Whilst a few players were unable to find any playing time this weekend, others managed to make some real statements in this first weekend of the season. Without further ado, here’s 2015’s first weekly wrap.
Iona (Kiri Dale)
This week’s results: lost to LIU Brooklyn 2-0, lost to Vermont 1-0
An inauspicious beginning to the season for Iona, as the Gaels lost to LIU Brooklyn and Vermont in games that they would have deemed themselves a fighting chance in. Both games were fairly even contests, with the shot totals being incredibly close on both occasions, but it was the Gaels’ opponents that managed to put those shots into the net. LIU Brooklyn opened the scoring in the 8th minute before putting things to rest with a second 13 minutes from time, whilst Vermont got the jump on Iona in just the 4th minute of play, with no further goals being scored throughout the match, and the teams combining for just 5 shots on target. Unfortunately, Kiri Dale failed to see any playing time in either game.
Massachusetts (Laura Johns)
This week’s results: lost to Syracuse 6-0, drew with New Hampshire 0-0 (2OT)
Massachusetts walked right into a slaughter in their first game against Syracuse, going down 6-0 after being down 3-0 after 23 minutes. Massachusetts managed to keep Syracuse out for the remainder of the first half, but lightning struck again in the second half, with the Orange notching up another 3 goals. The second match of the weekend, against New Hampshire, proved to be a much closer affair. Whilst the teams combined for 25 shots (13-12 New Hampshire), neither team was able to beat the opposition goalkeeper, and the game ended 0-0 after 110 minutes of play. Laura Johns came off the bench in both games, playing 31 minutes against Syracuse and 10 minutes against New Hampshire.
Drexel (Emma Heckenberg)
This week’s results: defeated Villanova 1-0, lost to Buffalo 1-0
Drexel kicked off their season with a victory in a local derby against Villanova. A tight first half was punctuated by the only goal of the game, which came in the 44th minute courtesy of Drexel’s Vanessa Kara. Drexel kicked on in the second half, unleashing 13 shots to Villanova’s 2, but couldn’t find the net a second time. The second match against Buffalo proved to be a much tighter, yet still fairly open affair. Like the Villanova match, the only goal of the game came late in the first half, but unfortunately it came from Buffalo and Drexel would finish the weekend with one win and one loss. Emma Heckenberg sadly did not see any playing time this weekend.
Nicholls State (Jess Coates)
This week: defeated Louisiana College 6-0, lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 2-0
Nicholls State’s weekend started comfortably enough, defeating Division III Louisiana College 6-0 in their final exhibition game, but the Colonels were brought back to Earth with a thud against Louisiana-Lafayette, falling to a 2-0 loss. Despite failing to register a shot throughout the first half and giving up five, Nicholls State went in just 1-0 down. Even stranger may be the second half – the Colonels tallied fourteen shots to 7, yet Louisiana-Lafayette doubled their lead on 81 minutes, and it stayed 2-0 until the end. Jess Coates started for Nicholls State and managed two shots, with one on target.
Southern (Simone Arthur)
This week’s results: lost to South Carolina State 5-1, lost to Texas-Rio Grande Valley 3-0
A disappointing weekend for Southern this weekend, suffering two heavy defeats in a tournament hosted by Texas-Rio Grande Valley. After going down 1-0 early to South Carolina State, things started looking up when Jami Blackston tied things up in the 26th minute. That proved to be a false dawn, though, as South Carolina State tacked on four second half goals for a 5-1 victory. Things didn’t go much better against Texas-Rio Grande Valley, as the Jaguars were outshot 20-6 in a 3-0 loss that started with a goal in the 4th minute and was followed up with two more in the second half. Simone Arthur unfortunately did not see any playing time this weekend.
Southeast Missouri State (Jenna Collingridge, Maddy Cornell, Siena Senatore)
This week’s results: defeated Missouri S&T 2-0, drew with Northern Iowa 3-3 (2OT)
Siena Senatore started in her first two college games as Southeast Missouri State went undefeated throughout the weekend. The Redhawks took a while to find their range against local rivals Missouri S&T, as 24 shots for the game resulted in only 2 goals, with the first not coming unit 7 minutes in the second half. Southeast Missouri State managed to tack on a second 15 minutes from time to seal the win. The side then moved onto some tougher competition in the form of Northern Iowa, but at halftime looked set for another win as they took a 2-0 lead to the break. Then came the comeback, as Northern Iowa scored twice to tie things up with 20 minutes to play. The Redhawks would score again in the 80th minute, but Northern Iowa managed to find another equaliser two minutes later. Siena Senatore got the start in defence in both games, whilst Maddy Cornell came off the bench in both games.
Colgate (Dylan Holmes)
This week’s results: lost to Connecticut 4-1, lost to Boston College 3-0
Colgate scheduled a real test to start the season, and unfortunately it was not a test that they passed as the Raiders went down in both games. Against Connecticut, Colgate gave up the mind numbing total of 30 shots to 8 in a 4-1 loss, but against Boston College the Raiders held their own for the majority of the match. Despite being thoroughly outdone in the major stats, Colgate kept the scoreline even at 0-0 for 70 minutes, but the more highly-fancied Boston College team kicked down the stretch for 3 goals in a 13 minute period late in the game to seal the victory. Sadly, we did not see Dylan Holmes feature in either match this weekend.
Colorado (Kahlia Hogg, Alex Huynh)
This week’s results: drew with Colorado State 1-1 (2OT), defeated Colorado College 3-0
A rocky start to the weekend with a draw against Colorado State eventually smoothed out as Colorado managed their first win of the season in their second game against Colorado College. The Buffaloes were expected to come away with two wins this weekend, but an 8th minute goal to Colorado State threw a spanner in the works early on. Despite outshooting their in-state rivals 21-8 in regulation, it was not until a corner in the 82nd minute that Colorado were able to snatch an equaliser through striker Brie Hooks. Colorado continued to attack throughout overtime, but could not find a winner. Goals were much easier to come by against Colorado College, though. Strikes in the 24th, 36th, and 51st minutes made for a comprehensive victory as the Buffaloes kept their Colorado Cup hopes alive. Kahlia Hogg and Alex Huynh played a full 110 minutes against Colorado State, whilst Kahlia played 84 minutes and Alex played 69 in the win over Colorado College.
Alabama State (Shelbi Vienna-Hallam)
This week’s results: lost to Georgia State 5-0, lost to Troy 3-2
It was a slow start for Alabama State, as the Hornets went down 5-0 to Georgia State in a match that they were never really in as they gave up all five goals in a 30 minute period either side of halftime. You could be forgiven for thinking things would go the same way against Troy, but Alabama State were having none of that as they rallied from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 as the teams went to the sheds. With 10 minutes remaining, Alabama State looked headed for a famous victory, but two quick goals from the Trojans saw any hopes of an upset disappear as quickly as they’d been established in the first half. Shelbi Vienna-Hallam started both games in defence for Alabama State as she continues to be moved around the field after playing in midfield in exhibition games.
East Tennessee State (Isabel Hodgson)
This week’s results: defeated South Carolina Upstate 2-0, defeated Radford 3-1
East Tennessee State enjoyed a winning start to 2015 as they endeavour to match last season’s 15-6 mark. The Buccaneers were barely troubled in their match against South Carolina Upstate, as they scored 2 goals in the first 19 minutes whilst only facing 2 shots all game, of which only one troubled the goalkeeper. Radford proved to be a far tougher opponent. East Tennessee State were outshot 17-15, and the work of goalkeeper Jasmine Elliott combined with scoring on 3 of 4 shots on target proved to be gamechangers as the Buccaneers managed a 3-1 win that didn’t reflect the closeness of the match. Isabel Hodgson played a full 90 minutes in both games, even starting in defence against Radford.
Hofstra (Emily Hulbert)
This week: lost to Penn State 2-1, lost to Rutgers 1-0
Hofstra opened up their season with two tough games against Penn State and Rutgers, however any attempt to improve their strength of schedule may have backfired slightly as the Pride were unable to get a result in either game this weekend. Up against title chasing Penn State, Hofstra gave up an early goal, scored by one of the nation’s top strikers in Mallory Weber. Hofstra managed to equalise through Leah Galton just after the hour mark, but Penn State managed to find a winner in the 68th minute through a free kick, a just reward for a dominant performance from the Nittany Lions. The game against Rutgers was far closer, and it was a solitary goal five minutes from halftime that would prove to be the difference as Hofstra were outplayed but not humiliated by Rutgers. Emily Hulbert started in defence for Hofstra in both games, and managed to have an impact on the attacking end as well, tallying 3 shots over the weekend.
Wyoming (Alisha Bass, Annika Clayton, Jessie Gentle, Georgia Rowntree, Candace Sciberras)
This week’s results: drew with Montana 0-0 (2OT)
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how many Aussies you have on your team, you just can’t get the win. Four Aussies started for Wyoming in this game, whilst Annika Clayton came off the bench. But despite outshooting Montana 11-7 (6-1 on target), the teams could not be split after 110 minutes of play. Georgia Rowntree played the first half in goal, whilst Annika Clayton and Jessie Gentle had two shots apiece for the Cowgirls. Alisha Bass and Candace Sciberras also started for Wyoming.
Albany (Claire Urquhart)
This week’s results: defeated Davidson 2-1, lost to Campbell 4-3 (2OT)
Albany took a trip to North Carolina to start the season and came oh-so-close to coming away with two victories. Against Davidson, the Great Danes took the lead on 34 minutes, but gave up an equaliser just 7 minutes later. Albany were able to find a winner after halftime, with Mariah Williams chipping the Davidson ‘keeper in the 64th minute to give Albany a 2-1 win. Things didn’t start off quite as well against Campbell, as Albany went down 2-0 inside 25 minutes before grabbing one back before halftime. Campbell extended the lead back out to 3-1 just after the hour mark, but just 30 seconds later Albany made it 3-2. Ten minutes from time, Albany tied it up, but you don’t get away with a draw after 90 minutes in college soccer, and a minute into the second half of overtime Campbell denied Albany a fantastic comeback win by notching a winner of their own. Unfortunately, there was no playing time for Claire Urquhart this weekend.
Creighton (Anastasia McCleary)
This week’s results: defeated South Dakota 1-0, lost to UMKC 2-1
A mixed weekend results-wise for Creighton, as a win against South Dakota was followed up with a loss to UMKC. However, the most important part of this weekend was seeing Anastasia McCleary back in the starting lineup for the Bluejays after a frustrating junior year in 2014 following her transfer from Alabama State. Anastasia played 67 minutes as a starter in the win over South Dakota, before playing another 40 minutes off the bench against UMKC. Already, Anastasia has chalked up nearly 30% of her total minutes tally from last season, and it is great to see her back playing solid football under the side’s new coach.
Washington State (Tia Gavin)
This week’s results: defeated Seattle 3-1, defeated Idaho 3-1
Washington State enjoyed a successful start to the season, with a couple of 3-1 victories to open the campaign. It was a case of first half successes leading to victories for the Cougars this weekend, as on both occasions the side went up 3-0 inside the first 40 minutes before their opponents managed to grab one back before halftime. On both occasions, though, Washington State were largely untroubled and came away with two solid wins. Tia Gavin also had an exceptional start to her collegiate career. Coming off the bench in both games, the Sydneysider scored on debut against Seattle, before teeing up a teammate against Idaho to be credited with an assist.
Murray State (Nyomi Devine, Harriet Withers)
This week’s results: defeated Mississippi State 2-1
Murray State pulled off a remarkable upset this weekend, knocking off SEC side Mississippi State. Mississippi State appeared to have the edge stats-wise, but Aussie sophomore Harriet Withers opened the scoring in the 20th minute. Mississippi State equalised 14 minutes later, and the sides went in all level at halftime. In the 62nd minute, Courtney Robicheaux of Mississippi State gave away a penalty and also saw red. Murray State’s Taylor Richerson converted the penalty, and Murray State were able to use their numerical advantage to hold their opponents at bay and walk off with the win. As well as Harriet Withers’ goalscoring performance, Nyomi Devine also started for the Racers.
College Matildas Player Of The Year Points:
3: Tia Gavin (Washington State)
2: Harriet Withers (Murray State)
1: Emily Hulbert (Hofstra)
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