maryland rival Towson, dropping to 2-5 with The Mount falling to Drexel. In the teams previous 19 meetings, UMBC has won all of them with their last matchup in 2003.
#7 Hofstra (5-2) vs #19 Drexel (5-2) – The Dragons travel to take on the Pride this afternoon in a CAA showdown. It’s always a battle between these two teams. Hofstra’s biggest win came over Notre Dame a few weeks ago, while Drexel bounced Albany and Villanova in back to back wins earlier in the season and recently took down Mount Saint Mary’s. Coach Tierney’s team fell to Saint John’s on the 19th 7-6 and will look to get back on the winning track.
#13 Duke (6-4) vs Georgetown (3-4) – Georgetown spoiled Providence’s perfect season and will try to stop Duke from continuing their winning streak which currently stands at 4-0. The Blue Devils sat back and watched Maryland play in their game, with the Terps running away with a 16-7 final. Since then, Coach Danowski lit a fire under his team who have beaten Loyola, North Carolina, Towson and Marist. Can the Hoyas unravel the Blue Devils?
#5 Denver (5-2) vs Air Force (4-4) – The Pioneers lost to Notre Dame in overtime last week in a very tight game. Air Force surprised Lehigh with a 15-10 win. Unfortunately, the Falcons haven’t won since, losing three in a row to Marquette (programs first ever win), Bellarmine and Loyola. Denver is 1-0 in ECAC match ups, with Air Force at 0-2. Coach Tierney’s team will have to come out and play because if they don’t, Air Force may just shock them as well.
#20 Albany (4-2) vs #15 Bucknell (7-1) – A big game for both teams as the Great Danes host the Bison. Bucknell downed Delaware but then lost to Mount Saint Mary’s. Once that loss happened, th Bison haven’t looked back, going on a 6-0 run with their latest win coming over #2 ranked Cornell. Albany’s biggest win comes over Syracuse in overtime for their season opener. They’ve won their last three games including wins over UMass and Bryant. Will Albany stop the charging Bison?
#2 Cornell (6-1) vs #9 Penn (5-1) – The Big Red were shaken up when they got bumped 9-8 by Bucknell four days ago. Penn’s only loss comes against Denver, but have since then gone on a 3-0 winning streak, taking down Lehigh, Villanova and Princeton. Cornell won last years contest 16-11. Both teams are 1-0 in Ivy League contests and will battle until the final whistle is blown to see who comes out 2-0.
Other 1pm games: Hobart vs Fairfield, Canisius vs Marist, Binghamton vs Quinnipiac, Dartmouth vs Harvard
2pm
Colgate (6-2) vs Navy (3-5) – After starting off the season 2-0, the Midshipmen have ceased fire. March 9 against Lafayette was their only other win against Patriot League foe Lafayette. Most recently, they fell 7-5 to another Patriot League contender, Holy Cross. Colgate is coming into todays matchup on a 3-0 run, including a win over Holy Cross. If Navy can sail to a win today, it will make rip tides in the Patriot League and NCAA rankings.
