Every Friday, the NE10 is going to highlight the biggest contests each weekend. It may be a big-time rivalry, matchup between two ranked teams or a battle for playoff-positioning. Fans can follow the action for every game by visiting our schedule page.
FOOTBALL
NCAA First Round: No. 20 Bentley at No. 18 New Haven : Nov. 20 - 1:00 p.m. (Live Stats - Video)
Bentley and New Haven met two weeks ago to determine who would win the NE10 Championship; this Saturday, they meet again – this time to determine who advances in the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Falcons (9-1, 7-1 NE10) look to avenge their 31-14 loss to the Chargers (9-1, 8-0 NE10) back on Nov. 6 at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium.
It will once again be a battle of nationally-ranked teams, as No. 18 New Haven looks to advance to the NCAA Second Round for the second time in three seasons and No. 20 Bentley aims for its first-ever NCAA playoff victory in its first appearance since 2004. The winner of the matchup will play top-seeded Kutztown on Saturday, Nov. 27.
FIELD HOCKEY
NCAA Semifinals: No. 2 Assumption vs. No. 3 West Chester: Oct. 19 – 2:00 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
Assumption (20-1) looks to become the first NE10 program since 2010 to claim a field hockey national championship when the team squares off in the NCAA semifinals on Friday against defending national champion West Chester (16-4).
The Greyhounds are coming off their first NE10 Championship, a 3-2 win over Adelphi, while the Golden Rams took down the Panthers 4-1 in the NCAA First Round last weekend. The two teams met earlier this season as West Chester handed Assumption its lone loss of the season, 2-1, in overtime. The game was scoreless until the 50th minute, when Mia Salah scored for the Greyhounds. However, the Golden Rams answered 30 seconds later and then scored the game-winner four minutes into overtime.
Should Assumption take down West Chester they would square off against Top-ranked Shippensburg or East Stroudsburg in the NCAA Championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
NCAA Cross Country Championship: Oct. 20 – 8:30/9:45 a.m. (Live Results - Video)
The NE10 has five teams and three individuals competing at this Saturday's NCAA Championships in Florida on the campus of Saint Leo. On the men's side AIC is currently ranked 20th in the nation and Ezra Mutai is the defending national champion. He'll look to repeat this year and see if his Yellow Jackets can match the best team finish in NE10 history, which was sixth by UMass Lowell back in 2002. Southern Connecticut and Stonehill also will race as a team, while Claudio Rocha will represent Assumption as an individual.
For the women, AIC claimed its first women's East Region Title this year and is making its first trip to the NCAA Championships while Stonehill is running in its 21st straight NCAA Championships. Ashley Corcoran of SNHU and Bethaney Donnelly from Franklin Pierce will compete as individuals. The best individual finish by an NE10 woman is second overall, which was accomplished by Nicole Plante back in 2006 while the best team finish by any NE10 program in the last 30 years was by Stonehill, who took 10th back in 2003.
MEN'S SOCCER
No. 4 Franklin Pierce vs. Post: Oct. 20 – 3:00 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
NE10 champion Franklin Pierce will open NCAA East Regional play in second round action against CACC champion Post on Saturday afternoon at Sodexo Field. The Ravens (19-1, 11-1 NE10) received a first-round bye after winning both the NE10 regular season and tournament championships. Saturday will be a rematch, as Franklin Pierce beat Post, 2-1, in the third round of NCAA action in 2019.
Earlier this season, the two teams met on Sept. 14, with the Ravens coming out with a 2-1 road victory over the Eagles. Franklin Pierce is currently ranked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and looks to build momentum off its trip to the NCAA quarterfinals two years ago.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
NCAA East Regional: Saint Anselm/Jefferson at Saint Rose – Sunday, Nov. 21 – 2:00 p.m. (Live Stats - Video)
NE10 champion Saint Rose earned the top seed in the NCAA East Regional and will have a first-round bye, opening its NCAA postseason on Sunday against the winner of Friday's contest between Saint Anselm and Jefferson. The Golden Knights are recently coming off their NE10-record ninth league championship and look to build upon their trip to the NCAA semifinals in 2019.
If Saint Anselm advances through the NCAA First Round, it will set-up a rematch of the NE10 Women's Soccer Championship semifinals between the Hawks and Golden Knights. Saint Rose bested Saint Anselm on Nov. 11 by a 5-0 margin to move on to the NE10 Championship final. Saint Rose is making its 16th trip in 19 seasons to the NCAA Tournament.
VOLLEYBALL
NE10 Championship Semifinal: No. 4 Bentley at No. 1 American International - Friday, Nov. 19 – 5:00 p.m. (Championship Central)
The first semifinal of the NE10 Volleyball Championship on Friday will bring back good memories for Bentley and sour ones for American International, as the two sides meet in a rematch of the 2019 NE10 Volleyball Championship final. The Falcons came back from a 2-0 deficit that day to win their record-10th NE10 title in program history.
In the latest installment of this rivalry, AIC – the winner of 18-straight matches dating back to Sept. 29 – will look to avenge its loss in 2019 and earn its third-consecutive trip to the Volleyball Championship final on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets are hosting at the Butova Gymnasium, a perk they did not have two years ago against Bentley.
NE10 Championship Semifinal: No. 3 Stonehill at No. 2 New Haven - Friday, Nov. 19 – 7:30 p.m. (Championship Central)
In the second semifinal of the NE10 Volleyball Championship on Friday, No. 2 New Haven and No. 3 Stonehill will square-off with a trip to Saturday's final at stake. Two weeks ago, the Chargers earned a difficult five-set win over the Skyhawks on the road to earn the head-to-head tiebreaker. If the first meeting was any indicator of what to expect on Friday night, this match will be a "must-watch" on NE10NOW.tv.
New Haven beat No. 7-seeded Southern New Hampshire, 3-1, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night, while Stonehill was also victorious against No. 6-seeded Saint Anselm, 3-1, to advance to the semifinal round. The Skyhawks are looking to earn their first-ever trip to the NE10 Championship final, with this being their 11th semifinal appearance in program history.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saint Anselm at Franklin Pierce: Saturday, Nov. 20 – 1:00 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
In-state foes will play when Saint Anselm visits Franklin Pierce on Saturday afternoon in an NE10 matchup. The Hawks – reigning NE10 champions – are coming off an 89-79 home loss to Bentley, while the Ravens have begun their 2021-22 campaign with a 1-2 start against non-conference opponents. Wednesday's loss to Bentley snapped Saint Anselm's 11-game home winning streak.
Franklin Pierce guard Isaiah Moore is off to a hot start for the Ravens, averaging 23.3 points per game on 57.1-percent shooting – picking up where he left off in the 2019 season. Saint Anselm forward Chris Paul is the top returner for the Hawks and he got off to an impressive start in his team's season-opener against Bentley – recording 27 points, six rebounds and four assists in the losing effort.
New Haven at Le Moyne: Saturday, Nov. 20 – 3:00 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
It will be a showdown of NE10 Southwest Division rivals when Le Moyne welcomes New Haven to Syracuse on Saturday afternoon for a conference matchup. The Chargers are off to a 3-0 start this season, which includes their latest victory – 80-59 – over Molloy, as they prepare to begin NE10 play. The Dolphins are 1-1 and coming off a road loss to Indiana (Pa.) on Tuesday.
New Haven forward Davontrey Thomas has played in two games for the Chargers and is averaging 27 points per game – tops among NE10 players – and he ranks seventh in the league in rebounding with 8.5 boards per game. Le Moyne guard Kevin Constant is averaging team-highs in points per game (18.0) and field goal percentage (63.6) through two games for the Dolphins.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
New Haven at Le Moyne: Saturday, Nov. 20 – 1:00 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
Le Moyne, under first-year head coach Mary Grimes, looks to make a splash in its first NE10 contest of the season at home against New Haven. The Chargers come into Saturday with a 3-0 record, most recently securing a 72-64 overtime win against Staten Island on Wednesday. Grimes won her first career game with the Dolphins on Wednesday, rolling past East Stroudsburg by an 82-48 margin.
New Haven guards Camryn DeBose and Brie Pergola are among the top six NE10 players in scoring, averaging 18.3 and 16.7 points per game, respectively. Le Moyne forward Emma Brinker had a big game in the season-opener against East Stroudsburg, scoring 26 points with 11 rebounds in the win.
Stonehill at Saint Michael's: Saturday, Nov. 20 – 1:30 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
Stonehill, the reigning NE10 champion, opens its 2021-22 season with an NE10 road matchup against Saint Michael's. Head coach Trisha Brown enters her 21st season at the helm for the Skyhawks, who are coming off an NE10 title in 2019-20. Senior forward Kayla Raymond returns as Stonehill's top scorer, after averaging 16.6 points per game – good for fifth-most among all NE10 players in 2019-20.
Saint Michael's is off to an 0-2 start this season after losses to Goldey-Beacom and USciences in the USciences Conference Challenge this past weekend. Senior guard Emma MacDonough is averaging a team-high 10.0 points through the first two games.
ICE HOCKEY
Assumption at Saint Michael's: Saturday, Nov. 20 – 3:00 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
Saint Michael's – the NE10 favorite, according to the 2021-22 Ice Hockey Coaches' Poll – begins its season at home this weekend against Franklin Pierce on Friday and Assumption on Saturday. The Purple Knights are led by 10th-year head coach Damian DiGiulian, as they start their season with two conference matchups.
Assumption, the reigning NE10 regular season champion, is off to a 1-3-1 (0-2-0 NE10) start through its first five games. The Greyhounds are coming off a pair of 5-4 losses two weeks ago to conference opponents Stonehill and Post. They will look to get back in the win column under fourth-year head coach Michael Looney when they visit Saint Michael's.
Southern New Hampshire at Stonehill: Saturday, Nov. 20 – 4:30 p.m. (Live Stats – Video)
It is early in the conference season, but Southern New Hampshire and Stonehill have been two of the best teams in NE10 play to this point – going a combined 5-1-1 in seven league contests to start the 2021-22 season. SNHU (4-1, 3-0 NE10) has won four-straight games, including a weekend-sweep of Post most recently. Stonehill (2-4-1, 2-1-1 NE10) picked up wins over Assumption and Franklin Pierce, before going 0-1-1 on the road at Saint Anselm.
SNHU's offense is led by senior forward Jake Cox and junior forward George Thurston, who are tied for the league-lead with 10 points – while Thurston is the NE10's top goal scorer with seven tallies through five games. Stonehill, the reigning NE10 champion, is led by senior forward Mike Seoane and junior forward Brendan Nehmer with seven points apiece.