
Australian participation in the NCAA Division I Tournament came to an early conclusion this season as the final two teams fell in the second round. BYU was always likely to be a tricky opponent for Amy Sayer and Stanford, and it proved as much when the Cougars took an early lead after just three minutes of play. However, Stanford equalised in the 22nd minute courtesy of in-form freshman Jasmine Aikey. Surprisingly, no more goals followed as even extra time couldn’t split the teams. Eventually, it was BYU who progressed courtesy of the shootout as Stanford were left to wonder what might have been, but the Cardinal should also take the time to recognise the progress the team has made over the last couple of years. Sayer came off the bench for Stanford, but played just three minutes on her return from Matildas duty.
Meanwhile, Holly Furphy’s Santa Clara side ran into the buzz-saw that is Notre Dame this season. The Broncos held Notre Dame at bay for almost the entire first half before MAC Hermann Trophy contender Korbin Albert slotted home a penalty just a minute before halftime. Two goals in the space of 35 seconds just after halftime put the game to bed early, and a fourth on the hour mark only further cemented Notre Dame’s place in the Round of 16. Santa Clara will now look towards next season, and hopefully a fully fit Furphy can get an entire season under her belt in 2023 after sitting out much of her freshman year through injury.
Brianna Trappett and Franklin Pierce knocked off one #1 seed this week, but unfortunately couldn’t make it two as their NCAA Division II Tournament came to an end in the Elite Eight with a loss to West Chester. Heading to Albany to face home side Saint Rose in the Sweet Sixteen, the Ravens opened the scoring in the 38th minute but conceded an equaliser less than two minutes later to leave the teams knotted at 1-1 going into halftime. Despite that scoring flurry, the teams couldn’t be separated in the second half, and it would take a goal in the third minute of extra time to see Trappett’s side advance with a 2-1 victory.
Franklin Pierce again opened the scoring as they faced West Chester in the quarter-finals, notching the opener through Claudia Peirce in the 49th minute. However, the Ravens also once again conceded an equaliser soon after, as West Chester scored nine minutes later to send the game into a tense final half-hour. Once again, extra time would be required, and again it would be an early goal that separated the teams. However, on this occasion, it would be Franklin Pierce to concede that goal as their season came to an end at the hands of a 95th minute Alison Cutter goal. Despite the loss, Trappett enjoyed a solid tournament, finishing her first season of college play with two appearances of 80 minutes or more to round out a campaign in which the sophomore notched nine starts in her 21 appearances.
The NAIA National Tournament kicked off this week, with five teams featuring Aussies involved. Results were mixed, but two of the five have advanced to the final 10-team event in Orange Beach, Alabama, kicking off on November 29. Unfortunately, D’arne Boato’s Georgia Gwinnett side and Gaby Sarkis’ Jamestown outfit each fell to opening round defeats, whilst Lauren Woodcock and Campbellsville secured a first-round victory before falling to #1 seed Marian in the second round. However, both Georgia Martell’s Cumberlands side and Georgia Little’s Keiser each won their two regional games to advance to the final round, at which they will both receive byes into the quarter-finals in their attempt to secure a national title.
However, one team featuring Aussies has already reached a national championship game this season. Amelia Suma, Isabel Andrews, and Salt Lake came into the NJCAA Division I semi-finals as the lowest seeded team, handing them a matchup with #1 overall seed Tyler Junior College. Despite being considered the underdogs, Salt Lake held firm and eventually took the title favourites to a shootout, prevailing 4-3 to advance to the championship. Unfortunately, things did not go the Bruins’ way in the championship game against Iowa Western as they fell to a 2-0 victory. Although neither Suma nor Andrews featured, just being part of a team that made a run to the championship game will surely provide them with experience that will stand them in good stead for next season.
Finally, CCCAA play commenced for Dakota Thyssen, Maisie Moore, and Santa Barbara City College this week with a regional second-round clash with Southwestern. Heavy favourites going into the match, the Vaqueros outshot Southwestern 14-3 but somehow only came away with a 1-0 victory. However, in tournament play, 1-0 means the same as 10-0, and Santa Barbara advanced to take on #2 seed Santiago Canyon in Wednesday’s penultimate round. Unfortunately, the stats are incomplete for this game, so whilst we can report that Dakota Thyssen played, there is only information for eight players and Maisie Moore is not one of them.
Complete Results
NCAA Division I Tournament
#8 Santa Clara (Holly Furphy)
Second Round: lost 4-0 to #1 Notre Dame
Holly Furphy did not play in Santa Clara’s loss to Notre Dame as the freshman continues to recover from a season-ending injury.
#3 Stanford (Amy Sayer)
Second Round: lost to #6 BYU 5-4 on penalties (1-1 AET)
Amy Sayer came off the bench for Stanford in their second-round loss to BYU, playing a 3-minute cameo.
NCAA Division II Tournament
#2 Franklin Pierce (Brianna Trappett)
Sweet Sixteen: defeated #1 Saint Rose 2-1 (OT)
Elite Eight: lost 2-1 to #1 West Chester (OT)
Brianna Trappett started both games for Franklin Pierce this week, playing 93 minutes in the overtime win against Saint Rose and 80 minutes in the overtime loss to West Chester.
NJCAA Division I National Championship
#10 Salt Lake (Isabel Andrews, Amelia Suma)
Semi-Final: defeated #1 Tyler 4-3 on penalties (0-0 AET)
Final: lost 1-0 to #9 Iowa Western
Neither Isabel Andrews nor Amelia Suma featured in either game as Salt Lake reached the NJCAA Division I championship game before falling to Iowa Western in the decider.
NAIA National Tournament
#2 Campbellsville (Lauren Woodcock)
First Round: defeated #3 MidAmerica Nazarene 3-1
Second Round: lost 1-0 to #1 Marian
Lauren Woodcock played the full 90 minutes in both games this week as Campbellsville reached the second round before falling to Marian.
#1 Cumberlands (Georgia Martell)
First Round: defeated #4 IU Kokomo 4-0
Second Round: #2 defeated Indiana Wesleyan 1-0
Georgia Martell was not required to make a save in her 90 minutes in Cumberlands’ win over IU Kokomo, but came up with three in the win over Indiana Wesleyan.
#4 Georgia Gwinnett (D’arne Boato)
First Round: lost 4-0 to #1 Southeastern
D’arne Boato started for Georgia Gwinnett in their loss to Southeastern, playing 57 minutes.
#3 Jamestown (Gaby Sarkis)
First Round: lost 3-1 to #2 Aquinas
Gaby Sarkis started for Jamestown in their loss to Aquinas, finishing with one shot on target.
#1 Keiser (Georgia Little)
First Round: defeated #4 Westcliff 3-1
Second Round: defeated #3 College of Idaho 1-0
Georgia Little came off the bench in both of Keiser’s wins this weekend, assisting on the final goal in a 57-minute outing against Westcliff and playing 64 minutes in the win over College of Idaho.
CCCAA SoCal Regional
#7 Santa Barbara City College (Maisie Moore, Dakota Thyssen)
Second Round: defeated Southwestern 1-0
The statistics are incomplete for Santa Barbara’s win over Southwestern, with Dakota Thyssen listed as one of eight players with a stat line in this game, and no information for Maisie Moore.
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