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The Return of the Rivalry To End All Rivalries - Schuveiller and Dunn Back To Battle On Friday Night

North Carolina vs Notre Dame – 7:00 PM EST

It’s North Carolina vs Notre Dame at Fetzer Field…and the home side is in the unusual position of being underdogs in the eyes of most observers. An, at times, uneven performance against Nebraska in the opener last weekend raised fresh doubts, though the result in the end is all that matters. In particular, Carolina’s defense was put to the test by Nebraska’s big frontline of talented strikers, and it’s only going to get more challenging against Notre Dame’s cadre of attacking talent led by premier predator Melissa Henderson. Don’t overlook North Carolina’s scoring ability though. Kealia Ohai, Courtney Jones, Crystal Dunn, et. al. are all capable of some offensive fireworks and will put the Irish defense to the test in Chapel Hill. The key battle though could be between the pipes. North Carolina keeper Hannah Daly made up for a clanger against Nebraska by saving Morgan Marlborough’s penalty, while the Irish’s Maddie Fox will be looking to hold the fort in the biggest game of her career up to this point.

Our Game Magazine will have live coverage and post-match coverage of this match.

Florida vs Texas A&M; – 5:30 PM EST (in Knoxville, Tennessee)

The first match of one of the season’s most intriguing non-conference tournaments pits two conference powerhouses against each other on a neutral site in Knoxville. The Gators did a professional job in batting aside Miami (FL) and Florida International last weekend and will be looking to notch their first quality win of the season against the Aggies on Friday. Florida has an astonishing amount of depth and interchangeable pieces, meaning the only thing certain about Friday’s lineup may be that Erika Tymrak will be pulling the strings in midfield while Kathryn Williamson heads up the defense. A&M; is looking to shake off a loss on home turf this past Sunday to Big West favorites UC Irvine. The Aggies’ young charges will surely be tested by a veteran laden Florida team playing in familiar territory. Both coaches will also be hoping for consistent performances out of largely untested keepers on Friday evening as well.

Boston College vs Rutgers – 7:00 PM EST

The critics have not been kind to Boston College in this first week after a stuttering start to their 2011 campaign. Though the draw against Boston University will probably look better come the end of the season, the narrow win against local minnows Fairfield is perhaps harder to overlook. Alison Foley’s side has been lambasted by some for playing a rather light non-conference schedule in comparison with some other national title hopefuls, making Friday night’s clash with Big East side Rutgers that much more important. The Scarlet Knights are probably sick of Mother Nature interfering in their affairs by this point, having already seen one game cancelled and two games moved because of inclement weather. Glenn Crooks’ will get a massive test going on the road up to Chestnut Hill in this one. If the Scarlet Knights can even glean a draw off of the Eagles, it could do their at-large bid hopes a world of good come November.

Florida State vs New Mexico – 7:00 PM EST

OK, so the hype train surrounding Florida State (partially driven by yours truly) got slightly derailed after last weekend’s loss at Portland, but there were still promising signs for the Noles after the first weekend of the new season. FSU still managed to take down a highly touted Oregon State team on the road and flashed glimpses of real promise against the Pilots last Sunday. But the offense still appears to need a little time to gel and come together as a unit based on last week’s evidence. That makes this weekend at home a vital one for Florida State. Not that New Mexico is going to be making it easy on the home side. Kit Vela’s got an experienced and dangerous team at her disposal, and Lobos striker Jennifer Williams is more than talented enough to give any defense in America problems. The visitors had mixed fortunes on opening weekend with a surprising draw on home turf against St. Mary’s in the opener likely still gnawing at the Lobos. Obviously, getting anything out of this match would be huge for New Mexico, while a win in Tallahassee would have to rank among the biggest wins in program history for the Lobos.

Georgia vs Texas – 7:00 PM

Scouts will likely be keeping a steady eye on this non-conference affair that features two of the top junior goalkeepers in the country in Texas’ Alexa Gaul and Georgia’s Ashley Baker. While Gaul faces a major logjam of quality American keepers ahead of her in the race to be a future USWNT member, Baker will be out to prove she may be the future English #1 in between the pipes. Texas continues to confound after a second half meltdown against Loyola Marymount last Friday night raised more doubts about the Longhorns. Texas has enough talent to hang with most anyone when that talent is in form, but that’s been an all too rare occasion in recent seasons. A win in Athens could be the catalyst for a big run with three winnable games after this one, leading into a road trip to Los Angeles. This may be one of Georgia’s biggest non-conference tests and one that needs to be passed for the Bulldogs to get a leg up in the race for an at-large bid, with conference pride also on the line after the league’s taken some tough blows in the first weekend of play.

Maryland vs Stanford – 7:00 PM EST

A stern test of Maryland’s College Cup credentials should be one of the highlights of Week Two of the college season as Stanford treks east for the weekend. The Card certainly didn’t have any problems scoring last weekend against Penn State as Stanford rolled right over the Big Ten champs in impressive fashion before disposing of Pacific in reasonably impressive fashion despite conceding a pair of goals. And to think, that was without either Emily Oliver in goal or Courtney Verloo up front, although the status of both is unknown for the weekend ahead. Maryland also had a successful first few games with wins over Minnesota in a weather delayed game, before running it up against local minnows Loyola (MD). The Terps may be one of the few teams in the country able to hang with Stanford’s high calibre attack, able to bring players like Hayley Brock and Sade Ayinde off the bench. A win over the Card would certainly count as one of the biggest wins in program history and would go a long way in negating the RPI effect the rest of Maryland’s soft non-conference schedule will have come NCAA Tournament seeding time.

Our Game Magazine and Pitchside Report will have live coverage and post-match coverage of this match.

San Diego State vs Minnesota – 7:00 PM EST

Let’s call this one a “Loser Leaves National Relevance For The Moment” match. The Aztecs were surprisingly named favorites in the Mountain West and looked like they had a shot at a weekend sweep against Pac-12 opposition after an opening day win over Arizona but were cruelly denied in extra time against Cal. Minnesota put in a game effort against Maryland on the road in a weather delayed match but slipped to a narrow defeat against the Terps before coming back home and pounding South Dakota State. The Gophers haven’t done bad for themselves thus far considering they lost a whole lot of talent over the offseason and will fancy their chances at a successful road swing in California. It’s the beginning of a six match homestand for the Aztecs who have to string together a bunch of wins against some tough opposition considering the lower profile of the Mountain West this season after the departures of BYU and Utah.

San Jose State vs UC Irvine – 7:00 PM EST (from Riverside, California)

OK, take two for the Spartans. A team with a good deal of potential to become WAC champions this season, San Jose State were likely chomping at the bit for the opportunity to take down local rivals Santa Clara in their season opener. But the Broncos prevailed, though not before a fierce fight by San Jose State. The Spartans don’t have too many more chances to make an impression on the national stage though with a rather light non-conference schedule after this matchup. The Anteaters of UCI are likely riding a new wave of confidence after their upset on the road in toppling Texas A&M.; The win over the powerhouse of the Big XII shows that despite some big losses over the offseason, Irvine isn’t going to relinquish their status as contenders on the national stage without an almighty struggle. They can’t let up here though in a potentially tricky tie. An unfocused Anteater team could very easily be knocked off their perch by a game SJSU side.

Missouri vs Ohio State – 7:30 PM EST

It was a weekend of mixed results for both of these sides in week one of the new season. Ohio State did manage to dominate both matches and pounded Radford on Sunday but also were victim of more of the bad finishing that plagued them last year when they struggled to a 1-0 win against Xavier. They’ll face a much more daunting task as they visit Columbia and take on a Missouri team that dug themselves an early hole against San Diego and eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat. They won an easy tune-up though against Eastern Illinois and has a chance to build some momentum before a very doable stretch in non-conference play. The Buckeyes have a hectic weekend, playing the Tigers on the road before returning home to play a spry Wright State team on Sunday. Missouri’s going to need a win they can hang their hat on come November, and Friday’s as good a time as any to pick it up.

Penn State vs West Virginia – 7:30 PM EST

Will the real Penn State stand up? We probably don’t know much about Erica Walsh’s side other than the fact that they definitely aren’t as good as Stanford but are much better than an overmatched Nevada club. Friday night’s showdown with West Virginia will probably illuminate the picture further and is likely the lest best shot at learning much about this PSU team until a crunch weekend against UCF and Virginia in a few weeks. West Virginia will be wary of a Penn State team likely still looking for revenge after last season’s NCAA Tournament defeat to the Mountaineers in the second round of the tournament. The Mountaineers are always tough quarry and will be looking to rebound from a little opening night heartbreak of their own after falling to Virginia late. WVU bounced back with a 3-0 win over Purdue back in Morgantown and could keep the momentum going with a big win on the road against PSU.

Alabama vs Memphis – 8:00 PM EST

And now things get really interesting for an Alabama side that’s made a flying start to the new campaign. The Tide’s 2-1 win on the road against state rivals Samford probably raised an eyebrow or two and might have some thinking that this may finally be the season Bama breaks through. This match is the first in a critical four game stretch that could make or break the Crimson Tide’s at-large hopes. Memphis themselves will also be looking to another SEC feather in their cap after downing LSU at home in their opener last weekend. Alabama is the second of four SEC teams on Memphis’ schedule this year, and given that this fixture is on the road, the Tide may present the sternest non-conference challenge to the Tigers this season. With no big name opponents on Memphis’ non-conference slate, it’s safe to say that Brooks Monaghan’s side needs every win they can get before league play starts at the end of September.

Milwaukee vs Long Beach State – 8:00 PM EST

It’s a battle of two mid-major darlings in what could be a crucial matchup for each side’s at-large bid hopes come November. The Panthers came into the new season with high hopes with All-American striker Sarah Hagen in fine form and hoping to put further dents in the record books. Milwaukee ran out to a quick start against Michigan State before holding on for a 3-2 win before handling DePaul in a tight match on Sunday afternoon. A win here means the Panthers have a reasonable shot of being undefeated for when Marquette rolls into town in a few weeks. Long Beach State were up to their old upsetting ways against USC on opening day last weekend and have a huge weekend in Wisconsin ahead of them with a chance to give themselves some serious RPI boosts. Even getting one win would be huge, and you’d have to say that a win here looks more likely than against Marquette on Sunday.

Oklahoma State vs Oklahoma – 8:00 PM EST

Bedlam. Again. These two teams have played a whole lot in the past few seasons, with an unorthodox home-and-home series last year before meeting for a third time in 2010 in the Big XII Tournament, all resulting in triumphs for the Cowgirls, though the third encounter came down to penalties. Once more, Oklahoma’s two flagship programs will do the home-and-home thing, with Friday night’s match in Stillwater not counting towards the Big XII standings. The Cowgirls enter the weekend after a pair of tune-up wins against TCU and UAB, and this matchup represents the team’s only real test until a murderous stretch against USC, San Diego, and BYU in a few weeks. The Sooners are looking to rebound after a painful 3-1 defeat at home to Tennessee that could loom large if OU is on the bubble for an at-large bid. A win over OSU on the road would certainly undo most, if not, all of that damage and perhaps begin to turn the tide in a lopsided rivalry series.

Tennessee vs UCLA – 8:00 PM EST

Of all the massive games on this Friday, this somewhat under the radar tilt may be among the most intriguing. The Lady Vols have seemingly woken up from the dead after one week in 2011 with two huge wins on the road against Kansas and Oklahoma. While it remains to be seen if either program will be a contender in the Big XII this season, it was still big from the standpoint that Tennessee has had some real clunkers in non-conference play over the past few seasons. Back at home, the Lady Vols will perhaps get their stiffest challenge before SEC play against a UCLA team that gets a big test of their own after beating back the challenge of Cal State Northridge last weekend. While Florida looms on Sunday, the Bruins overlooking Tennessee on their home turf would be a big mistake. UCLA’s attacking talent may get all the headlines coming into this one, but Tennessee’s Caroline Brown has the look of a rising star and could well steal the spotlight with an inspired performance on Friday night in Knoxville.

Wisconsin vs Washington – 8:00 PM EST

Yes, Wisconsin managed to fight their way into the NCAA Tournament after losing their first three matches in 2010 and going winless in their first five, but it’s probably not an experience they’d like to repeat any time soon. The Badgers were outgunned by Notre Dame and were short-handed through injuries and Alev Kelter being away for hockey duties and will be hoping for better fortunes as Washington comes calling on Friday night. The Huskies will hit the road after a fiercely fought 2-2 draw with BYU to open up the 2011 campaign back in Seattle last weekend. Despite Notre Dame pulling it off last weekend, there probably aren’t going to be too many teams scoring multiple goals against Wisconsin’s steely defense, meaning Washington’s D in turn is going to be crucial to the outcome of this one. There’ll be extra focus on two of the nation’s top senior goalkeepers in Madison on Friday, with the home side’s Michele Dalton going head-to-head with the Huskies’ Jorde LaFontaine-Kussmann, with both very capable of capturing the plaudits and a win for their team on any given night with standout performances.

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