Women's soccer gets the jump on all other fall sports, with all eleven Big Ten squads playing at least one game this weekend.  Without further ado, let's get right to this week's picks.  My winner for each game will be in bold.

Friday 8/20

Michigan State vs. St. John's.  The Spartans have a healthy Laura Heyboer, which goes a long way toward getting them back to the NCAA Tournament this season.

Minnesota at Notre Dame.  I've been critical of the Gophers' weak non-conference schedules in the past.  Nothing weak about this opponent, as the Irish were a College Cup (final four) team last season and return most of their lineup.  I don't expect a blowout here, but Notre Dame will be too much in South Bend.  If the Gophers can hang tough, this could be a game that pays dividends down the road.

Toledo at Purdue.  It was another MAC team, Central Michigan, that eliminated the Boilermakers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.  The Rockets look to be a few steps below CMU, especially on the road.

Illinois at Loyola IL.  The Ramblers have lost all-everything forward Cynthia Morote-Ariza to graduation, and struggled to score in her absence due to injury last season.  Illinois appears to have two more viable weapons to score in freshmen Vanessa DiBernardo and Megan Pawloski. 

Indiana at Evansville.  The Purple Aces went 5-13 a season ago, but may gain some inspiration from the amazing story of sophomore Abby Guerra, who was believed to be killed in a car accident.  That likely won't be enough for a win against IU, but pretty remarkable nonetheless.

DePaul at Iowa.  This should be a very good matchup.  The Blue Demons posted their first winning season since 2003 last year and return ten of eleven starters.  Iowa bring back nine starters from last year's 9-11 squad.  This is one of Iowa's tougher non-conference games in a weak non-league slate.

Detroit at Michigan.  The Wolverines begin their third season under Greg Ryan against the overmatched Titans of Detroit.  This is the first of many winnable non-conference games in 2010 for Michigan.

Penn State at West Virginia.  For whatever reason, the Mountaineers have had Penn State's number during the last few seasons.  With several young players getting their first collegiate action for the Nittany Lions, I'll go with WVU to win in Morgantown.

Wisconsin at Green Bay.  The Phoenix were shut out ten times in 2009.  I would look for the Badgers to give them their first of 2010.  Green Bay did take Wisconsin to two overtimes last season before dropping a 1-0 decision.

Milwaukee at Ohio State.  This game could be a very good barometer for how the Buckeyes' 2010 season will go.  Milwaukee is the class of the Horizon League, and returns eight starters from last year's NCAA Tournament squad.  I give OSU a slight edge at home, but they need to be careful here.

Sunday 8/22

Michigan State vs. North Carolina.  Like Minnesota, Sparty is wasting no time with lesser opponents at the start of the season.  Most people are aware of UNC's dominance in women's soccer, including another national title last season.  The Tar Heels are young, but extremely talented as always.  An upset here is unlikely, but certainly not impossible.

DePaul at Northwestern.  The Blue Demons pulled out a 3-2 win against the Wildcats last season at DePaul.  Look for Northwestern to return the favor in 2010.

Marquette at Ohio State.  The Golden Eagles had a very good 2009 season, winning 15 matches, but lose six starters from that squad.  Look for a veteran Ohio State team to get the win while the Marquette newcomers are still figuring out some things.

Morehead State at Purdue.  A young Boilermaker squad should gain confidence in the home opener against last year's regular season OVC champs.  The Eagles could keep this one close, but probably don't have enough offense to pull out a win.

Eastern Michigan at Michigan.  See Friday's description, except include "second" in place of "first."

Tuesday 8/24

Wright State at Illinois.  Expect the Raiders to be well-organized, but ultimately overwhelmed by the Illini's superior firepower.

Last year, I only picked Big Ten conference games, and compiled a 28-15-11 record in that endeavor.  This season, I'll be picking games from the start of the year all the way through the regular season.

Other notes

* Fifth-year senior Christina Sahly is probably a couple of weeks away from seeing any game action as she recovers from a bicycle accident this summer.  Sahly suffered a hip injury in the accident, and is still rehabbing.

* Don't be surprised if sophomore Steph Panozzo gets the start in goal tomorrow night over fifth-year senior Alex Kapicka, who has started for the Orange and Blue the last two seasons.  Kapicka is still working her way back into game shape after an internship this summer, while Panozzo played for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the W-League.  Panozzo has started both exhibition games for Illinois.  Janet Rayfield says this is a positional battle that could take several weeks to settle.

* Senior Laura Knutson takes over the defensive center midfield spot left vacant with the graduation of Jackie Santacaterina.  Knutson has now played at forward, defense and forward during her Illini career, and even got some practice work at goalkeeper two years ago when Kapicka was the only keeper on the roster.

* The Big Ten coaches have picked the Illini to finish seventh in their annual preseason poll.  It's not a shock that they picked Penn State to win their thirteenth straight league crown.  You can see the complete poll here.  The three Illini named as players to watch were seniors Danielle Kot and Jordan Hilbrands, along with junior Julie Ewing.

Thanks for reading. 

bmoline@wdws.com