By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Here's a look at the week ahead (Oct. 7-13) for the Bridgewater State University athletics teams:
TUESDAY
WOMEN'S TENNIS, at UMass Boston, 3:30 PM: The Bears (7-2, 5-1 Little East with a three-game winning streak) face the first-place Beacons (8-2, 5-0) in a key late-season match.
UMass Boston has won two straight conference regular-season and tournament championships and has a 21-game regular-season winning streak in the Little East.
Bridgewater State is 15-3 versus UMass since 2005. The Beacons, however, have won three of the last four matches including an 8-1 decision last season.
MEN'S SOCCER, Middlebury at home, 4:00 PM: The Bears (5-3-2, three straight wins) host one of the top Division 3 teams in the nation at Mazzaferro Field. The two teams are meeting for the first time.
Middlebury (7-0-2) is ranked fifth in the country and reached the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament for the fifth time last fall, finishing 15-2-4. The Panthers play in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
WEDNESDAY
VOLLEYBALL, Lesley at home, 6:00 PM: The Bears (5-6) take a four-game winning streak into the non-conference matchup.
BSU is 4-0 against Lesley, which is off to an 0-8 start, including a 3-0 win a year ago.
WOMEN'S SOCCER, at Curry, 7:00 PM: The Bears (5-3-2, two straight wins) travel to Milton to take on the Colonels (5-4-2 with two wins in a row) in a non-conference matchup.
THURSDAY
WOMEN'S TENNIS, Curry at home, 3:30 PM: The Bears defeated Curry, 6-3, a year ago. The Colonels are 3-7 this season. The last time Curry made the short trek to the Rosen Courts was in 2009, a 9-0 BSU win. The two teams have met seven times since 2006 with Bridgewater winning all seven matches.
This is BSU's final regular-season home match.
SATURDAY
EQUESTRIAN, Holly Hill Show Stables, at Hanover, 9:00 AM: The Bears open the fall schedule by competing in a show hosted by Boston University and Tufts University.
WOMEN'S SOCCER, at Salem State, Noon: The Bears own a 21-15-5 lead over the Vikings in a series that started in 1987. They won a year ago, 1-0, on a Sydney Dewhurst goal with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Salem State is 2-6-2, 1-1-1 in the MASCAC.
VOLLEYBALL, Salem State at home, Noon: The Bears were edged by the Vikings, 3-2, a year ago. Salem State is 2-12 and 0-1 in the MASCAC with 10 straight losses this season.
MEN'S SOCCER, Salem State at home, Noon: The Vikings lost to BSU, 2-1, a year ago. Salem State is 5-3-3 and 2-0-1 in the MASCAC. The Vikings hold a 33-14-6 advantage in the all-time series.
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING, Saint Michael's at home, 1:00 PM: The Bears host the season opener against the Purple Knights.
BSU lost to Saint Michael's, 127-82, to start last season.
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING, Saint Michael's at home, 1:00 PM: The Bears have their first meet of the 2024-25 season at home.
BSU lost to the Division 2 team from Vermont, 114-101, last year.
WOMEN'S TENNIS, at Vermont State Castleton, 2:00 PM: The Bears close out the regular season with a trip to Vermont.
BSU is 5-0 against the Spartans since the series began in 2018 and won a year ago, 8-1. Vermont State is 4-7 and 1-5 in the Little East.
The conference tournament begins Oct. 15.
FIELD HOCKEY, Fitchburg State at home, 4:00 PM: The Falcons are 4-0 in the MASCAC, 4-6 overall. The teams meet again in Fitchburg on Nov. 2. Bridgewater is 28-10-1 all-time (13-6-1 at home) versus the Falcons.