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(9) Virginia Tech vs (8) Florida State – 7:00 PM

They may inevitably be playing for second behind runaway leaders Virginia, but Virginia Tech and Florida State may still yet be playing for a big prize, specifically a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Both sides are trying to hammer their way into the Top Six of the RPI, where history has typically dictated a team must be to get that top seed come Selection Monday. It goes without saying that three points here would be a gigantic boost to the hopes of the winning side. The home side have been lapping up the limelight as of late as their brilliant ACC season begins to come into focus for those that haven’t been paying close attention thus far. The Hokies come into this one on the back of a nine game unbeaten run in the league and four straight ACC wins as well. VT is back at home after a brief sojourn to Pittsburgh, where the club was able to have an easy day at the offense, rolling over bottom club Pittsburgh, 4-0. Katie Yensen netted a brace, and the defense held Pitt to two shots on goal. It promises to get much harder down the stretch, beginning with Florida State on Thursday. The Hokies haven’t been shutout once this season but will be wary of the Florida State defense, one of the nation’s best units on most days. VT themselves have a defense that has conceded multiple goals just once in the past twelve games and has six league clean sheets to their name. Should the Hokies be able to hold the line and win against the Noles, they’ll promptly go to rooting for FSU on Sunday against Virginia. In that case, if VT takes care of business against Miami (FL) and FSU is able to upset UVA, it’d set up a winner takes all derby in the ACC finale between the Hokies and Cavs next week. That’s being a bit presumptuous though, as Thursday’s match is hardly a given for either side and figures to be another tense affair in Blacksburg.

Florida State comes into this one trying to keep its unbeaten run alive after going sixteen this season without defeat. A pair of draws earlier in ACC play means FSU needs a win here to really keep pressure up on league leaders Virginia. The Noles have a torturous run-in, with the aforementioned Cavs and Notre Dame to finish up, though that might work in their favor if they can keep winning. As with Virginia Tech, the Noles are right in the running for a #1 seed and need every big win they can get to boost their case. Against Maryland in the club’s last game, the team’s Iceland connection of Berglind Thorvalsdottir and Dagny Brynjarsdottir each netted their seventh of the season to give the club some breathing room before Maryland pulled back a late consolation to see it finish 2-1. The late goal kept the club from a third straight shutout, a welcome relief after the mini-implosion the defense suffered against Boston College at the beginning of the month. The offense has scored multiple goals in three of their past four, which has to be a good sign considering the club’s earlier stretch of one multiple goal game in seven. Thorvaldsdottir didn’t return after the thirty-third minute though, and the club also saw Isabella Schmid leave after just seventeen minutes, raising some concerns going forward though. The emphasis for wins now rather than later is pretty stark though considering the club will be missing Brynjarsdottir and Megan Campbell through World Cup Qualifying on Halloween night against Notre Dame in the regular season finale. It puts extra emphasis on this one, not just in the ACC race but in the race for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

(3) North Carolina vs (55) Clemson – 7:00 PM

The empire looked a bit feeble on Sunday against Virginia, being brushed aside by the Cavs in a high profile showdown with their ACC rivals in Chapel Hill. Goals early in the first half and late in the second consigned UNC to another defeat to UVA, with the Tar Heel offense again looking toothless, finishing with just a pair of shots on goal against their title rivals. Starting forwards Summer Green and Vicky Bruce combined for just forty-one minutes as Anson Dorrance chopped and changed throughout, bringing the likes of Megan Brigman and Alexa Newfield off the bench as he searched in vain for the right combination. The Heels without the talents of Crystal Dunn running at defenses from her attacking midfield post didn’t make for pretty viewing, and few could have argued with the margin of defeat suffered by the defending national champs against Virginia on Sunday. Thankfully for the sanity of the UNC faithful, Dunn should be with the club the rest of the year, and her Heels should be favored in their three remaining regular season games as they aim to lock down a home quarterfinal match in the ACC Tournament. In the middle of a gaggle of rivals for that honor, UNC probably recognizes the need to kickstart the attack, which has netted just two goals in the club’s last three matches. Dorrance also has to be hoping the defense can get back on track after conceding multiple goals for the first time since September 8 against West Virginia. There really can’t be any complacency on the part of the home side, as they’ll be facing a Clemson side desperate for a result for their NCAA Tournament hopes. UNC themselves know that more slip-ups could be costly in their pursuit of a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

It may be final countdown time for Clemson’s NCAA Tournament hopes, as the Tigers’ efforts thus far have been admirable to say the least, but they likely need a winning finish down the stretch to punch their Big Dance ticket. In control for the first half against Wake Forest this past Sunday, Clemson failed to put away multiple chances in front of goal and paid the price in the second half, as the Demon Deacons adjusted and netted the game’s only goal to walk away with three valuable points in the ACC. Just as pertinent though was the effect defeat had on Clemson’s RPI, as the Tigers were bounced from the bubble, at least for the time being. There’s no question that Clemson would be solidly in the field if they can hang onto the bubble, but they may well rue that defeat to Wake Forest in the end. Six of the club’s seven shots on goal came in the first half, with Vanessa Laxgang and Catrina Atanda leading the way, but the club was noticeably on the back foot in the second half, with shots on target going Wake’s way, 5-1. Not playing a complete ninety minutes against a motivated North Carolina will be tantamount to a death sentence, meaning the Tigers will need one of their best performances all season to come up with anything on Thursday night. Clemson has given up multiple goals in just one of their past ten matches, which is quite the feat for an ACC team. Of course, they’ve also been shutout in four of their past five, a pretty ominous sign going into Chapel Hill. The longer Clemson can keep it close, the better their chances of walking away with at least a point. If they go down early and are forced to chase the game though, it could be a long night.

(31) Notre Dame vs (32) Boston College – 7:00 PM

Two out of form ACC clubs will meet on Thursday night, trying to salvage their seasons before postseason play launches into full gear. Notre Dame is on a serious slide, having lost four in a row, most in brutally painful circumstances, while also having not won in five straight. As a result, the Irish have tumbled to fifth in the league table, five points behind fourth place North Carolina and now face an uphill climb to a Top Four seed in the ACC Tournament and the right to host a quarterfinal game. Realistically, UND may need to run the table and hope things elsewhere go their way, which is a daunting thought considering the fragile form the Irish have been in as of late. Notre Dame seemed to have Duke on the ropes at multiple times last Sunday, evening the score at 1-1 late in the first half when Rilka Noel was able to knock in Karin Simonian’s cross to the far post. But the Irish couldn’t put in that final blow, and it cost them late in extra time, when goalkeeper Kaela Little was caught in possession in her area by Laura Weinberg, who was able to fire into the now empty net. It was the latest hammer blow for a side that lost to a controversial goal against Virginia and a late winner against Virginia Tech a few days later. The string of defeats has pushed Notre Dame out of seed range, but the bigger worry may be with the Irish’s confidence after so many difficult results back-to-back. Randy Waldrum’s a tremendous coach, but even he is going to be tested in his efforts to get his side’s morale back up as the postseason approaches. This club still has College Cup potential, but they need to pull out of their tailspin quickly. The defense has given up nine goals in the past five games, a most un-Notre Dame like statistic. Considering Thursday’s opposition has a dynamite offense at many stretches, the Irish are going to have to really tighten up on defense if they want to pick up their first win of the month.

Boston College began ACC season by losing three of four but had seemingly turned it around after wins over Wake Forest and NC State at the end of September. October has been much less kind to the Eagles, who have won just one of four league games this month. Granted, they faced off with some of the league’s best at the beginning of the month, but most figured the club would be able to get back on track on the road against Miami (FL) last Sunday. The Eagles had come off a resounding 7-0 non-conference win over Central Connecticut State but found themselves in a real dogfight against the Hurricanes in Coral Gables. Boston College took the lead twice through Stephanie McCaffrey, but things went pear-shaped in rather drastic fashion, with the club going 2-1 up to 3-2 down in the span of a couple of minutes in the second half. Making matters worse was the club being reduced to ten when starting goalkeeper Alex Johnson was sent off in the sixty-eighth minute. Against the odds, BC fought back and equalized from the penalty spot, then holding out for a point after extra time. The fallout is certainly noticeable. Johnson is banned for this game, meaning Mickelson will continue in goal, while the defense has now conceded multiple goals in five league games this season. The good news is that the offense has also scored three or more in five league games, with the Eagles surely fancying their chances if it becomes a battle of firepower on Thursday night. Regardless, BC will be sweating if they don’t get something out of this one. They’re in eighth in the league right now and just a game above .500. A misstep or two, and it could be a bleak winter for Alison Foley’s charges.

(27) Rutgers vs (44) UConn – 7:00 PM

Barring a ludicrous meltdown, Rutgers is going dancing in November, so the final few games of the regular season are probably going to see the club try to recover some form before the AAC Tournament commences in a few weeks. The Scarlet Knights saw their league title hopes go up in smoke in Florida last weekend, with a defeat to UCF putting them on the ropes, before a draw with South Florida a few days later put them down for good. While the Scarlet Knights are probably safe from the bubble despite a pretty middling profile, they’ll still want to get back on the winning track in their final two regular season games. The club got Jonelle Filigno back from suspension against the Bulls on Sunday, but it was Stefanie Scholz and Madison Tiernan that stole the show with goals against USF in Tampa. Rutgers’ defense was in the crosshairs though, as they coughed up leads twice against the Bulls, including the tying goal in the eighty-second minute to put the score where it’d finish at 2-2. Both sides were all but out of gas in the extra frames, meaning Rutgers had to settle with a point from their foray into Florida. While getting the complete arsenal back should bode well for their return to Yurcak Field, some of the club’s defensive failings have been all too plain to see in the league, with the club conceding multiple goals in four of their seven league matches. Considering the offense has scored multiple goals in just two of those AAC matches, it’s safe to say Rutgers is going to come up on the short end of the stick if it turns into a track meet against the tougher foes on their schedule. Against a desperate UConn team though, Rutgers is going to have to dig deep to keep their perfect home record this season intact.

Said UConn Huskies are in a bad way going into the final weekend of the regular season. Their win over Boston College early in the season, which looked to be a marquee result for the early part of the season, now doesn’t look like one, meaning it’s a bad sign that the club hasn’t picked up another result against an uRPI Top 50 team this season. They’ve had chances to build their profile against sides like Georgetown, UCF, and Louisville but have fallen short each time. It means the Huskies are between a rock and a hard place at the moment. Needing to win out is almost a given at this point. And still, unless the Huskies are able to take down UCF or Louisville in the AAC Tournament, they’re going to be depending on an ability to get above the bubble zone, as they don’t compare well with rivals there. Last time out against Louisville, the Huskies did well to come back from an early 1-0 deficit, but they had the lead for five minutes before a Charlyn Corral inspired comeback sent them spiraling to defeat. While Rachel Hill and two-goal scorer Stephanie Ribeiro got their chances for the Huskies, it was still way too open defensively, which is a good way to get beat by a powerful Louisville offense. In games against UCF, South Florida, and Louisville, the Huskies have given up ten combined goals, which has to be a worry against a Rutgers side with some weapons, including Filigno. The good news is UConn’s got some firepower of their own, with Hill and Ribeiro capable of lighting it up. With both sides desperate for the three points and packing good offenses and sometimes shaky defenses, this one could be an overlooked thriller on Thursday night.

(33) Wisconsin vs (24) Minnesota – 8:00 PM

We’ll get another chance to try and figure out these two confounding teams on Thursday night in Madison. The Badgers are currently in fourth in the Big Ten but miles off the leaders, which has to be disappointing considering the club’s red hot start to the season. The draw at Michigan probably means the club is safe from bubble trouble even if they stumble down the stretch. Still, the Badgers would at least like to build some momentum going into the Big Ten Tournament to try and challenge for a conference tournament title. Despite something of a poor night in front of goal, the Badgers still managed to take down Iowa with a late header from Rose Lavelle that gave them a 2-1 win in the end. With Minnesota’s visit, the club will get Kylie Schwarz back after her red card ban following the Nebraska match. However, the Badgers are also going to be shorthanded in this one with Alexandra Heller getting a one-match ban for yellow card accumulation after picking up her fifth booking against Iowa. Considering this is a defense that’s conceded in four of five games going into this one, it’s hardly an ideal circumstance. The offense has scored in six straight though, meaning this one could be a shootout against an unpredictable Minnesota side. You’d favor the Badgers on paper in their final three, which might just be able to push them up towards national seed territory if they can win a game or two in the Big Ten Tournament. With the club having won just two of five going into this one though, it may be more of taking it one game at a time and making sure the three points stay in Madison.

Tenth place in the Big Ten and solidly in the NCAA Tournament and a contender for a national seed? Minnesota’s in weird territory right now, one of the oddest cases in recent memory. Wins over Michigan, Penn State, and Ole Miss have the Gophers with one of the nation’s best win profiles. But this club also doesn’t actually have any other wins over Big Ten clubs! That includes their last three league matches, including a 1-0 defeat to Nebraska last week. The Gophers again were pretty lax defensively, letting Nebraska create a hatful of scoring opportunities and paying the price when Jordan Jackson scored in the middle of the first half. Tarah Hobbs continued to shine in goal, making eight saves, but the offense, led by Simone Kolander and Katie Thyken fired blanks despite putting up twenty shots. It was the club’s third time in five games that they were shutout, and the inconsistent offense has to be a huge concern considering how the defense is forcing Hobbs into a hell of a lot of saves most times out. Despite the possibility of missing out on the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers still look like solid bets for the NCAA Tournament thanks to their prior big wins. But the last thing this group needs is to go in cold without a postseason run in the Big Ten Tournament, so the need for a few wins down the stretch is pretty sizable. Facing a wobbly defense without Heller in the lineup could help with some of their scoring ills. At the same time though, having conceded in three straight, Minnesota’s own defense could mean that any lead the Gophers build is a tenuous one at best.

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