(Featured Image Credit: Michael Rincon)
Chicago State and Grand Canyon face off this week, and whilst it may not be the most high-profile game of the season, it does feature an Aussie on either side and could prove to be a vital game in Grand Canyon’s run towards a conference tournament spot. Sarah Clark has been an occasional feature in the Chicago State lineup, and with the Cougars once again struggling through the season, time is running out to pick up their first win. They’ll need goals if they are going to get a result, and now would be the perfect time for Clark to score her first in Division I. Sandra Hill will be part of the Grand Canyon back line that will be determined to prolong Chicago State’s winless streak, particularly as they need to pick up points regularly if they are to reach the conference tournament. The WAC Tournament features six teams, and the Antelopes currently sit tied for sixth with a single win after three games. They’ll likely need at least two more wins to secure a postseason berth, so letting their most winnable game of the season slip is simply out of the question.
Once again, the CAA dishes up some Aussie v Aussie affairs as Emma Heckenberg and Drexel face two teams featuring Aussies this weekend. First up, the Dragons face Monique Iannella and Hofstra, where a win would put them just a point behind the currently fourth-placed Pride side. Drexel then round out the weekend against bottom side Towson, for whom freshman Jodie Burchell scored her first career goal in a 3-3 draw with third-placed Charleston last week. That draw showed that whilst Towson may be bottom of the pile, they can certainly match it with the conference’s top teams, so Heckenberg and her team will have to ensure that they are in top form heading to this weekend.
Isabel Hodgson and East Tennessee State have won just four games this season, but three of those have come in conference play to leave the Buccaneers sitting in a solid fourth position in the Southern Conference. However, their opponents this week could hardly be more disparate as the weekend begins by taking on a 10-2-1 UNC Greensboro side that has won all five of its league fixtures before facing a VMI team that has lost all five conference games and shipped 16 goals in the process. A win against VMI is an absolute non-negotiable for Hodgson and the Buccaneers this week, whilst a win against UNC Greensboro would do plenty to solidify their position in the conference tournament spots heading into the final week of league play.
Fairleigh Dickinson have one of the better defensive records in the Northeast Conference so far this season, with Sam Roff and her fellow backline members helping the Knights to equal third midway through league play. Having already faced two of the other teams in the top four already, Roff and the Knights this week face the bottom two teams in the conference in Wagner and LIU Brooklyn. Wagner have had enough trouble scoring without facing a defence as stingy as Fairleigh Dickinson’s, tallying just three goals all season, so expect Roff to be in lockdown mode in this game. However, LIU Brooklyn have scored as many or more goals than all bar two teams in the conference this season. This is one game where Roff will be called on to be at her outstanding best, as the Blackbirds will be ready to pounce on any opportunity, although the Fairleigh Dickinson attack should get plenty of chances of their own. With Roff known for unleashing the occasional shot, perhaps a game against the league’s leakiest defence could be her best opportunity to tally a first collegiate goal.
Full Schedule:
Akron (Freyja Murray)
This week: @ Ball State – 7am, Saturday October 13; @ Miami (Ohio) – 4am, Monday October 15
Albany (Claire Urquhart)
This week: @ Hartford – 10am, Friday October 12; v New Hampshire – 5am, Monday October 15
Chicago State (Sarah Clark)
This week: v Grand Canyon – 5am, Saturday October 13; @ New Mexico State – 8am, Monday October 15
Colorado (Isobel Dalton)
This week: v Oregon – 6am, Sunday October 14
Drexel (Emma Heckenberg)
This week: v Hofstra – 9am, Friday October 12; @ Towson – 4am, Monday October 15
East Tennessee State (Isabel Hodgson)
This week: v VMI – 10am, Saturday October 13; v UNC Greensboro – 5am, Monday October 15
Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff)
This week: v LIU Brooklyn – 7am, Saturday October 13; @ Wagner – 4am, Monday October 15
Georgia Southern (Hannah Allen)
This week: v Coastal Carolina – 10am, Saturday October 13
Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)
This week: @ Chicago State – 5am, Saturday October 13; @ UMKC – 5am, Monday October 15
Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson-Carr)
This week: @ Drexel – 9am, Friday October 12; @ Elon – 3am, Monday October 15
Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre)
This week: v Purdue – 11am, Friday October 12; v Indiana – 5am, Monday October 15
La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck)
This week: @ Dayton – 10am, Friday October 12; @ Fordham – 4am, Monday October 15
LSU (Caitlin Cantrill)
This week: v Mississippi – 10am, Friday October 12
Marshall (Laura Farrelly)
This week: v Rice – 10am, Saturday October 13; v North Texas – 3am, Monday October 15
Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Tenille Harberger, Kristy Helmers)
This week: v Sam Houston State – 8am, Saturday October 13; v Stephen F. Austin – 5am, Monday October 15
North Dakota State (Lauren Featherstone)
This week: v South Dakota State – 5am, Monday October 15
Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley)
This week: @ Florida Atlantic – 10am, Friday October 12; v UAB – 4am, Monday October 15
Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore)
This week: @ Eastern Illinois – 6am, Friday October 12; @ SIU Edwardsville – 5am, Monday October 15
St. Francis University (Shelby Milton)
This week: @ Robert Morris – 4am, Sunday October 14
Stanford (Beattie Goad)
This week: @ Arizona State – 1pm, Sunday October 14
Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis)
This week: @ Kansas State – 11am, Saturday October 13; @ Kansas – 5am, Monday October 15
Towson (Jodie Burchell)
This week: @ Delaware – 10am, Friday October 12; v Drexel – 4am, Monday October 15
UCLA (Teagan Micah)
This week: @ Washington – 12pm, Saturday October 13
Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout)
This week: v UNC Greensboro – 10am, Saturday October 13; v VMI – 4am, Monday October 15
William & Mary (Lorena Bugden)
This week: v Elon – 10am, Friday October 12; v James Madison – 5am, Monday October 15
Wyoming (Indianna Asimus, Annika Clayton, Jessie Gentle, Caitlin Pickett)
This week: @ Fresno State – 1pm, Saturday October 13; @ San Jose State – 6am, Monday October 15
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