The NCAA Division I women’s soccer season officially kicked off this weekend, and our Aussie contingent wasted no time in adding their names to the scoresheet as no less than four players found the back of the net. Meanwhile, a host of players made their NCAA Division I debut and one player showed early signs that her transfer might be a masterstroke.
Amy Sayer has moved further into an advanced role as her time at Stanford has progressed, and it didn’t take long for the junior to slot home her first goal of the season. Sayer slotted Stanford’s opener in their win over Sacramento State, and remained a threat in front of goal for the remainder of the contest. Finishing the game with four shots in 50 minutes, Sayer earned an early mark as the Cardinal cruised past Sacramento State, 5-0. Stanford’s second game of the week was an exhibition against the Chinese national team, in which Sayer played 39 minutes in a 1-0 win secured by Maya Doms’ 84th-minute goal.
Claire Farrington’s only previous goal for Butler had come from a corner, and the former Brisbane Roar defender repeated the dose as Butler dominated Western Michigan in a 5-0 win. The junior nodded home to put the Bulldogs up 2-0, and eventually played 70 minutes in the victory. However, as a defender, Farrington will be just as happy with her performance against #9 Michigan. A lone goal from Katie Soderstrom proved to be the winner as Farrington and the Butler defence held the Wolverines at bay to secure a 1-0 win and a first top-10 victory since 2017. Farrington would play 80 minutes in the win as she maintains her position as an integral part of the Butler lineup.
Courtney Butlion had been known as a goal scorer during her time at Eastern Florida State, and it only took two games for the Western Australian to notch her first at NCAA Division I level. The junior eased into things with a shot in a 25-minute performance in La Salle’s win over Seton Hall, but Towson were not so fortunate as to avoid being on the wrong end of a Butlion strike. A La Salle header from a corner was cleared off the line, but the Australian was the first to react to poke the ball home for the opener just before halftime. Towson would respond 10 minutes from full-time, but goals in the 85th and 90th minutes restored La Salle’s advantage and ensured the Explorers would head back to Philadelphia with the win.
However, Molly Arens perhaps had the best weekend of all the Aussies as the Novocastrian contributed with both a goal and multiple assists to help Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to a perfect weekend. Tallying a goal and an assist against Texas Southern, Arens was instrumental in the Islanders’ 3-1 win on opening day before they faced UTRGV in the South Texas Showdown. In an absolute barnburner that saw five goals scored inside the first half-hour, Arens was once again key to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s win. The midfielder notched a pair of assists to help her team to a 4-3 win, and her three assists for the weekend have already outstripped the number that any Australian posted last season.
On the subject of UTRGV, both Dani Rutstein and Caitlin Webster made their NCAA Division I debut for the Vaqueros in the team’s earlier game against Texas A&M-International. They were a pair of eleven debutants this week, as Asha McClurg, Layla Lopez, Isabella Stein, Holly Furphy, Sarah Mitchell, Iona Snape, Chantelle Symes, Abbey Burns, and the aforementioned Courtney Butlion all saw their first minutes at the top level of college soccer.
Another player who saw her first minutes for a new team was Oregon defender Isabel Rolley, fresh off her grad transfer from USC. The newest Australian in the Ducks program played the full 90 minutes in both games this week as Oregon picked up a win and a draw, and although she picked up a yellow card against New Mexico State, Rolley looked for the most part to be an inspired addition to the backline in Eugene.
Complete Results
Alabama State (Madison Chambers, Grace Norbury)
This week: lost 2-0 to Winthrop; lost 2-1 to Gardner-Webb
Madison Chambers started both games this week, finishing with a shot on target in 42 minutes against Winthrop before playing 40 minutes against Gardner-Webb. Grace Norbury also started on both occasions, tallying a shot in 58 minutes in the loss to Winthrop and playing 52 minutes against Gardner-Webb.
Butler (Claire Farrington)
This week: defeated Western Michigan 5-0; defeated Michigan 1-0
Claire Farrington started both games this week, scoring Butler’s second goal in a 70-minute effort against Western Michigan and playing 80 minutes in the win over Michigan.
Coastal Carolina (Asha McClurg)
This week: drew 2-2 with Jacksonville; lost 3-0 to Charleston
Asha McClurg did not feature in Coastal Carolina’s draw with Jacksonville, but came off the bench to play 58 minutes in her NCAA Division I debut against Charleston.
Creighton (Renée Pountney)
This week: drew 0-0 with Montana; drew 1-1 with Gonzaga
Renée Pountney did not feature for Creighton in either game this week.
Denver (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: defeated San Diego 1-0; defeated Weber State 2-0
Isabella Chidiac did not feature for Denver in either game this week.
DePaul (Katie Godden)
This week: lost 1-0 to Oakland; match v Arkansas postponed
Katie Godden played the full 90 minutes in DePaul’s loss to Oakland, finishing with 3 shots of which one was on target. Unfortunately, the Blue Demons match against Arkansas was postponed due to COVID protocols.
Eastern Illinois (Belinda Stojcevski)
This week: drew 0-0 with Valparaiso; defeated Purdue-Fort Wayne 2-0
Belinda Stojcevski did not feature for Eastern Illinois in either game this week.
Hawai’i (Eliza Ammendolia)
This week: lost to Grand Canyon 3-1; match v Arizona State cancelled
Eliza Ammendolia started for Hawai’i in their loss to Grand Canyon, playing 86 minutes. The Rainbow Wahine’s match at Arizona State was cancelled due to severe weather.
Kent State (Lua Suero)
This week: drew 1-1 with Cleveland State; lost 2-0 to Oakland
Lua Suero did not feature for Kent State in either game this week.
La Salle (Courtney Butlion)
This week: defeated Seton Hall 1-0; defeated Towson 3-1
Courtney Butlion came off the bench in her first two NCAA Division I games, registering a shot in 25 minutes against Seton Hall before slotting the opener as part of a 30-minute shift in the win over Towson.
Long Beach State (Aimee Medwin)
This week: drew 2-2 with Pacific; lost 1-0 to USC
Aimee Medwin started both games for Long Beach State this week, playing 79 minutes in the draw with Pacific, before registering two shots with one on target in a 90-minute outing against USC.
Long Island (Isabella Stein)
This week: lost 4-0 to NJIT; defeated Delaware State 2-0
Isabella Stein came off the bench in both games this week, tallying a shot in 23 minutes against NJIT before doing the same in a 13-minute cameo in the win over Delaware State.
Louisiana (Emma Bates)
This week: defeated Florida International 2-1; drew 2-2 with Stephen F. Austin
Emma Bates did not feature for Louisiana in either game this week after taking a minor knock, but could return for next week’s games.
Louisiana Tech (Caitlin Le Roux)
This week: defeated Murray State 2-1; lost 4-1 to Northwestern State
Caitlin Le Roux came off the bench in both games this week, playing 23 minutes in the win over Murray State and 56 minutes in the loss to Northwestern State.
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
This week: defeated Albany 1-0; lost 2-1 to Fairfield
Hannah Peric did not feature for Massachusetts in either game this week.
Oral Roberts (Layla Lopez)
This week: defeated Texas A&M-Commerce 4-0; lost 4-0 to North Texas
Layla Lopez came off the bench for a pair of short cameos this week, playing 9 minutes in the win over Texas A&M-Commerce and 7 minutes in the loss to North Texas.
Oregon (Lara Kirkby, Isabel Rolley)
This week: defeated New Mexico State 2-0; drew 1-1 with San Francisco
Isabel Rolley played the full 90 minutes for Oregon in both games this week, but did pick up a yellow card in the win over New Mexico State. Lara Kirkby came off the bench for short stints in both games, playing six minutes against New Mexico State and two minutes in the draw with San Francisco.
Rider (Eloise Jones)
This week: defeated Wagner 3-2
Eloise Jones did not feature for Rider in their opening day win over Wagner.
San Francisco (Ashley Jordan)
This week: defeated Portland State 4-0; drew 1-1 with Oregon
Ashley Jordan did not feature for San Francisco in either game this week.
Santa Clara (Holly Furphy)
This week: defeated San Jose State 1-0; lost 1-0 to UC Davis
Holly Furphy started both games for Santa Clara this week, playing 28 minutes on debut against San Jose State and registering two shots in 39 minutes in the loss to UC Davis.
Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: lost 1-0 to La Salle; defeated Central Connecticut State 2-1
Sarah Mitchell came off the bench to play 38 minutes in the win over La Salle, before moving to the starting lineup to play 69 minutes in the win over Central Connecticut State. Grace Mitchell did not feature in either game for Seton Hall this week.
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: lost 2-0 to Central Connecticut State; drew 2-2 with Holy Cross
Iona Snape started both games for Siena this week, playing 72 minutes against Central Connecticut State and 56 minutes in the draw with Holy Cross.
Southern Illinois (Chantelle Symes)
This week: lost 2-0 to Lindenwood; match v Bellarmine postponed
Chantelle Symes earned the start on debut for Southern Illinois, making two saves in a 90-minute outing. The Salukis’ match against Bellarmine was interrupted by weather with the score at 0-0 after 32 minutes, with Symes not featuring.
St. Francis Brooklyn (Chloe Walker)
This week: drew 1-1 with Canisius; lost 1-0 to New Hampshire
Chloe Walker did not feature for St. Francis Brooklyn in either game this week.
Stanford (Amy Sayer)
This week: defeated Sacramento State 5-0; defeated China National Team 1-0
Amy Sayer started both games this week for Stanford. The junior slotted the opener and registered another three shots in a 50-minute performance against Sacramento State, before playing 39 minutes in the Cardinal’s win over China.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Molly Arens)
This week: defeated Texas Southern 3-1; defeated UTRGV 4-3
Molly Arens started both games this week, tallying a goal and an assist in a 90-minute performance against Texas Southern before adding another pair of assists and shots in 63 minutes in the win over UTRGV.
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: defeated Chattanooga 1-0; drew 1-1 with Georgia Southern
Abbey Burns came off the bench to tally a shot in 61 minutes of action against Chattanooga, doing enough to earn the start against Georgia Southern. The South Australian played 86 minutes in the draw with the Eagles.
UMBC (Isobel Davy, Annaliese Grove)
This week: drew 1-1 with George Washington; lost 4-1 to Longwood
Annaliese Grove started both games for UMBC this week, playing 67 minutes against George Washington before tallying a shot in 54 minutes against Longwood. Isobel Davy did not feature for UMBC in either game this week.
UNC Asheville (Jasmine Barry)
This week: drew 2-2 with Wofford; defeated VMI 4-1
Jasmine Barry started both games for UNC Asheville this week, playing 66 minutes against Wofford and 55 minutes in the win over VMI.
USC (Talia Grossman)
This week: lost 3-0 to Purdue; defeated Long Beach State 1-0
Talia Grossman did not feature for USC in either game this week.
UTRGV (Dani Rutstein, Caitlin Webster)
This week: lost 1-0 to Texas A&M-International; lost 4-3 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Caitlin Webster came off the bench for UTRGV in both games this week, playing 32 minutes against Texas A&M-International before registering a shot in 41 minutes against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Danielle Rutstein played a brief 3-minute cameo off the bench against Texas A&M-International but did not feature in the loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
VCU (Greta Kraszula)
This week: drew 0-0 with James Madison; lost 2-1 to North Carolina State
Greta Kraszula did not feature for VCU this week as she makes her way back after representing Australia at the Under 20 Women’s World Cup.
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