Stanford taking on a Los Angeles team in a potentially decisive Pac-12 Aussie v Aussie battle has been a recurring theme for College Matildas over the years; however, this year sees the identity of that Los Angeles team change from UCLA to USC as Isabel Rolley and Talia Grossman host Amy Sayer’s Cardinal side this week. As it stands, USC lead Stanford by just a point with three games to play, with UCLA a further point behind. Stanford face both USC and UCLA this week, whilst the two Los Angeles schools will face off on the final day of the season next week. Therefore, taking the full six points this week will be imperative for Stanford if they are to secure a Pac-12 title, as at least one of their title rivals will be banking points next week. Sayer has notched an assist in each of the last two weeks, whilst Rolley has been reliable off the bench for the Women of Troy all season, so expect both players to play integral roles in their teams’ performances.
Staying in California, Aimee Medwin and Long Beach State sit just two points back from Cal Poly in the race for the Big West but at the same time, have not yet secured their spot in the four-team conference tournament. However, with the pair facing off in their opening game of the weekend, Beach could clinch that tournament spot and put themselves in pole position going into their final day game against UC Santa Barbara. Six points is the only way to guarantee a regular season title for Long Beach State, and Aimee Medwin will be right in the thick of the action as one of the most improved Aussies in NCAA Division I this season appears set to maintain her position in the starting lineup throughout the remainder of the campaign.
Meanwhile, former Northern NSW teammates Claire Farrington and Renée Pountney face off this week as Butler take on Creighton in the final week of Big East regular season play. Farrington and Butler are looking to pick up a victory to secure the third seed in the conference tournament, but Pountney and fellow Aussie, goalkeeper Ayana Aoyagi will be looking to provide plenty of nuisance value as their tournament chances have fallen by the wayside at this stage. Both Farrington and Pountney should be heavily involved as the pair are regular starters for their respective sides. However, the week does not end there for Butler, with the Big East tournament kicking off on Monday morning. Who the Bulldogs’ opponent will be remains to be seen, whilst Katie Godden and DePaul will also be attempting to sneak their way into the field as they sit right on the cusp at this stage.
Meanwhile, down in Texas, a pair of Aussies will face off as the battle for seeding positions in the Southland Conference tournament comes right down to the wire. Heading into the final day of the season, Madison McComasky’s Incarnate Word side sit just two points clear of Molly Arens and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and guess where they’re heading this week? That’s right, down to Corpus Christi to face the Islanders. A draw will be enough for Incarnate Word to maintain their position and potentially leapfrog Houston Baptist into third. Meanwhile, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi require a win to jump up into fourth, but a draw will be enough to keep them in fifth place regardless of sixth-placed Southeastern Louisiana’s result against a Nicholls State yet to garner a point this season. In among all the jockeying for positions will be two outstanding Australian players, with McComasky one of the undoubted stars for Incarnate Word, whilst Arens hasn’t missed a beat since returning from several weeks out.
Moving west, Sandra Hill and Grand Canyon sit top of their division in the WAC, but it will all come down to the final day against Utah Valley as the teams are currently level on 17 points. Both teams have two games remaining, each with one against a midtable team before they face each other in Phoenix. Utah Valley are on a three-game winning streak, but with Grand Canyon at home, this game could go in either direction and given neither team can garner more than a 3-point lead before they face off, victory in this game will ensure they finish atop the division. Senior leader Hill has been a solid option off the bench all season, and there is little reason for this to change this weekend.
Meanwhile, alongside the aforementioned Big East tournament starting this week, several other Aussies kick off their postseason campaigns with eyes firmly locked on earning conference silverware and punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Ash Harvie’s Eastern Illinois side kick things off this weekend against Tennessee Tech in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, whilst Kiarnie Latham and Tennessee-Martin will have a few days off as they have earned the double bye as the #1 seeds. Meanwhile, Greta Kraszula’s VCU side take on #8 seed Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, with Hannah Peric and UMass a potential semi-final opponent if the Minutewomen can get by #5 seed St. Bonaventure in their quarterfinal.
D’arne Boato and East Tennessee State will kick off their Southern Conference tournament campaign this week against #5 Mercer on neutral ground at Samford. As the #4 seed, ETSU are the higher seeded team in this matchup, but both teams finished on 13 points and Mercer had a higher goal difference. Further to this, the pair played to a 0-0 draw in the regular season, so this could be an incredibly tight fixture.
Finally, there is one team that could yet play in a conference tournament, but they will have no control over their destiny this week. Indianna Asimus and Illinois State currently sit in fifth spot in the Missouri Valley Conference, but have the final day bye in the nine-team league. Fortunately, the two teams immediately below them, Evansville and Missouri State, face off on the final day of the season, meaning Drake would also need to beat Northern Iowa to send things to a potentially convoluted tiebreaker scenario. Should the Redbirds advance, their tournament campaign would commence on Monday morning with the opponent and timeslot currently unknown.
Full Schedule
(All Times AEDT)
Alabama State (Madison Chambers, Grace Norbury)
This week: @ Alabama A&M – 8am, Saturday October 30
Butler (Claire Farrington)
This week: v Creighton – 10am, Friday October 29; Big East Tournament Quarter Finals – 4am, Monday November 1
Creighton (Ayana Aoyagi, Renée Pountney)
This week: @ Butler – 10am, Friday October 29; 10am, Friday October 29
DePaul (Katie Godden)
This week: @ Marquette – 11am, Friday October 29; Big East Tournament Quarter Finals – TBA, Monday November 1
East Tennessee State (D’arne Boato)
This week: v Mercer – 10:30am, Saturday October 30 (Southern Conference Tournament Quarter Final)
Eastern Illinois (Ashleigh Harvie)
This week: v Tennessee Tech – 6am, Saturday October 30 (Ohio Valley Conference Tournament First Round)
Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)
This week: v Dixie State – 1pm, Friday October 29; v Utah Valley – 1pm, Sunday October 31
Hawaii (Eliza Ammendolia)
This week: v San Diego – 8am, Monday November 1
Hofstra (Grace Watson-Carr)
This week: v Charleston – 3am, Monday November 1
Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre)
No games this week.
Illinois State (Indianna Asimus)
This week: Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Quarter Final – TBA, Monday November 1
Incarnate Word (Madison McComasky)
This week: @ Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – 11am, Saturday October 30
La Salle (Alyssa Van Heurck)
No games this week.
Long Beach State (Aimee Medwin)
This week: v Cal Poly – 12pm, Friday October 29; v UC Santa Barbara – 8am, Monday November 1
Louisiana Tech (Caitlin Le Roux)
This week: @ Florida International – 10am, Friday October 29
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
This week: v St. Bonaventure – 4am, Monday November 1 (Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Quarter Final)
Oregon (Lara Kirkby)
This week: v Washington State – 1pm, Friday October 29; v Washington – 7am, Monday November 1
San Francisco (Ashley Jordan)
This week: v Pepperdine – 1pm, Sunday October 31
Stanford (Amy Sayer)
This week: @ UCLA – 1pm, Friday October 29; @ USC – 6am, Monday November 1
Tennessee-Martin (Kiarnie Latham)
No games this week.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Molly Arens)
This week: v Incarnate Word – 11am, Saturday October 30
UMBC (Isobel Davy, Annaliese Grove, Abi Jordan)
This week: v Stony Brook – 9am, Friday October 29
UNC Asheville (Jasmine Barry)
No games this week.
USC (Talia Grossman, Isabel Rolley)
This week: v California – 9am, Friday October 29; v Stanford – 6am, Monday November 1
VCU (Greta Kraszula)
This week: v Saint Joseph’s – 10am, Sunday October 31 (Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Quarter Final)
Leave a Reply