By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Here's a look at the week ahead (Sept. 1-7) for the Bridgewater State University athletics teams:
TUESDAY
MEN'S SOCCER, at Middlebury, 4:00 PM: The Bears (1-0) travel to Vermont to play the Panthers, ranked third in the preseason national Division III poll, at the South Street Field.
Middlebury advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament last season, losing to Amherst, 2-1, in Las Vegas, Nev. The Panthers finished 17-2-4 and went 7-0-3 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
The game is the season opener for Middlebury while BSU defeated Johnson & Wales, 3-2, in its first game last Friday night.
The Bears lost to Middlebury at home last October, 2-0, on a pair of second-half goals. The Panthers were ranked No. 4 nationally that day.
VOLLEYBALL, at Keene State, 6:00 PM: The Bears begin the 2025 season with a trip to New Hampshire to face the Owls.
The teams have not met since a 3-0 Keene State victory over BSU at the Roger Williams Tournament to open the 2017 season.
The Owls are 2-1 this season after going 14-16 last year.
BSU is playing its first match since appearing in the NCAA Division III tournament last November in Baltimore where it lost to third-ranked Johns Hopkins, 3-0.
The Bears went 13-10 and 6-1 in the MASCAC, winning the conference tournament to reach the NCAAs.
WEDNESDAY
WOMEN'S SOCCER, at home, Johnson & Wales, 7:00 PM: The Bears play their Mazzaferro Field opener, a non-conference matchup against the Wildcats, a newcomer to the BSU schedule.
Johnson & Wales went 18-4-1 last season, including 14-0-1 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, and lost to Emmanuel in the conference tourney title game. The Wildcats are now
members of the Conference of New England and opened their season Sunday at Montclair State.
BSU is coming off a 5-1 loss to Brandeis University last Friday night. The Bears are home for the first time since winning the MASCAC tournament against Westfield State last November.
THURSDAY
WOMEN'S TENNIS, at home, Roger Williams, 3:30 PM: The Bears (1-0) play their second straight match at the Rosen Memorial Tennis Courts after defeating Saint Joseph's of Connecticut on Saturday.
Roger Williams has defeated BSU in nine straight matches and is 14-4 in the series since 2005. The Hawks were 14-6 a year ago, including a 6-1 win over the Bears.
Roger Williams started this season with a 6-1 victory at Simmons.
FRIDAY
FIELD HOCKEY, at home, University of Maine-Farmington, 4:00 PM: The Bears and Beavers meet for the first time in a non-conference game at Mazzaferro Field.
BSU opened its season last Friday with a win at home over Plymouth State.
Maine-Farmington, which went winless in 2024, is off to a 1-1 start with a win over Gordon and a loss to Smith. The Beavers play in the Central Maine Collegiate Field Hockey
Conference.
FOOTBALL, at Curry College, 6:00 PM: The Bears renew acquaintances with the Colonels in a non-conference game at Walter M. Katz Field to open the season.
BSU and Curry were both members of the New England Football Conference.
This is their first meeting since 2016 when the Bears lost to the Colonels, 28-24, in Milton, Mass.
Curry is coming off a 4-6 season and is now in the Conference of New England.
BSU won its final three games in 2024 to finish 5-5 and is picked to finish second in the MASCAC.
This is the lone non-Saturday game on the Bears' schedule.
SATURDAY
WOMEN'S SOCCER, at Anna Maria, Noon: The Bears start the MASCAC season by traveling to Paxton, Mass., to play the AMCATS.
Anna Maria has moved to the MASCAC this season from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The AMCATS were 1-11-5 and 1-9-5 in the conference last season.
After playing three non-conference games, Anna Maria is making its MASCAC debut versus the Bears.
MEN'S SOCCER, at home, Anna Maria, Noon: The Bears, who have won two straight MASCAC regular-season titles, open the conference scheduled by hosting the AMCATS at Mazzaferro Field.
Anna Maria has moved to the MASCAC after playing in the GNCAC and is making its conference debut in Bridgewater.
The AMCATS were 9-7-2 and 7-5-2 in the conference in 2024.
VOLLEYBALL, at the Bonnie May Invitational: The Bears travel to Northampton, Mass., to play a pair of matches against Vermont State Lyndon at noon and host Smith College at 2 p.m.
This will be the first meeting between BSU and Vermont State, which is off to an 0-3 start and plays in the North Atlantic Conference.
Smith, a member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference, is 2-2. Smith defeated BSU, 3-0, in their last meeting in 2022, ending a three-match Bears' winning streak in the series.