Army-Navy a Must-See Matchup in NCAA Week 10

The best games on paper don’t always live up to the hype, but last Saturday’s 1-v- 2 matchup between Boston College and North Carolina sure did. It resulted in a new No. 1 — UNC, of course — for the first time since last May, when the Eagles celebrated an NCAA championship win.

The last time the Eagles lost was April 13, 2024, against Virginia — the team they draw this weekend. Can they get off the mat? That’s one question that we’ll have answered within days.

Plus, a crowded Ivy League has teams jockeying not just for seeding but for a spot in the four-team tournament, and two “frenemies” lock horns in West Point.

PICK FIVE

NO. 8 VIRGINIA AT NO. 2 BOSTON COLLEGE 
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: ESPNU

Virginia storyline to watch: Katia Carnevale helped propel UVA to a step-up season last year. While much has been made of her departure, Kate Galica and Madison Alaimo paced a balanced Cavs attack in 2024’s upset over Boston College. Both are still around and among UVA’s top five scorers. More importantly, Galicia entered the week 10th in Division I in draws per game (9.62). A solid game in the circle could help the Cavaliers push back on a BC offense that likes to control the pace.

Boston College storyline to watch: The Eagles are in the top five nationally in two carefully watched statistics: Scoring defense (2nd, 6.93 goals allowed per game) and scoring offense (1st, 17.86 goals per game). They’re also fourth in Division I in turnovers (11.14), which Carolina’s top-ranked scoring defense exploited last weekend when Boston College turned it over 18 times compared to 11 turnovers for the Heels. Playing a cleaner game this weekend and moving forward is undoubtedly a top priority as the Eagles — who are otherwise as talented as ever —  look to claim their annual spot in the NCAA championship game. 

NO. 11 YALE AT NO. 17 PENN 
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | ESPN+

Yale storyline to watch: The good news is that the Bulldogs rebounded from a three-game skid by winning their last two against Syracuse and Dartmouth. Fallon Vaughn scored five goals in each of the wins. The bad news? As great as the‘Cuse win was — at the Dome, no less — the Orange play in a separate conference. Yale is one of three Ivy League teams tied for fourth with a 2-2 record (Cornell and Harvard are the others). Knocking off Penn would put the defending Ivy champion in a better position to make the four-team tournament in May.

Penn storyline to watch: Like Yale, the Quakers are challenging to read. Last week was a rollercoaster — a win over Maryland and a loss to conference foe Harvard. Saturday’s game could have more of an edge for Penn, which lost to Yale in overtime in last year’s Ivy championship. While Nikki Miles is on Northwestern now, other offensive leaders like seniors Anna Brandt (33G, 1A), Keeley Block (23G, 11A) and Erika Chung (6G, 25A) likely have a bone or two to pick with the Bulldogs.

NAVY AT NO. 18 ARMY  
2:30 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | ESPN+

Navy storyline to watch: The Mids are 10th in Division I in scoring offense (15.46 goals per game) and 9-2 when hitting the 10-goal mark. Emily Messinese (33G, 17A), Alyssa Chung (40G, 8A) and Mikayla Williams (32G, 12A) spearhead this year’s attack.

Army storyline to watch: Army has a defense that could water down the Mids’ offense. For their part, the Black Knights are 10th in Division I in scoring defense (8.73 goals allowed per game) and are 9-0 when limiting teams to single-digit goals.

NO. 5 JOHNS HOPKINS AT NO. 16 MICHIGAN
12 P.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | BTN+

Johns Hopkins storyline to watch: These teams played a pair of thrillers last season, with Michigan rallying from an 8-4 halftime deficit to take the regular-season meeting 13-9 and Hopkins flipping the script and clipping the Wolverines in overtime in the Big Ten quarterfinals. Should this game go down to the wire, the Blue Jays have proven they can win close ones. Five of Johns Hopkins’ first seven were decided by one goal, with the Jays winning four. The last win of the overtime variety  was a month ago on March 10 at Syracuse. This one might be a back-and-forth affair, and Hopkins holds the advantage because....

Michigan storyline to watch: Michigan has fewer experiences in close ones but has lost all three games decided by two or fewer goals (Denver, Maryland and most recently, Penn State on March 30). The Wolverines might need to flip that script this weekend. 

DENVER AT NO. 7 STANFORD
4 P.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | BTN+

Denver storyline to watch: The Pios lost their first Big East game since 2018 (back when Florida was in the league) last weekend in a conference tournament title-game rematch against UConn. They’ll have to wait until Saturday, April 19, to start a new streak. But Sunday’s game against Stanford could give Denver an RPI boost, which might be needed for the first time in nearly a decade with an AQ no longer a near-guarantee.

Stanford storyline to watch: The Cardinal looked playoff-primed in an 8-7 win against Notre Dame, proving resilient with a four-goal fourth-quarter comeback. Denver marks the second of two tough games for Stanford this weekend, with No. 15 Clemson on Thursday. It’s a tune-up for the ACC tournament, where Stanford represents a dark horse in its first year in the conference.

SNEAKY GOOD WATCH

MERCER AT HIGH POINT
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: ESPN+

One of these two teams has won the Big South tournament crown every year since 2017. High Point took the 2017-19 and 2021 titles, while Mercer has won the last three, including a win over High Point in 2024. Both teams entered the week undefeated in conference play and appear to be on a collision course to square off once again. High Point’s offense is among the best statistically in Division I, ranking fourth nationally (16.50 goals per game). Esprit Cha, Allie Connally, Shannon Smith and Reese Dowgiallo have amassed 40 points. However, Abby Soltys and Ansley Walters have more than 15 caused turnovers for Mercer and are thorns in opposing offenses’ sides.

DIVISION II GAME OF THE WEEK

NO. 5 LYNN AT NO. 3 TAMPA
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE TV

This is the marquee matchup in the final weekend of the regular season, with potential seeding implications for both the Sunshine State Conference tournament and the NCAA postseason. Both squads are part of the four-team bottleneck at the top of the SSC standings. Lynn is 0-5 all-time against the Spartans, but both meetings last year were one-goal decisions. It’s also Senior Day at Tampa, which is riding a 13-game home winning streak.

— Paul Ohanian