Struggling after being the 2018 Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) came out swinging Thursday night as they rose up against the New York Giants (1-5). Looking lost at certain points to begin the season, the Eagles started with a charge as third-year starter Carson Wentz finally eased back into his rhythm from last season.

The rivalry game was highly anticipated after one of last year’s regular season games played between the two teams. One of the NFL’s most decorated historic rivalries, last season added another chapter to the never ending rivalry. Week 15 of last season, the week before Wentz’s untimely ACL tear, was a nail-biter that came down to the wire. With no time left on the clock, rookie kicker Jake Elliott trotted out onto the field and kicked an impressive 61-yard field goal to win 27-24. This kick not only won the Eagles the game but set the record for their longest field goal in franchise history.

Thursday’s game featured two incredibly changed teams with a different end result. From the very first blow of the whistle to the clock expiring in the fourth quarter, the Eagles went to work, dismantling the Giants with a final score of 34-13. The victory edged the Eagles closer toward tying their rivalry record, now 86-85-2, with the Giants now only holding a one game lead.  

The game started off with the Giants having possession, however this didn’t last long as Eli Manning threw an interception to Eagles linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill on the second offensive snap of the game. This set the tone for the game and started the Eagles on the Giants 16-yard line. Upon getting the ball on the quick turnover, Wentz and the Eagles’ offense were stopped on first and second down. Wentz, showing veteran savvy, rolled out of the pocket on third down and fired a strike to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery in the back of the endzone. The Giants defense put in strong effort on the night, as Wentz was being chased down by defensive end Olivier Vernon before making the throw, and Jeffrey fighting off strong safety Landon Collins for the reception. The Giants pushed back the next possession, driving down the field before faltering just short in the red zone. Forced to kick in a field goal after being unable to cross the Eagles 15-yard line, the score brought the game to 7-3 with 10 minutes left in the first quarter.

After a back to back scoreless drives for both teams, the Eagle were able to put one more touchdown on the board before the end of the quarter after a quick six play, 44-yard drive that was capped off a one yard punch into the endzone by running back Corey Clement. The Eagles had possession and the lead going into the second quarter with a score of 14-3 after a quick Giants turnover. The first few minutes of the second quarter proved to be quite uneventful with a sudden rush of urgency in the last six minutes of the quarter. The Giants started this rush with a simple 21-yard field goal. The Eagles responded with a touchdown from tight end Zach Ertz.

After a quick stop the Eagles had possession once again, resulting in a 31-yard field goal to put the score at 24-6. The Giants, quickly falling behind in the one sided contest, attempted a 52-yard field goal to try to put the offense into rhythm. Kicker Aldrick Rosas was unable to convert the attempt, however. The Eagles, knowing the power behind the leg of Elliott, had Wentz attempt to move the offense quickly into field goal range before the half expired. Wentz managed to navigate the offense down the field to set Elliott up for a 54-yard attempt, which sailed to the right of the goal post as the first half came to a close.

Before the half ended, Giants’ star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. frustratingly removed himself from sidelines. Beckham’s reasoning for heading to the locker room early was due to muscle cramps, however Beckham’s history as an emotional player on the sidelines may indicate otherwise. His frustration has been seen on several occasions this season, and on Thursday night he added to his repertoire by punching and headbutting a cooling fan on the sideline.

The second half started off with a slow but steady drive from the Eagles. On third down on the Giants 1-yard line, Wentz found Jeffery for their second touchdown on the evening. Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley responded swiftly, scoring on a 50-yard sprint down the sideline.

As the third quarter came to a close, the Eagles slowly advanced towards the Giants end zone. After a quick break, Wentz and the offense jumped back onto the field and set their sights on the endzone. The Giants’ defense held strong this time, shutting down Wentz and forcing the Eagles to bring Elliott on for a short field goal. With the score at a comfortable 34-13, there was little to no chance of the Giants coming back. With an inconsistent offense, a tired defense and frustrated players, the Giants were out of the game before the second half even began.

The rest of the game consisted of both teams punting the ball to each other following stopped drives, burning out the game clock and ending the game with a final score of 34-13. The Eagles, sitting with a record of 3-3, sits atop a shaky NFC East, with the Giants, Washington Redskins, and Dallas Cowboys all having records below .500. The Giants, who now sit at 1-5, have many questions to answer, as playoff elimination is on the horizon.

The Eagles will play the Carolina Panthers Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. The Giants are set to play that Monday, Oct. 22 against the Atlanta Falcons at 8:15 p.m.

On Thursday, Sept. 27, the University of Maine Black Bears (4-4-1) faced off in a home match against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats (5-4-1). New Hampshire started the game with a 1-0 record for playing teams in the America East conference, while Maine had a record of 0-1 due to their loss against divisional rival Stony Brook. This rivalry game promised for an interesting and close match. This proved to be true as the two teams refused to allow an easy goal. In the end, Maine came out on top with a 1-0 victory over the Wildcats.

The all-time record between the two teams at the start of the match was 15-15-2. With the win, Maine took the lead, which was impressive due to the Wildcats’ win over top five-ranked Arizona State University in late August.

The game started with first-year Julia Mahoney breaking toward the goal for a one-on-two attempt at a goal. The shot was wide, but it set the tone for how the game was going to be played. 10 minutes into the game, the Wildcats almost scored with a corner kick directly into the box over third-year keeper Annalena Kriebisch. The Black Bears’ defense freed the ball from the chaos within the box and put it into the hands of Kriebisch.

The rest of the half was quite uneventful with both teams landing only a few shots on target. One of which being an attempted bicycle kick on target by third-year Emilie Andersen with a little over a minute left on the clock.

The second half started saw a little more action for Kriebisch as her and the defenders worked to fight off the Wildcats. The defensive skill was too much for the Wildcats, as they couldn’t seem to find a way to get the ball into the back of the net.

Maine had limited success with getting an accurate shot off as well, but this changed with 10 minutes left to play. The scoreless, tied game was ended by third-year Nicole Bailey. With a precise cross into the middle by third-year Priscilla Domingo, Bailey was able get her foot on the ball and power it past Wildcats keeper Mia Neas.

This win for the Black Bears meant a lot for their conference standing. Placing them above the Wildcats with a record of 1-1-0. The Black Bears are heading down their American East conference game series, playing every team in their conference over the next few weeks. Kicking off the stretch with an away game at Binghamton University (1-1-0), Sunday, Sept. 30 in Vestal, New York. Next Thursday, Oct. 4, will see the Black Bears host the University of Hartford (1-0-1) and then the University of Albany Sunday, Oct 7. The University of Hartford, a team that is ranked as number one in the conference with a seasonal record of 8-1-2, will be a true test of the Black Bears’ mettle.

University of Maine’s women’s soccer team (4-3-1) left it all out on the pitch this past Sunday night as they played University of Maine Machias (5-2-1) in Orono. The team pressed on Machias’ defense for much of the game, ending in an impressive 11-0 final score.  For all of the 11 goals, nine players contributed to the overall score.

The Black Bears took some time to warm up, but junior Nicole Bailey got the ball rolling with a beautiful shot midway through the first half off a pass from sophomore Olivia Bamford. First-year defender Susannah Gaines gracefully placed the next shot into the goal off of a corner kick, with an assist by first-year Amanda Sandberg at the 30-minute mark.

Almost immediately after the whistle blew for Machias to advance on offense, the Black Bears intercepted. This resulted in an open shot and goal from first-year Saylor Clark, a goal that was only possible due to the precise pass that came from junior Anna-Maria Dagher.

To end the half, sophomore Charlotte Messer raced the clock and found the back of the net, with less than 30 seconds to go, thanks to a pass from first-year Emma Donovan. This goal ended the half with a comfortable lead of 4-0 for the Black Bears. Messer, along with Bailey, were able to score again in the second half to claim the title of the Black Bears’ leading scorers for the night.

The second half continued strong, with Maine’s offense continuing to tear through the Clippers’ defense. A total of seven more goals were scored, five of them hitting the back of the net in a span of 10 minutes. These second-half goals were scored by Bailey, Julia Mahoney, Priscilla Domingo, Kora Kukk, Charlotte Messer, Gaby Panagakos and Lauren McCann, respectively.

Throughout the game, the Black Bears defense acted as an impenetrable wall. They fought hard, not allowing any of the Clippers to take an on-target shot. This is a stark contrast to the Black Bears’ 29 shots on goal. This resulted in a clean sheet, and the Black Bears’ keepers Alison Toby and Annalena Kriebisch weren’t forced to save any shots.

This game also had multiple career first goals. These goals were scored by three first-year players Saylor Clark, Gaby Panagakos and Lauren McCann. Out of the nine scorers of the night, five were first years.

The next game for the Black Bears will be at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22. The team will travel to Stony Brook, NY to play against Stony Brook University (5-5). Stony Brook University has more losses than UMaine, but the team also faces a more difficult schedule. The following Thursday, Sept. 27, will hold another big game for the Black Bears, as they will face off against rival University of New Hampshire (4-4-1). Between the rivalry and the nearly identical records so far this season, it promises to be an interesting match. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. and will be played at UMaine.