12 pm – Marquette at Lehigh Patriot League Network
Lehigh has lost a few players going into this season, but they still have plenty of star power. Both Dan Taylor and Matt Poillon have been drafted into the pro ranks and look to have big senior seasons. Players like Kurtis Kaunas and Lukas Mikilinich should be looking for break out seasons as well. Marquette is a new program still, and they start the season on the road for quite a bit.
12 pm – Furman at North Carolina
Number five North Carolina faces off against Richie Meade’s Furman Paladins. Furman had a rough season at 1-12, and as a developing program, they just hope they can do better than that. The Tar Heels are tied for second with Syracuse in the ACC pre season rankings.
12 pm – Vermont at Penn State
This is the first time these two teams have played in seven years. Vermont has had some very bad seasons, and Penn State is now a part of the newly-formed Penn State. Vermont has some good players who look to go pro in the coming years, and it will come down to Penn State’s defense.
12 pm – Duke at High Point Big South Network
Duke opens their championship defense run this weekend. High Point, however, is coming off of an upset win over Delaware. This could be a better game than expected. Watch out for the Panthers, who would love the opportunity to take that AQ in the southern conference.
1 pm – UMBC at Johns Hopkins ESPN3/WatchESPN
Sixth ranked Johns Hopkins will be making their debut as a Big Ten team when they take on the in-state UMBC Retrievers. Wells Stanwick will be their leader on offense once again. Shack Stanwick will also make his NCAA debut with the Blue Jays. UMBC is looking to contend in a very tough division led by Albany.
1 pm – Army at UMass
Twentieth ranked Army will need their MLL drafted goalie Sam Somers to play like he did last season all year long with their tough Patriot league schedule. This might be the year that John Glesener and crew make it to the NCAA tournament. UMass took a step back last season, and Army is looking to prove they are a legitimate contender.
1 pm – Bucknell at Delaware
Delaware looking to rebound from their loss against High Point last week. The Bison are certainly looking to bounce back from a rough 7-8 season and they play in one of the toughest conferences. Currently, they are ranked fourth in the pre season Patriot League projections. Meanwhile, the Blue Hens are projected as dead last in their conference.
1 pm – Ohio State at Detroit
Ohio State looks to get back on track this season as they enter the Big Ten. It’s an interesting matchup of super stars Jesse King (MLL first round pick) and Detroit leading scorer Shayne Adams. With a weaker conference this season for the MAAC, the Titans might actually be able to make a run. The Buckeyes have a tough conference to get past with Maryland and Hopkins in the fold, but they could make some noise.
1 pm – Bellarmine at Michigan
The Knights played to a 7-5 record last season while Michigan went 5-11. As a part of the southern conference, they have an opportunity to take over as the top team if they can get past the tough part of their schedule early on. The Wolverines are picked to finish last in the Big Ten, but they might have motivation in this game against their former conference rivals in the Knights.
1 pm – Manhattan at Stony Brook America East TV
The Jaspers are ranked only ahead of second-year program Monmouth in their conference heading into this season. Stony Brook’s Challen Rogers and Brody Eastwood are two potential breakout prospects for this season. It could be a big day for the Sea Wolves.
1 pm – Colgate at Bryant NEC Front Row
No. 14 Bryant is coming back from a Cinderella season where they beat Syracuse in the playoffs. With a good start they really should win their conference. After going 9-7 last season, Colgate may have rebounded by now from losing Peter Baum and look to improve from last year.
1 pm – St Josephs at Richmond
Mickey Hoffmeister makes his Richmond debut after leading VMI in points last season. That’s the top player for a Spiders program that struggled to a 6-11 record last season. Don’t underestimate the Hawks this season though, either. Taylor Wray’s team went 11-4 last season, and they could make an even bigger leap in 2015.
1 pm – Rutgers at St. Johns
While the Scarlet Knights would love to be better than their 8-8 season last year, it’ll be tough luck in the Big Ten. Luckily they are facing the Red Storm, who might finish as one of the worst teams in the country this year.
1 pm – Virginia at Loyola Patriot League Network
Probably the top game of the week as No. 9 Virginia is at No. 7 Loyola. The Greyhounds are led by MLL first round pick Nikko Pontrello and also by a starting defense core that is playing two freshmen.
1 pm – Mercer at Boston University Patriot League Network
In their second season, BU’s journey in the Patriot League is not any easier. This is their only home game for a long while, so they might need to take advantage of it. After going 7-7 last season, Mercer is looking to make leaps in the southern conference.
4 pm – Siena at Syracuse ESPN3/WatchESPN
Projected as being tied as the second ranked team in the ACC, this game really should go in Syracuse’s favor. They are looking to rebound from a tough playoff loss to Bryant last year. The Orange are losing a lot of seniors after this year; it could be a big season for them.
