Each week the NE10 quick-hitting statistical notes of where the conference ranks nationally and historically and looks at which teams and student-athletes have put together notable performances.
FOOTBALL
OCTOBER SURPRISE
Saint Anselm’s season started … weird. The Hawks had one of the nation’s best defenses but scored nothing but one field goal in their first two games. My how things have turned.
In the last two weeks, both NE10 wins, Saint Anselm has dropped 68 points. A big part of that has been taking care of the football. In the first two games of the season St. A’s turned it over five times. Over the last two games the Hawks haven’t turned it over once while also plucking five of their own.
As part of the offensive outburst, QB Drew Forkner now ranks third nationally in completions per game.
BRIAN PILLMAN? BILL PULLMAN? REGIS PHILBIN? NO, BRETT PULLMAN.
Bentley QB Brett Pullman went off for the best passing day in the NE10 this season vs. New Haven. Pullman rifled for 495 yards and five TD’s in defeat, the fourth-best passing day in the nation. Central Missouri’s Zach Zebrowkski and CSU-Pueblo’s Devin Larsen are the only QB’s to surpass the 500-yard mark this season.
AIS THE NATION
New Haven’s Chris Ais ran for 227 yards last week vs Bentley – second most in a single game in Division II this season. He’s now 3rd nationally in rushing and New Haven ranks 6th. William Jewell’s Keaundre McCollough has the best performance this year: 402 yards vs. Ft. Lewis on August 31st.
Ais’s yards are the most by an NE10 running back since Bentley’s Vinnie Holmes went for 260 in a game last season. UNH’s Julstin Felder went for 311 and 314 yards in two 2019 games when he was playing at Stonehill.
FIELD HOCKEY
OH, I SEE …
A quick look at the early league standings and you’ll see all the expected names: Assumption, Saint Anselm, SNHU, Bentley, AIC. Wait … AIC?
The Yellowjackets, picked 13th of 14 preseason, are out to a 3-1 league start with all three of their overall losses coming by one goal. AIC’s yet to allow any more than two goals in a game this season through a rotating cohort of strong keepers.
AIC went 7-10 (4-9) last season with its last winning conference season being a 7-4 campaign in 2014, interim head coach Kylie Gargiulo’s freshman season in high school. The Springfield crew advanced to the NE10 semifinals that year, knocking off Assumption in the opening round.
CHRISTIS ALMIGHTY
There’s never been a better player in SNHU field hockey history than Annemartine Christis. Now, the program has only existed for a decade, but the Dutch forward this week became the Penmen’s all-time leading scorer in points, goals and assists. She’s scored two goals in six straight games and in seven of eight this season and also added four assists vs St. Michael’s on Tuesday. Christis has 105 career points on 37 goals and 31 assists.
SNHU’s feature forward also happens to lead the country in both points and goals this year.
SOCCER
RANK THE RAVENS, NEVERMORE
Franklin Pierce, the undefeated two-time defending national champion, tumbled to No. 6 in the national rankings this week. Almost three years have passed since a team last beat FPU, but the nation’s coaches still saw fit to rank five teams ahead of it. Why? Style points?
After opening the season 3-0-1 and outscoring opponents 10-1, the Ravens are just 2-0-2 over their last four and are outscoring teams just 8-5. They play their biggest game so far against SNHU on October 8th.
NO
That’s the answer when other teams ask if they can score against the top women’s soccer teams in the NE10.
Adelphi keeper Peyton DeRouen snapped a 311 minute scoreless streak vs. St. Anselm last week. FPU keeper Emilie Fox has allowed one goal in her last 437 minutes and SNHU’s netminder Claudia Keith has allowed just two goals in 540 minutes this season.
KEEP IT 100
SNHU women’s coach Elie Monteiro picked up his 100th career win Wednesday night against Queens. SNHU is the last remaining unbeaten team in the NE10 at 6-0-2. Men’s coach Josh Taylor is sitting at 98 career W’s for the Penmen.
VOLLEYBALL
WELCOME BACK ‘JACKETS
AIC has been one of the standout programs in the NE10 of late, but it got out to a 1-6 start in 2024. The last few weeks have been a different story, though. AIC is 3-0 recently with three sweeps and only one set allowing 20+ points. AIC’s allowing opponents to hit .089 over the run, a number that would be good enough for third nationally over the whole season.
TEAM 3D
Bentley’s Tori Vitko and AIC’s Victoria Mendez are two of only 11 players nationally to have recorded a triple-double this season.
Vitko racked up 11 kills, 25 assists and 14 digs vs New Haven on September 14th. Mendez has a pair of triple-doubles and was one dig short of two in one day! Mendez racked up 10 kills, 18 assists and 12 digs vs Bridgeport on September 28th and 20 kills, 18 assists and 21 digs on September 13th vs. New Haven. Mendez was a dig shy of a 3D vs Bentley on the 13th as well.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 11 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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