Mid-Atlantic Review, Week 3

By D3soccer.com Contributor

Week #3 is in the books. There were several high profile games this week that will certainly impact national rankings. Conference play also began for some, and almost everyone will be deep in conference play by the end of this week. Thoughts will now turn to conference playoff seedings, as no one wants to be in hostile territory for the playoffs. All conference games are important, and everyone wants those precious three points. Let’s look in on how our Mid-Atlantic leaders did for this week.

Messiah (5-1-0) No. 5

Coming off of their rare home loss, the Falcons took out their frustrations on DeSales, lambasting the Bulldogs by the score of 9-0. The Falcons outshot the Bulldogs 29-2 (16-1 on frame) and led in corners 13-1. Seven different Falcons scored in the game, with Brooke Firestone and McKenzie Swartley each recording a brace. On Saturday night, the Falcons traveled across the state to take on No. 10 Carnegie Mellon, the third top ten team that they’ve faced in the last two weeks. The Falcons scored on their first shot of the game early in the third minute on a beautiful strike from junior All-American Sunny Gelnovatch. The Falcons’ other junior All-American, Brooke Firestone, converted a penalty kick six minutes later for a 2-0 lead. The Tartans battled the entire night and the game was more level than the final score of 4-1 indicated.

This week, the Falcons travel to Elizabethtown to take on the Blue Jays Wednesday night, then return home to host No. 19 Misericordia Saturday night in an important cross-conference game that will certainly have ranking implications in the region.

Johns Hopkins (5-1-0) No. 9

On Wednesday night, the Blue Jays played host to the most anticipated match of the week, battling No. 6 TCNJ at Homewood Field. In a matchup of top 10 teams, the Blue Jays controlled play in the first half, taking the lead on a Rachel Jackson goal in the 23rd minute. The Lions fought back in the second half and the Jays retreated into a defensive posture. They repelled wave after wave of attack by the Lions, who just couldn’t seem to finish. Jays’ keeper Robyn Lipschultz made ten saves in goal and the Hopkins defense stood tall (albeit very fortunate on a few occasions) and scrapped their way to the 1-0 win. The Blue Jays continued to roll Saturday at Bryn Mawr, with 9 different Jays recording goals against the Owls. The 12-0 win was a program record, eclipsing the previous record of 9-0. The Blue Jays outshot the Owls 37-0 and led 7-0 in corners taken.

This week, the Blue Jays travel to York (PA) on Wednesday to face the Spartans before returning home to host the Washington College Shorewomen on Saturday.

Swarthmore (5-0-1) No. 12

On Saturday, the Garnet traveled to Carlisle to take on Dickinson. The Garnet outshot the Red Devils 20-7, but could only answer Dickinson’s lone goal with one of their own, drawing 1-1. Sunday, Swarthmore and Penn State-Berks battled back and forth in a close thriller. The action saw each team claw back from a goal down to draw the game level at 2-2 . Seemingly destined for overtime, Senior All-American Marin McCoy then blasted a liner over the Lions’ keeper with under a minute remaining to seal the 3-2 victory for the Garnet. This emotional, hard-fought game saw four cautions issued to players.

The Garnet play host Thursday night to the Ursinus Bears before welcoming the Green Terror of McDaniel to Clothier Field Stadium in another crucial conference matchup Saturday afternoon.

Misericordia (4-1-1) No. 19

On Wednesday night, the Cougars visited Lebanon Valley on the Commonwealth side of the MAC. The Cougars outshot the Dutchmen, 21-5, and led in corners, 6-1, but couldn’t find the back of the net until the 98th minute of OT. Two freshmen won it for the Cougars, with Kate Field burying a header off a pass from Zoee Farr. Saturday, the Cougars traveled to Arcadia and outshot them 17-10, but couldn’t overcome the conversion of an early penalty kick awarded to the Knights. The Cougars also took eight corner kicks to the Knights’ three, but similar to the previous game against Lebanon Valley, they struggled to put the ball in the back of the net. The Cougars will need to fix their finishing problems, because… well, see below. This Wednesday and Saturday, they will need to take advantage of any chances they get.

This upcoming week, the Cougars face their most important regular season week ever, as they host No. 3 William Smith Wednesday night before traveling to No. 5 Messiah on Saturday night. If the Cougars can claw their way through this week, they should be ready for anything in the postseason.

Scranton (4-0-1) NR, Receiving votes

Tuesday night, the Royals traveled across town to visit the Marywood Pacers. The Royals scored five first half goals and two more in the second half for a 7-0 win. The Royals outshot the Pacers 26-9, with 6 of those Pacer shots coming in the last 20 minutes, when the game was already out of hand. Seventeen of those shots were on frame for the Royals, who also led in corners 6-1. On Friday night, the Royals battled Farmingdale State for 110 minutes, settling for a 1-1 draw. They outshot the Rams 14-9 and led in corners, 5-2. The Rams played a physical game, committing 15 fouls to only 3 for the Royals. The contest was back and forth in the second half, but neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second half or overtime periods.

The Royals stay at home Tuesday night to host the NYU Violets, then head out on the road Saturday to visit the Catholic Cardinals in an important Landmark Conference matchup.

Arcadia (5-0-1) NR, Receiving votes

Tuesday night, the Knights traveled to Cabrini to take on the Cavaliers. The Knights played evenly with the Cavaliers in the first half, but they didn’t play “Knight Soccer”, surrendering a goal in the 23rd minute. Head Coach Rick Brownell must have said a few inspirational words at the half, because Arcadia came out and played the physical, fast, aggressive soccer for which they have become known. They outshot the Cavaliers 10-1 in the second half, controlled play, and scored two goals for the 2-1 win. The Knights continued their unbeaten run Saturday afternoon against the Misericordia Cougars. The Knights were awarded a penalty kick in the 5th minute when the Cougar keeper committed a foul on a Knight attacker. The Knights then assumed a defensive posture and absorbed eleven shots in the second half, while only taking one of their own, but they kept the Cougars out of the net and escaped with a 1-0 victory.

The Knights have a very busy and brutal week ahead, facing three teams that finished last season ranked in their regions. On Monday, the Knights host Christopher Newport, a team that has only completed a half of a game since the 5th of September due to weather. On Wednesday, the Knights travel across the Delaware River to Jersey to face the Rowan Profs. Finally, they return home to Glenside on Saturday to host the Wilkes Colonels.

Gettysburg (3-2-1)

The Bullets shoot into the rankings by way of some quality showings against good competition early in this young 2018 season. Gettysburg outshot Lynchburg 15-8 in their 0-1 OT loss, and did the same to a good Roanoke team (21-7) in their 1-1 draw (they also led 8-4 in corners). They then beat Stevenson at home, 4-3, before handling the Blue Jays 3-0 at Elizabethtown.

On Wednesday night, the Bullets hosted the York (Pa.) Spartans in a fairly even game. The Bullets outshot the Spartans 15-9, but the teams each had four corners. The Bullets scored the game winner in the 63rd minute when two freshmen made the difference. Molly O’Shea intercepted an attempted clearance by the Spartan keeper and passed the ball to Erika Muskus, who put the ball into the back of the net for the 1-0 win. On Saturday, the Bullets hosted Washington College and despite outshooting the Shorewomen 20-7, dropped a 2-3 decision. The Bullets battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie it, only to give up the game winner in the 83rd minute.

Gettysburg continues with Centennial Conference play this week, hosting McDaniel Wednesday night and then traveling to the Ursinus Bears late Saturday afternoon.

Dickinson (4-1-2)

Dickinson enters the discussion this week via a 4-1-2 record and strong outings against some traditionally tough teams. The Red Devils have lopsided victories against Pitt-Bradford, Penn State-Harrisburg, and York (PA). They won by the slim margin of 1-0 against Alvernia, but dominated on the stat sheet, leading 25-0 in shots and 5-1 in corners. Their lone defeat came at the hands of No. 10 Christopher Newport.

On Wednesday night, the Red Devils hosted Penn State-Berks at Dickinson Park. In what many thought would be an offensive affair, instead turned out to be a defensive struggle, resulting in a 0-0 draw. Mary Katherine Brosnan recorded nine saves for the Red Devils, who were outshot 17-16 (9-5 SOG) and trailed in corners 10-5. On Saturday afternoon, Dickinson hosted No. 12 Swarthmore to open Centennial Conference play, and the results were similar, this time resulting in a 1-1 draw. The Red Devils were outshot 20-7 this time, but scored first in a half in which they controlled possession and then held off the Garnet until conceding a lone goal in the 72nd minute.

Catholic (4-0-2)

The Catholic Cardinals enter the fray by going undefeated to start the season and outscoring their opponents 15-4. In week 2, they traveled to Fredericksburg, VA, on the weekend and faced the Berry Vikings, where they came away with 2-1 victory. Forwards Elizabeth Johnson and Grace Boras each had five goals in the first four games of the season. In the second week of the season, their Sunday game against the Huntingdon Hawks was cancelled due to weather.

This past Wednesday, the Cardinals traveled to Stevenson to play the Mustangs (0-4-2), who are struggling through an early season funk and looking for their first win of the 2018 campaign. The Mustangs will have to continue their search, however. Despite the teams combining for 38 shots on the night (15 on goal), the affair produced no goals and the sides had to settle for a 0-0 draw. Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals hosted Salisbury in a physical contest that saw nearly 30 fouls called between the two teams and a yellow card issued to a player on each team. The fairly-even stat sheet was reflected in the result, as the game finished 1-1.

Upcoming for the Cardinals this week is a Tuesday night visit to Eastern Mennonite and then a return home to host Scranton in an important Landmark Conference matchup that could determine who will be hosting the conference championships. The Cardinals face some tough competition in the next few weeks against the likes of Scranton, Frostburg State, Susquehanna, and McDaniel, so we should know soon if they are the “real deal”.

McDaniel (4-1-0)

The Green Terror visited Frostburg State Wednesday and played a level game with the Bobcats, though the scoreboard didn’t show it. The teams had the same amount of shots (15) and shots on goal (5), but McDaniel fought their way to a 2-0 win on an early Kirsten Gibson goal in the first half and a late Maddie Schwartz goal in the second half. In their Centennial Conference opener on Saturday against Ursinus, the Green Terror scored a goal in each half and kept the Bears from recording a shot on goal in their 2-0 win. The Green Terror held a shot advantage of 16-4 as well as the edge in corners taken, 12-5.

The Green Terror makes another swing north into Pennsylvania this week for two conference matchups, first to Gettysburg Tuesday night to face the Bullets before heading out to Swarthmore for a Saturday afternoon matchup with the Garnet.

Susquehanna (4-1-1)

On Wednesday afternoon, the River Hawks battled the Monarchs at King’s (PA) in a defensive struggle that saw the teams combine for only 8 shots and a single corner kick. Susquehanna took advantage of their limited opportunities, scoring a goal in each half for the 2-0 win. On Saturday afternoon at Westminster, the River Hawks scored early in the first half and their defense once again kept the opponent out of the net to escape with a 1-0 victory over the Titans.

The River Hawks visit the Colonels at Wilkes Wednesday night before hosting the Elizabethtown Blue Jays Saturday afternoon.

Contenders or Pretenders? Are these teams’ records indicative of their talent or of their SOS?

Cazenovia (5-0-0) The Cazenovia Wildcats are undefeated and have an incredible 34-3 goals-for to goals-against total for the season thus far. Senior Michaela Breeze is averaging a hat trick and and nearly an assist every game (15 goals, 3 assists) and is currently leading the nation in goals scored and total points. Is this team for real? We’ll keep an eye on them.

Albright (5-0-1) The Albright Lions are undefeated and a team worth watching. Their hot start is their best since a 6-0 start to the 2005 season. We’ll continue to monitor this team, who has a tough conference schedule that will include Messiah, Arcadia, and Lebanon Valley (all regionally-ranked teams). They’ll also have to travel for a match against our next team to watch, the FDU-Florham Devils.

FDU-Florham (6-0-1) The Devils are also undefeated, but are playing TCNJ Wednesday night and Misericordia next month. Stay tuned to see how the Devils match up against nationally-ranked competition.

So, there we have it - a wild week three that saw some great top 10 matchups and many games postponed due to inclement weather. The season is starting to shape up and we’re beginning to see which teams will be making their mark on the 2018 season. Conference play has started for many, which means that the playoffs will be here before we know it. Stay tuned and come back next week to keep abreast of the top teams in the Mid-Atlantic. And, as always, let us know what you think. We love the feedback!

Comments or feedback for the author? E-mail us.