Syracuse @ Notre Dame
Last weekend, Notre Dame had an intense game against Duke. This was a huge upset for the Blue Devils, but an even bigger boost in morale for the Irish. The Irish are hoping their 12-10 win over their ACC rival will set the bar high for future success. Freshman Cortney Fortunato had a career-high five goals last game, and she is having quite the season. She is a very talented rookie that is perfecting her skills with each game, and there is certainly a bright future for Fortunato and the Irish. Notre Dame has a 9-5 record, and an outstanding offense that always puts up a great challenge for their competitor’s defense. As for Syracuse, they had an awesome weekend, defeating the #1 ranked North Carolina, to take the top spot in the rankings this week. Syracuse, much like ND has an exceptional offense that delivers on scoring when it is most important. This weekend’s matchup will be exceptionally interesting, as both team’s morale is at an all-time high. They are both also at a good point in their seasons where they’ve both achieved a rhythm and are building success off of their chemistry they’ve created.
Florida @ Northwestern
The fourth and fifth ranked teams are going head to head on Saturday in Illinois. Northwestern just defeated Penn State, but had a tough time in doing so. The Wildcats are having an impressive season, especially with Bridget Bianco in goal. Bianco is the Current ALC Defensive Player of the Week, and she is only improving her stats from game to game. Florida is also a strong team, but this week they are going to focus on winning by an even bigger margin. Freshman defender Caroline Fitzgerald earned the title of ALC Rookie of the Week last week, and the Gators are hoping to deliver on their strong defensive skills this weekend as they take on Northwestern. Both teams have their strengths, and it will be interesting to see which one of them is able to come out with a win, considering they have had such similar seasons.
