Must-see games of 2015 fall season

Mark your calendars — Here are four must-see matchups of the fall 2015 season:

Women’s Soccer vs. Princeton: Nov. 7

Last season, both the Tigers and Quakers were the definition of average in Ivy play, as both squads notched identical 3-3-1 conference records. Penn got the best of their foes from New Jersey in 2014, notching a 3-2 victory at Princeton. This year, the scene will shift to University City, where rookie coach Nicole Van Dyke and a reloaded Quaker squad will attempt to defend their home turf against their archrivals. Penn’s Juliana Provini and Princeton’s Tyler Lussi — each squad’s leading scorer from a season ago — will both be back in 2015.

Men’s Soccer vs. Princeton: Nov. 7

After the women get done battling on the pitch, be sure to stick around and watch the men’s teams go it. The Tigers had a decidedly better 2014 campaign — they shared the Ivy title at 5-1-1 while the Red and Blue sputtered to a 2-3-2 finish. However, the two teams went down to the wire in their head-to-head matchup, with Princeton pulling out a narrow 3-2 victory. Then-sophomore forward Alec Neumann scored each of Penn’s goals that day, and he will be back to avenge that loss in 2015. Joining him will be a massive eight-man freshman class, which was ranked no. 12 nationally and dubbed the most impressive in the Ivy League per CollegeSoccerNews.com.

Field Hockey vs. Princeton: Nov. 7

Princeton’s history of dominance when it comes to field hockey is downright comical: The Tigers have won 19 of the last 20 Ivy League championships, including the last 10 in a row. Last year, Princeton clinched its title by taking down the Quakers 4-3 in a back-and forth battle on the last day of the season. This year, the reloaded and vengeful Red and Blue will have the honor of hosting the final game of the season, a matchup that could very well determine 2015’s Ivy champion. In case you didn’t notice, homecoming Saturday in University City will be absolutely crazy this year.

Football at Columbia: Oct. 17

You could probably have guessed this one would make the list. In mid-October, Al Bagnoli will do something he has never done before in his coaching career: Play a game against the Quakers. Bagnoli, of course, coached the Red and Blue for 23 seasons, from 1992 until his retirement in 2014. Except he didn’t retire. After a few short months in an administrative role in Penn’s athletic department, the nine-time Ivy champion abruptly left Philadelphia for the head coaching position in Upper Manhattan. Bagnoli will take over a program in shambles — the Lions haven’t won a game in over two years — and the program is unlikely to be much good for at least a few more years. With that in mind, the Quakers will surely be looking to serve their old boss a healthy dose of remorse.

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