
Debuts don’t get much better than the one that Teresa Morrissey produced for Rhode Island as they faced New Hampshire in the season opener. Thrown in at the deep end as starting goalkeeper, Morrissey stood tall for the Rams, making five saves and keeping a clean sheet as Rhode Island clinched an overtime winner in the 93rd minute to ensure that the freshman’s outstanding performance was not in vain.
However, Morrissey was not the only freshman to enjoy a dream debut. Starting on the bench for UCLA, Rachel Lowe entered the game against Iowa State as a halftime substitute, and took less than 13 minutes to tally a debut goal that put the Bruins 2-0 up on their way to a 3-0 victory. Lowe would then play another 22 minutes off the bench in Sunday’s win over Long Beach State. Fellow Australian, Teagan Micah played every minute of the weekend between the sticks for UCLA, making one save in each game to keep two clean sheets.
Speaking of goalkeepers, La Salle custodian Claudia Jenkins had a far busier weekend than Micah, doing everything in her power to keep the Explorers in the contest against national contenders Duke. The junior came up with six saves as the Blue Devils piled on the pressure, with Jenkins keeping the opposition attack at bay until the 68th minute before the sheer weight of shots told as La Salle fell to a 2-0 defeat. However, five more saves from Jenkins would prove crucial for the Explorers as they secured a 1-1 draw with North Florida in their second game of the week. Fellow Australian, Alyssa Van Heurck proved an integral part of the La Salle side, playing 80 minutes and tallying a shot against Duke before following up with a 78-minute outing against North Florida two days later.
Having done everything but manage to score a goal in her freshman season, Wyoming sophomore Indianna Asimus appears hellbent on making up for lost time, taking the early lead on the Australian goalscoring charts. With her team level at 1-1 with UTEP heading into the final 15 minutes, Asimus stepped up to take a free kick, bending it around the wall and past the outstretched goalkeeper for a 2-1 lead before the game finished 2-2 as UTEP picked up a late equaliser, with overtime unable to split the teams. Asimus would then follow up with a goal just five minutes into the Cowgirls’ second game of the week against New Mexico State, but a 70th minute equaliser saw Wyoming once again forced to split the points.
Demi Koulizakis finished 2018 strongly and picked right up where she left off as Texas Tech put San Diego State to the sword. Koulizakis played just 28 minutes off the bench as the Red Raiders dominated in a 6-1 victory, but that was all the time the senior need to tally her first goal of the campaign, nodding home a corner late in the first half to put Texas Tech 5-0 up before halftime, whilst also adding an assists in the dominant victory. Unfortunately, the Red Raiders’ road trip didn’t end as well as it started as they fell 1-0 to New Mexico in Albuquerque later in the week, with Koulizakis tallying one of the team’s 7 shots on target as they outshot the Lobos, but couldn’t find an equaliser.
Nicholls State already look better than they did in 2018, and they have Aussie duo Tessa Calabria and Kristy Helmers to thank. The Colonels played Mississippi Valley State in a pair of back-to-back games at home, with Calabria tallying a goal from the spot and Helmers adding a goal and an assist late in the piece as Nicholls State rolled to a 5-0 victory in the first game. The 34-4 shot count of the second game suggested that the result should have been the same again, but somehow Mississippi Valley State stood firm in a 1-1 draw, with Helmers teeing up a teammate for a 65th minute equaliser after Nicholls State had conceded the opener via a penalty in the first half.
Beattie Goad also started the season in fine form. Now a senior in a Stanford squad looking to replace a number of stars, Goad earned a start in the Cardinal’s season opener, going close to scoring on one occasion in a 2-1 win over Penn State. However, despite coming off the bench against West Virginia two days later, Goad was able to have more of an impact, tallying an assist on her team’s final goal in a 3-1 win as Stanford started the season 2-0.
Player of the Year Points:
3: Teresa Morrissey (Rhode Island)
2: Indianna Asimus (Wyoming)
1: Kristy Helmers (Nicholls State)
Full Schedule
Alabama State (Sophie Bui)
This week: lost 6-1 to Fairleigh Dickinson; lost 6-0 to UTRGV
Sophie Bui did not feature for Alabama State in either game this week.
Chicago State (Sarah Clark)
This week: lost 5-0 to Northern Iowa; lost 2-0 to Wisconsin-Green Bay
Sarah Clark did not feature for Chicago State against Northern Iowa, whilst there are no stats available for the game against Wisconsin-Green Bay.
East Tennessee State (D’arne Boato)
This week: defeated King 4-0; lost 1-0 to UNC Asheville
D’arne Boato did not feature for East Tennessee State in either game this week.
Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff)
This week: defeated Alabama State 6-1; lost 4-1 to Miami (FL)
Sam Roff started both games for Fairleigh Dickinson, playing 68 minutes in the win over Alabama State and 58 minutes in the loss to Miami.
Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)
This week: defeated Stetson 1-0; lost 7-1 to Florida Atlantic
Sandra Hill did not feature for Grand Canyon in either game this week.
Hawaii (Eliza Ammendolia, Kiri Dale)
This week: lost 3-0 to USC; lost 3-2 to South Florida
Kiri Dale came off the bench to play 14 minutes in the loss to USC, but did not feature in the game against South Florida. Eliza Ammendolia did not feature against USC, but came off the bench to make her debut against South Florida, playing 31 minutes.
Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson Carr)
This week: defeated Monmouth 1-0; lost 6-0 to Penn State
Monique Iannella played the full 90 minutes for Hofstra in both games to start the season. Grace Watson Carr did not feature for Hofstra in either game this week.
Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre)
This week: defeated Loyola Chicago 3-1; defeated Dayton 3-2
Ashleigh Lefevre started in the win over Loyola Chicago, playing 47 minutes before coming off the bench to play 59 minutes in the win over Dayton.
La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck)
This week: lost 2-0 to Duke; drew 1-1 with North Florida
Claudia Jenkins played all 200 minutes of the weekend, making 6 saves in the loss to Duke and another 5 in the draw with North Florida. Alyssa Van Heurck started both games, registering a single shot on target in 80 minutes against Duke before playing 78 minutes against North Florida.
LSU (Caitlin Cantrill)
This week: lost 1-0 to Villanova; drew 1-1 with Navy
Caitlin Cantrill did not feature for LSU in either game this week.
Marshall (Laura Farrelly)
This week: lost 5-0 to Michigan; lost 5-1 to Michigan State
Laura Farrelly did not feature for LSU in either game this week.
Mississippi (Aimee Medwin)
This week: defeated North Alabama 2-0; lost 3-1 to Memphis
Aimee Medwin did not feature for Mississippi in either game this week.
Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Kristy Helmers, Shauni Reid)
This week: defeated Mississippi Valley State 5-0; drew 1-1 with Mississippi Valley State
Tessa Calabria started for Nicholls State in the first game against Mississippi Valley State, netting a penalty during her 39 minutes on the pitch before coming off the bench in the second meeting of the week to tally 5 shots, including 2 on target, in a 60-minute outing. Kristy Helmers started both games, playing 79 minutes whilst tallying an assist and a shot on target in the first outing. The senior tallied another assist in the drawn second meeting as well as another shot on target during a 74-minute stint. Shauni Reid did not feature in either game this week.
North Dakota State (Eden Taylor-Wineera)
This week: defeated Saint Mary’s 1-0; drew 1-1 with Montana
Eden Taylor-Wineera did not feature against Saint Mary’s, but came off the bench against Montana, making her debut with a brief 5-minute cameo.
Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley)
This week: defeated Towson 4-1; defeated George Mason 3-1
Gaby Bentley did not feature for Old Dominion in either game this week.
Rhode Island (Teresa Morrissey)
This week: defeated New Hampshire 1-0 (OT)
Teresa Morrissey enjoyed an outstanding debut, playing all 92 minutes and making five crucial saves as Rhode Island secured a 1-0 overtime win against New Hampshire to open the season.
Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore)
This week: defeated Southern Miss 3-2
In her first competitive fixture since 2016, Siena Senatore played the full 90 minutes for Southeast Missouri State in their win over Southern Miss.
Stanford (Beattie Goad)
This week: defeated Penn State 2-1; defeated West Virginia 3-1
Beattie Goad started against Penn State, playing 79 minutes and registering three shots, of which one was on target. The senior came off the bench against West Virginia, tallying an assist on Stanford’s third goal during her 41 minutes on the pitch.
Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis)
This week: defeated San Diego State 6-1; lost 1-0 to New Mexico
Demi Koulizakis came off the bench to score one of Texas Tech’s six goals against San Diego State during a 28-minute cameo, before playing 49 minutes off the bench in the loss to New Mexico, registering two shots with one on target.
UCLA (Teagan Micah)
This week: defeated Iowa State 3-0; defeated Long Beach State 1-0
Teagan Micah played all 180 minutes in UCLA’s pair of victories, making a single save in each game. Rachel Lowe came off the bench in both games, scoring on debut in a 45-minute effort against Iowa State before playing 22 minutes in the win over Long Beach State.
UMBC (Abi Jordan, Teal Kilbride)
This week: drew 0-0 with NJIT; drew 2-2 with Saint Francis (PA)
Teal Kilbride played the full 90 minutes in the draw with NJIT, but did not feature in the draw with Saint Francis. Abi Jordan did not feature in either game this week.
Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout)
This week: defeated Gardner-Webb 2-1
Kate Swartwout played the full 90 minutes for Western Carolina as the Catamounts secured a 2-1 victory despite conceding the opener.
Wyoming (Indianna Asimus)
This week: drew 2-2 with UTEP; drew 1-1 with New Mexico State
Indianna Asimus started the season on fire, finishing with a goal and three shots on target in an 89-minute performance against UTEP, before scoring Wyoming’s only goal in a 76-minute performance in the draw with New Mexico State.
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