
UCLA freshman Rachel Lowe celebrates her debut goal against Iowa State (Credit: Percy Anderson/UCLA)
The ‘Battle at the Banc’, in which four of the nation’s top teams will face off at LAFC’s Banc of California Stadium is one of the most anticipated events of the season, and a pair of Aussies will be front and centre as Rachel Lowe, Teagan Micah, and UCLA take on Florida State as part of a doubleheader that will also see USC take on Florida in a pair of blockbuster games. Having knocked off a pair of solid opponents last week, UCLA will be looking to flex their title credentials by defeating the reigning national champions as they attempt to build a charge towards a first national title since 2013. Micah picked up the 7th Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week award for her pair of clean sheets last week, and whilst Florida State will provide a far sterner challenge than Iowa State or Long Beach State had, there is no doubting that the Matildas World Cup squad member is up to the task. Meanwhile, Rachel Lowe will be hoping to build on last week’s debut goal as the freshman looks to secure her spot in the Bruins’ rotation. Whilst the Florida State game is the blockbuster this week, things don’t get any easier for UCLA as they host Florida on Sunday. The Bruins actually played this pair of teams last season, albeit on the road, drawing 0-0 with Florida and losing 4-1 to Florida State, so they will certainly be looking to bury the demons from 12 months ago with a pair of wins here.
Teresa Morrissey enjoyed a stellar start to her career with a five-save clean sheet in an overtime win over New Hampshire last week, and after a solid performance in a mid-week loss to Quinnipiac, the Rhode Island goalkeeper will face another test this week against a Wagner side that scored seven goals across two games this weekend. If last season is any measuring stick, Morrissey could quickly turn into a vital part of the Rhode Island side, not only for her talent in and of itself, but as the piece that could secure the Rams more than a few results despite an offence that sat in the bottom 20 of the nation last season. A team can’t win without scoring, but they can’t lose if they don’t concede, and this could make Morrissey a chief factor, hopefully starting this weekend with another win for the Rams.
Siena Senatore made her comeback to the game with a 90-minute performance in a 3-2 win over Southern Miss last week, and the Redhawks’ crusade against teams from Mississippi continues this week as Southeast Missouri State face Aimee Medwin and Ole Miss in their first game of the weekend. Ole Miss are likely to pose a far sterner test than Southern Miss had in the season opener, particularly as they will be stinging from a 3-1 loss to Memphis in which they conceded two goals AFTER Memphis’ goalkeeper was shown a red card. Aimee Medwin did not feature in either that game or the Rebels’ win over North Alabama, but how fitting would a debut in an Aussie v Aussie matchup be?
Having come away with a win and a draw against Mississippi Valley State, Nicholls State and their Aussie triumvirate will be confident of picking up a result against an Arkansas-Pine Bluff side that is tipped to finish around the same position in the SWAC as Mississippi Valley State themselves and shipped 10 goals in two games last week. The Colonels really should have secured two wins last weekend, outshooting the Delta Devils 34-4 in a 1-1 draw in the second fixture, but that statistic alone suggests that the likes of Kristy Helmers and Tessa Calabria will be able to create plenty of chances in this fixture, whilst Shauni Reid will be hoping to make her debut after missing out in the opening two games.
Claudia Jenkins did her level best to help La Salle secure a result with 11 saves across two games last week, but the Explorers could only come away with a loss and a draw from their trip to North Carolina. Now back in Philadelphia, Jenkins and her teammates will be hoping to secure a first win of the season against NJIT in their home opener. The Highlanders’ results last week largely mirrored La Salle’s – a draw with a fellow mid-major against UMBC before a tight loss to a power conference side in Maryland. However, NJIT were unable to score a goal in either game, and Jenkins’ presence between the sticks won’t make it any easier for them. The Explorers then travel across town to face Drexel, who had no trouble creating chances last week, outshooting St. Joseph’s 12-3, but couldn’t convert a single opportunity in falling to a 1-0 defeat. Alyssa Van Heurck and the La Salle attack should hopefully provide a sterner test than St. Joseph’s did in that game as the Explorers look to kickstart their season with a pair of wins.
Full Schedule
Chicago State (Sarah Clark)
This week: v Purdue-Fort Wayne – 4am, Saturday August 31; v Louisiana-Lafayette – 4am, Monday September 2
East Tennessee State (D’arne Boato)
This week: @ Gardner-Webb – 9am, Monday August 2
Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff)
This week: v Lehigh – 9am, Friday August 30; v Rider – 2am, Monday September 2
Watch Fairleigh Dickinson v Lehigh
Watch Fairleigh Dickinson v Rider
Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)
This week: v UTEP – 12pm, Friday August 30; v UTSA – 12pm, Monday September 2
Hawaii (Eliza Ammendolia, Kiri Dale)
This week: v Nevada – 11:30am, Friday August 30; v Sacramento State – 11:30am, Sunday September 1
Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson Carr)
This week: @ Brown – 9am, Saturday August 31; v Fordham – 3am, Monday September 2
Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre)
This week: @ Pepperdine – 8am, Saturday August 31; v San Francisco – 9am, Monday September 2
La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck)
This week: v NJIT – 9am, Friday August 30; v Drexel – 3am, Monday September 2
LSU (Caitlin Cantrill)
This week: v McNeese State – 10am, Saturday August 31; @ Samford – 5am, Monday September 2
Marshall (Laura Farrelly)
This week: v Youngstown State – 9am, Saturday August 31; v Ohio – 3am, Monday September 2
Watch Marshall v Youngstown State
Mississippi (Aimee Medwin)
This week: v Southeast Missouri State – 10am, Friday August 30; v Minnesota – 2am, Monday September 2
Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Kristy Helmers, Shauni Reid)
This week: v Arkansas-Pine Bluff – 4am, Monday September 2
North Dakota State (Eden Taylor-Wineera)
This week: @ Vermont – 9am, Saturday August 31; v New Hampshire – 5:30am, Monday September 2
Watch North Dakota State v Vermont
Watch North Dakota State v New Hampshire
Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley)
This week: @ Liberty – 3am, Monday September 2
Rhode Island (Teresa Morrissey)
This week: @ Wagner – 3am, Monday September 2
Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore)
This week: @ Mississippi – 10am, Friday August 30; v Arkansas – Monday September 2
Stanford (Beattie Goad)
This week: v Penn – 12pm, Saturday August 31; v San Jose State – 11am, Monday September 2
Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis)
This week: v Oral Roberts – 10am, Friday August 30; v North Texas – 10am, Monday September 2
Watch Texas Tech v Oral Roberts ($)
UCLA (Teagan Micah)
This week: v Florida State – 10:30am, Friday August 30; v Florida – 10am, Monday September 2
UMBC (Abi Jordan, Teal Kilbride)
This week: v Temple – 9am, Friday August 30; @ Mount St. Mary’s – 7am, Monday September 2
Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout)
This week: v Middle Tennessee State – 9am, Friday August 30; v Tennessee-Martin – 3am, Monday September 2
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