After suffering its first loss of the season against No. 5 Florida State last weekend, the schedule does not get any easier for sixth-ranked Boston College as the Eagles host No. 1 North Carolina in a Thursday night battle between two of the top Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the nation on Oct. 1.

Boston College is expecting a capacity crowd for the contest, even issuing a press release telling fans to come early for the 7 p.m. match-up. 

The Eagles feature freshman scoring sensation Victoria DiMartino, who is averaging a goal per game as the ACC scoring leader and the sixth-leading goal scorer in the nation.  DiMartino also receives support from older sister Gina, who is a senior captain on the squad and has contributed five goals and five assists on the year.

The Tar Heels benefit from a balanced offensive attack as 13 players have scored this season, led by junior Jessica McDonald with five tallies.

The game will most likely not be a high-scoring affair with two of the nation's top goalkeepers defending nets - BC sophomore Jillian Mastroianni (.404) and UNC senior Ashlyn Harris (.130).  North Carolina is the fourth-ranked scoring defense in Division I, allowing just one goal in its last nine games.  Boston College allowed just one goal in its first nine games before giving up two in the FSU loss last weekend, but still ranks seventh in the nation with a 0.40 goals against average.

Fans can access the live GameTracker for the contest on www.bceagles.com or www.tarheelblue.com.

It was a busy weekend in Division I women's soccer, so in case you missed anything, here are some of the key happenings:

·         With a 1-0 victory over Louisville on Sunday, No. 14 Notre Dame tied an NCAA record for longest unbeaten streak against conference opponents.  The Irish have not lost against a BIG EAST foe in 55 straight matches (53-0-2), knotting North Carolina's mark against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents from 1994-2000.  UND is 3-0 in league play this season.

·         No. 2 Stanford posted its fourth straight shutout with a 1-0 win over Saint Mary's as the Cardinal extended its scoreless streak to 446:32 minutes and moved to 10-0-0 on the year.

·         The University of Miami upended then-No. 18 Maryland, 2-0, on Sunday to give head coach Tricia Taliaferro her 100^th career victory against her alma mater.  Sophomore goalkeeper Vikki Alonzo was credited with her 15^th career shutout, setting a school all-time record.

·         South Carolina junior Mollie Patton set a new school shutout record in a 1-0 defeat of Kentucky on Sunday as she picked up her eighth of the season against the Wildcats.  Patton tops the nation in the category.

·         Fifth-ranked Florida State turned back two nationally-ranked opponents last week - then-No. 18 Maryland and then-No. 6 Boston College - as the Seminoles improved to 5-0-0 against ranked foes this season.  FSU handed the Terrapins and the Eagles their first losses of the year.

·         Wisconsin won its first-ever game against a nationally-ranked opponent under head coach Paula Wilkins as the Badgers downed then-No. 19 Indiana, 3-2, on Sunday.  Earlier in the week, Wisconsin tied then-No. 15 Purdue for a 1-0-1 start in Big Ten play.

Following a flawless start to the season -- South Carolina's best in program history - the Gamecocks (8-0-0) will open Southeastern Conference play by hosting Vanderbilt (6-1-1) on Sept. 25.

The Gamecocks have turned in a stellar defensive effort this season, posting seven shutouts in the first eight games.  They rank second in the nation with a 0.125 goals against average, and junior Mollie Patton is one of just two starting goalkeepers in the nation that has not been scored upon this season.

Offensively, the No. 12 Gamecocks are scoring 3.13 goals per game (15^th in the nation), thanks in part to sophomore Kayla Grimsley's eight-game scoring streak.  Grimsley was selected to the Soccer America National Team of the Week for tallying two goals last week, including the game-winning tally in a 1-0 defeat of then-No. 17 UCF.  She is tied for the SEC lead with seven goals and 15 points.

The South Carolina-Vanderbilt match will be broadcast live on Fox Sports South at 7 p.m. ET.

Louisiana Tech's offense leads the nation with an outstanding 4.70 goals per game as the Lady Techsters have put together a 10-0-0 mark for the most wins in Division I this season.

The squad has netted five or more goals on four separate occasions, and has outscored foes 47-5 on the year.  Tech is led by sophomore Rachel King, who ranks second in the nation with 11 goals. 

"I think it's incredible when you consider where this program has come from," said head coach Kevin Sherry.  "I've had people email me from all over the soccer community saying 'congratulations'.  Louisiana Tech soccer now has a profile to be proud of and it's gaining interest not only from recruits, but other coaches as well."

The Lady Techsters, which began in 2004, has already matched last year's team for the school-record for wins in a season with 10.  They will conclude non-conference play against Sam Houston State on Sept. 25, and Houston Baptist on Sept. 27, before opening Western Athletic Conference action versus Idaho on Oct. 2.  Tech has yet to win a league match in its' short program history.

Stanford is off to its best start since 1994 with a 9-0-0 record after cruising to a pair of shutouts versus then-No. 23 Colorado and Wisconsin at the Stanford/Nike Invitational, moving the Cardinal to No. 2 in the latest NSCAA Division I Top 25.

The Cardinal's successful weekend, combined with No. 1 North Carolina's 0-0 tie against Auburn and then-No. 2 Portland's loss to Texas A&M, almost gave them enough votes to jump the Tar Heels in the poll, but this week Stanford still trails UNC by one point in the rankings.

"It's not something I care too much about," Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe said. "It's basically just bragging rights. By the end of the day, you have to prove it on the field. Hopefully, we can play a No. 1 team and prove we're better than them."

The Cardinal has outscored foes 20-1 in the last six games, and will look to remain perfect at Saint Mary's in a non-conference match on Sept. 27.

After narrowly edging then-No. 7 Florida in Gainesville last weekend, fifth-ranked Florida State's schedule certainly does not get any easier with a pair of unbeaten Atlantic Coast Conference foes coming to town this weekend. 

No. 18 Maryland is off to its best start since 1996 with an 8-0-0 record, while No. 6 Boston College boasts the same mark with the program's best start since 2003.  The two squads are also two of just nine remaining undefeated teams in Division I. 

Maryland and Florida State will be the premier match-up on Sept. 24 as ACC play kicks off with a full slate of five games, and the contest will be broadcast live on Sun Sports at 7 p.m. 

The Seminoles and Eagles are the only two schools in the nation to rank in the top 10 in both scoring offense and goals against average.  Boston College travels to Miami on Thursday evening before heading up north to Tallahassee on Sept. 27 at 1 p.m.

Welcome to the NCAA.com Division I Women's Soccer blog!  I'll be keeping you updated on the latest news and notes from around the women's soccer field throughout the season.  There's a lot going on ... so, let's get started!