Welcome back to MLS On Campus, our weekly look at the goings-on in the college game. Every Monday, we'll give you the week's best highlights, the standout players, which games to watch in the week ahead and, of course, our national Top 10 list.
After all, the SuperDraft is only a few months away…
Big Men on Campus
Winthrop freshman forward Max Hasenstab – He is certainly not the only German-born player making his presence felt in the NCAA this season – UCLA’s Leo Stolz has five goals and two assists, while Loyola’s Larry Ndjock has seven goals – but he just as certainly had the best week of all his countrymen.
Last Wednesday, Hasenstab (above) scored in the 89th minute against UNC Greensboro to give the Eagles a 1-0 win. To celebrate, on Saturday he started a goalscoring party against VMI. Within 13 minutes, Hasenstab had recorded a brace, but he threw in a an assist in the 70th minute as well (presumably just for kicks). The Frankfurt native now has six goals and five assists on the season, and Winthrop is 7-0-1.
UW Milwaukee sophomore forward Aaron Horvat – Despite going down 2-1 in the 48th minute, Milwaukee bounced back to record a 5-3 win over Detroit. In fairness, it was a result they should have spent less energy in getting: Detroit are now 0-4-4 this season.
Still, credit where credit is due: Horvat spent a good portion of Saturday night banging four goals past Titans goalkeeper Nathan Steinwascher, tying a Horizon League record for most goals in a game.
<strong>Rank</strong> |
<strong>Trending</strong> |
<strong>Last</strong> |
<strong>College</strong> |
<strong>Comment</strong> |
<strong>1</strong> |
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<b>2</b> |
<p class="rtecenter"><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Notre Dame</strong><br><span style="font-size: 16px;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">(4-0-3)</span></strong></span></p> |
<p>After beating ACC rival Duke 3-1 on Friday, the Irish have now put up a three-spot in three of their last four games (the exception being their baffling draw against Boston College). The three draws on their record aren’t confidence-inspiring, but it looks like Notre Dame have started to hit their stride with the bulk of their conference schedule ahead.</p> |
<strong>2</strong> |
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<strong>3</strong> |
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">California<br><span style="font-size: 12px;">(6-0-1)</span></strong> |
<p>This is somewhat of disservice to the Golden Bears, who have answered nearly every question asked of them so far. Fresh off a 1-0 win over Santa Clara in OT, Cal remain unbeaten with wins over Maryland and Georgetown, a 14-3 goal differential and a perfect home record. The Bears open their Pac-12 slate this week, though, and will have to face conference elites Washington. Perfect opportunity to prove that they are the best team in the country.</p> |
<strong>3</strong> |
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<strong>5</strong> |
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">UCLA<br><span style="font-size: 12px;">(5-2-1)</span></strong> |
<p>There’s no telling where the Bruins will rank next Monday, but a 3-0 win over UC Riverside certainly doesn’t hurt their standing in a week when no other team really stood up and made a statement. Next up are San Diego State, after whom the Bruins will get to host Cal and Stanford.</p> |
<strong>4</strong> |
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<b>1</b> |
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">Creighton<br><span style="font-size: 12px;">(5-1-2)</span></strong> |
<p>Sort of a mixed bag for the Bluejays this week, but getting a draw on the road against Georgetown is not a bad result, and neither is a 2-2 result against an underrated Michigan State side. Still, it raises the question of whether Creighton are truly an elite team.</p> |
<strong>5</strong> |
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<strong>6</strong> |
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">Washington<br><span style="font-size: 12px;">(6-0-2)</span></strong> |
<p>Another week, another less-than-impressive result for the Huskies as they eked out a 2-1 double overtime win against SMU (2-7-0). Washington created plenty of chances again, but they’re not going in now like they were earlier this season. They’ll have to figure things out quickly with a road trip to Palo Alto and Berkeley looming.</p> |
<strong>6</strong> |
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<strong>4</strong> |
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">North Carolina<br><span style="font-size: 12px;">(3-1-4)</span></strong> |
<p>Immensely frustrating week for the Heels. Giant-killers William & Mary snatched a 1-0 win in Chapel Hill on Tuesday, but they scored while UNC were short-handed; defender Boyd Okwuonu had yet to check back into the game after receiving treatment for a cut. The Heels rebounded with a 1-1 road draw against Wake Forest, but they allowed the equalizer with less than a minute in regulation. Bottom line: UNC are now 0-0-4 in ACC play, and still have no answers on offense.</p> |
<strong>7</strong> |
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<strong>9</strong> |
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">Northwestern<br><span style="font-size: 12px;">(7-1-0)</span></strong> |
<p>The Wildcats just continue improving after their opening-day defeat to UCSB. NU kicked off their Big Ten schedule this weekend, and passed their first test with flying colors by beating Michigan 2-0. Take itwith a grain of salt, though: The Wolverines are nowhere near the best team in the conference.</p> |
<strong>8</strong> |
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<b>10</b> |
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">Cal State Northridge<br><span style="font-size: 12px;">(8-1-0)</span></strong> |
<p>CSUN's out-of-conference schedule is done, their last game a 1-0 win over Bradley. With their only loss coming against UCLA, the Matadors have proven, at the very least, that they are consistent. The start of their Big West campaign means that the days of taking scalps like New Mexico are done, however, so the task of catching national attention becomes that much more difficult.</p> |
<strong>9</strong> |
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<strong>(NR)</strong> |
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">UMBC<br><span style="font-size: 12px;">(9-0-0)</span></strong> |
<p>Let’s face it: America East is not a good conference. On the other hand, the Retrievers can only play the teams in front of them, and with the help of striker Pete Caringi (nine goals) and Geaton Caltabiano (two goals, seven assists) they have compiled an absolutely magnificent record doing so. Will it translate to tournament time? We’ll see. November’s a long ways away.</p> |
<strong>10</strong> |
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<strong>7</strong> |
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">Georgetown<br><span style="font-size: 12px;">(6-2-1)</span></strong> |
<p>The Hoyas have great players, and have put in some good performances. With the offensive talent they have, though, they should not be getting shut out at home, even if it is by Creighton. As it stands right now, the Big East is a three-team conference, and on paper Georgetown are the best of the bunch. They haven’t shown it so far.</p> |
Highlights
You’d think that the reigning national champions would easily pick up a win in the Battle for Indiana against intrastate rivals Butler. You’d be wrong. The Bulldogs scored twice in the last four minutes of regulation to tie the game, then won in double overtime. It’s such a big result that it produced two sets of highlights: the official version by Butler Athletics, and the much less polished version from (we think) Bulldogs assistant coach Jason Perry. Both are awesome in their own unique way.
A little background: The Dayton Flyers have surged into the Top 25 behind an 8-0 record, their latest win coming on Saturday against Loyola-Chicago. Here are the highlights. If that doesn’t sound appealing, we’ll sweeten the deal: commentary by senior midfielder Brian Alvarez’s eight-year-old brother, frat bros partying on the field and four goals. You’re welcome.
What to Watch for:
North Carolina vs. Duke, Friday, 7 pm ET (watch on ESPN3)
Do we really need to tell you about the UNC-Duke rivalry?
California vs. Washington, Sunday, 2 pm ET (watch on Pac-12 Network)
Who’d have thought that in Week 5 we’d be talking about Cal vs. Washington as a Top 5 matchup? Well, it is. This one has massive implications for the national rankings, but it’s also the first weekend of Pac-12 action, so this will set the stage for what is shaping up to be a very competitive conference.
