While this time of the year—the overlap that sees the end of the fall season and the beginning of the winter campaigns—is busy for those involved with college sports, next weekend (October 31 through November 2) is going to be particularly busy at Union. The women's soccer team and the volleyball squad will host the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association post-season tournaments. While those two events are going on at Garis Field and in the Fieldhouse, respectively, the football team will be battling Muhlenberg in an attempt to keep its hopes alive for a possible Eastern College Athletic Conference postseason invitation. The cross country teams will participate in the annual state tournament at the Saratoga National Park. As for field hockey, the Dutchwomen will put away their equipment after this Saturday's game at Brockport and look to build on the new ideas brought to the program by first-year head coach Lacey French.
While these fall teams continue their respective runs, the women's hockey team will play its first league game as a member of the ECAC Division I circuit when Harvard comes to Schenectady for a two-game series (Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.). The men's hockey team, meanwhile, will open its first ECAC season under head coach Nate Leaman at St. Lawrence and Clarkson, respectively (both games start at 7 p.m.).