15 teams featuring Australians remain standing heading into the final week of the regular season, and all have a shot of reaching the NCAA Tournament. How close each team is varies wildly, but nonetheless it looks set to be a thriller of a week.
The number of Aussies left standing can only go down from here, but it was a fairly solid week of conference tournament play with a number of teams seeing their way through to next week. However, the news of the weekend was Wyoming clinching a share of the Mountain West Conference regular season title with a final day win over Colorado State.
21 teams featuring Aussies remain in the mix for the NCAA Tournament, and with six of those teams kicking off conference tournaments this week, it’s certainly crunch time for a number of players. Meanwhile, the thrilling fight for conference tournament spots in the Northeast Conference continues with Fairleigh Dickinson and Saint Francis right in the mix coming into the final matchday.
Extended time on the pitch has not been forthcoming for Beattie Goad recently, but the Stanford junior took full advantage of her chance to star for the Cardinal as the nation’s top team continued their march towards back-to-back titles. Elsewhere, Emma Heckenberg continued to exhibit her talent at dead ball situations to help Drexel grab a vital win.
We’re getting right down to crunch time now, with plenty of Aussies either fighting to secure a conference tournament berth or simply work themselves back into the hunt. The biggest matchup of the week is in a league with no postseason tournament though as Colorado take on Stanford with both teams eyeing the league crown.
Seniors stepped up when it mattered most as Annika Clayton put Wyoming on her back and Isabel Hodgson scored on her own Senior Night. Claudia Jenkins and Teagan Micah continued their good form between the sticks, whilst Kristy Helmers tallied her second goal of the season.
Sandra Hill and Grand Canyon need wins to keep pace with the leaders in the WAC, but Sarah Clark and Chicago State stand in their way and will be hungry for a first win of 2018. Elsewhere, Sam Roff and Isabel Hodgson look to maintain positions among the top of their respective leagues, whilst Emma Heckenberg faces both Jodie Burchell and Monique Iannella in yet more CAA Aussie v Aussie affairs.
Jessie Gentle was anything but this week as she put the Wyoming side on her back to be involved in three of her team’s four goals this weekend to keep the Cowgirls in a solid position in the Mountain West Conference. Elsewhere, Claudia Jenkins and Alyssa Van Heurck helped La Salle to a pair of bounce-back wins, whilst Jodie Burchell and Kate Swartwout picked up their first collegiate goals.
As conference play ramps up, a number of teams featuring Aussies find themselves in intriguing positions heading into crunch time. Meanwhile, Lorena Bugden and Monique Iannella face off in a game that could have serious implications in the Colonial Athletic Association.
It might be time to start calling Caitlin Pickett ‘Cardiac Caitlin’ as the Wyoming freshman came up with the second overtime winner of her first season of college soccer, whilst the return of Teagan Micah to the UCLA lineup following a stint on the sidelines with concussion was a welcome sight for Bruins and Aussie fans alike.
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