Dialog reporter
Summer has turned into fall, which means it’s the meat of the girls’ fall sports season. Some enticing matchups await this week.
Girls
Field hockey
Monday
Newark (0-3) at Ursuline (3-1), 3:45 p.m.
Mount de Sales at Ss. Peter and Paul, 4:15 p.m.
Tuesday
St. Elizabeth (1-2) at Padua (2-0), 3:45 p.m. at Forbes Field.
Archmere (2-2) at Wilmington Friends (4-0), 3:45 p.m. The host Quakers are off to an impressive start, while the Auks continue with a difficult early season schedule.
Wednesday
Ursuline at St. Mark’s (2-3), 3:45 p.m.
Ss. Peter and Paul at Holly Grove Christian, 4 p.m.
Thursday
Padua at Concord, 3:45 p.m. Two of the top teams in Division I clash in Brandywine Hundred. Concord had not allowed a goal until Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Delaware Military Academy, a game in which the Raiders outshot the opposition, 16-5. Padua’s offensive weapons will look to find the holes in Concord’s stout defense. The Pandas are the No. 1 team in Division I, according to 302Sports.com.
Friday
St. Elizabeth at Archmere, 3:45 p.m.
St. Thomas More (1-2) at Ss. Peter and Paul (Md.), 4 p.m.
Saturday
Padua at Cape Henlopen, 11 a.m. The Pandas get to follow up the Concord game with a road trip to Lewes to face perennial power Cape. The Vikings have dominated Delaware competition in recent years and will look to be inhospitable hosts. They have lots of scoring potential and a quality keeper in Lori Ferguson. But Padua brings a lot of talent of its own and is not likely to be intimidated.
Volleyball
Tuesday
Ursuline (3-0) at Wilmington Friends (1-3), 5:15 p.m. The Quakers are off to a rough start against a very difficult schedule. That continues today against Ursuline, the top-ranked team 
in the state according to 302Sports.com. A matchup to watch is Friends’ all-state hitter Dani Nathan against the all-state libero for the Raiders, Sam Davis.
St. Thomas More (2-2) at Tri-State Christian (Md.), 5:30 p.m.
Archmere (4-1) at St. Mark’s (4-1), 7:15 p.m. The adventurous sort might want to drive from Friends to St. Mark’s to see this match and make it a volleyball doubleheader. It promises to be an exciting match between two teams that boast rosters full of talent. The teams have both defeated their one common opponent, Smyrna, in sweeps.
St. Elizabeth (2-3) at Padua (5-0), 7:15 p.m.
Thursday
St. Thomas More at St. Elizabeth, 5:30 p.m.
Delaware Military at Padua, 7 p.m. Two intriguing matches just blocks apart present a conundrum to the volleyball fan. On Broom Street, Padua hosts the two-time defending state champions. DMA has a host of new starters and will be coming off a match vs. rival Conrad.
St. Mark’s at Ursuline, 7:15 p.m. Meanwhile, over on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Raiders and Spartans will be putting on a Catholic Conference showdown. This will be Ursuline’s stiffest test yet, while the Spartans will have battled both Padua and Archmere by the time this one rolls around.
Friday
Red Lion at Archmere, 6:15 p.m. It’s homecoming weekend in Claymont, and the volleyball team would like nothing better than to hand the Lions their first loss of the season. Red Lion brings wins over Newark Charter and Tatnall into this one, so the Auks know they will have their hands full in this Diamond State Athletic Conference meeting.
Soccer
Tuesday
Ss. Peter and Paul at Salisbury Christian, 4 p.m.
Friday
Ss. Peter and Paul at Salisbury School, 3:30 p.m.
