Labor Day Weekend starts with some exciting women’s college games, which involve five DI and DII varsity programs going head-to-head.

The only game that will affect standings is the Army vs. American International College match, which kicks off the DI ACRA Northeast season. Last year, the teams played in two riveting league games, both of which went to AIC but only by a combined six points. Both sides are in that part of the process where those stabilizing players have graduated and the ranks are now buoyed by underclassmen. Fortunately for both teams, there are some exciting sophomores driving the programs forward.

The obvious player to watch on Saturday is Army’s Nicole Heavirland. The now-sophomore earned her first Women’s National Team caps during the summer Super Series and followed with a training stint at the OTC with the USA Women’s 7s team. Senior Mariah Caid-Loos serves as captain this season and has been leading pre-season training since early August. Along with twin sister Marissa, seniors Carissa Pekny, Lindy Clark, and the powerful Chioma Odocha will provide excellent role models for the incoming class. Watch for sophomore Tranelle Patterson, too, as teammates have tabbed her as someone to break out this year.

AIC will miss Eagle Jess Davis in the pack, and will continue to look toward veteran forward Muneera Patton and Domo Cammock for leadership. Sophomore lock Kayla Cook also impressed during last spring’s 7s season. Sophomore stunners Jamirah Barden and Shamira Robles promise to assert themselves in the backline. The Yellow Jackets have imported Canadian sisters Anne-Laurence and Elizabeth Harvey – siblings to Canada star Magali – and bring with them a lot of pace. Summit High School’s Angie Ramos, a regular with Atlantis, will bring some depth to scrumhalf, while Bulou Mataitoga from the Bay Area will bring loads of high-performance experience to the squad.

Next up is the healthy rivalry between Notre Dame College and Davenport University. The Falcons initiated its first DI varsity season with a 41-10 loss to Quinnipiac Tuesday. The hosts were experimenting with some positions – Jianna McCullough at scrumhalf, Emilia Ferrara at flyhalf – and didn’t start some important players like Lea Walsh, Danielle Walko-Siua, and Karmin Macedo. There were some season-opener jitters and some looseness in the breakdown, but the Falcons looked very powerful in the forwards. Hard-running, piercing ballcarriers used their size and power to get Quinnipiac's defense scrambling backward. The backline, however, lacked some punch.

Notre Dame College will need to infuse some experience in the backline, as it lines up against Davenport, which boasts two Women’s Junior All Americans (WJAA) in Ashlee Byrge and Danielle Ordway. Byrge played wing and flyhalf for the WJAA Can-Am Series, while Ordway stayed at fullback and scored a try against the Canada U20s. Byrge also helped the Women’s Collegiate All Americans (WCAAs) 7s to an Elite City 7s trophy last weekend, and has now played for three of four All American programs as she enters her sophomore year.

Forwards like Caren Brown, Makala Ferguson, and Brenna Donahue will need to step up their presence against an eager Falcons pack. An eye will be toward fitness in this game, as it played a big role in Notre Dame College’s game this Tuesday.

Varsity programs Harvard and Bowdoin will warm up for their respective league seasons with a round robin against Canada’s University of Prince Edward Island Saturday. The Crimson will be led by senior captains Lydia Burns and Hope Schwartz, and look for influential freshmen like Girls High School All American center Caitlin Weigel to inject some youthful enthusiasm into the group. Harvard has brought on some international talent as well, as Scotland’s Susie Clements played for the national U19 7s team, and Genevieve Quirion helped Quebec to an Eastern Canadian Championship this summer.

While we’re not sure what Bowdoin’s incoming class looks like just yet, we do know that heavy hitters like WCAA Addison Carvajal, Paige Pfannenstiel, Anna Piotti, LeShauna Phinazee, and Cammie Ogden-Fung – to name a few – will be propelling the Polar Bears through the New England Small College season.

Stay tuned for post-game write-ups.