As we head into the final few games of regular season play, the fight for conference tournament berths and résumé-padding wins is growing more and more intense. Some teams are looking to simply improve their league standing, whilst others have absolutely no margin for error as they look to clinch a postseason spot.
Amy Sayer and Stanford head to Oregon this week to face Isabel Rolley and Lara Kirkby, with both teams desperate for a win but for vastly different reasons. Stanford currently sit in a three-way tie with USC and UCLA, and have already played both of those teams so they simply must continue to post wins to maintain control of their own destiny in the title race. Meanwhile, Oregon currently hold an RPI ranking that would give them a shot at an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, but currently sit just below the .500 winning percentage cutline for tournament eligibility at 4-5-5. Unfortunately, recent times have seen little playing time for both Sayer and Kirkby, but Rolley has remained almost ever-present for Oregon, so it is fairly safe to say we will see at least one Aussie on the pitch in this one.
Meanwhile, in Conference USA, a pair of South Australian stars face off as Abbey Burns’ UAB and Caitlin Le Roux’s Louisiana Tech both look to secure a top-two spot in the conference. UAB are certainly in the healthier position, sitting four points clear of third-place North Texas and six points clear of Louisiana Tech with two games to play, but their only match after this weekend comes against ladder-leading Rice, so nothing is certain yet. On the other side, Louisiana Tech face North Texas in their final game of the season, meaning two wins in their final games would elevate them to third place regardless of UAB’s result against Rice. Burns has been instrumental throughout the season for UAB, whilst we saw Le Roux return to the Louisiana Tech side with a 49-minute performance against Florida Atlantic after a month out, so hopefully we see plenty of both Aussies in this one.
Claire Farrington and Butler sit three points clear of the cutline for a Big East conference tournament berth with three games to play, but with a pair of tough games to come, a win in this week’s opener would do wonders for their chances of cementing their postseason spot. However, they will have to go through another pair of Aussies to do so as they travel to Seton Hall to face Grace and Sarah Mitchell. Seton Hall sit at 1-7 in conference play, but three of those losses have come by just one goal and they do have a win over sixth-placed Marquette, so the Pirates haven’t always been the easiest team to break down despite their record. However, Farrington and her defensive teammates will be confident of keeping a clean sheet against a team that has scored just two goals in conference play. However, the Western Australian midfield twins will be quite interested in presenting a dissenting view, with both Grace and Sarah heavily involved for the Pirates in their freshman seasons.
Greta Kraszula and VCU may not be in control of their own destiny in the race for an Atlantic 10 regular season title, but they can put real pressure on Saint Louis heading into the final week of league play as they take on the Billikens this weekend. With four points separating the two teams, VCU do need a win in this one to take the title race to the final day, but it would also ensure that Saint Louis need a win against Saint Joseph’s in their last game. It won’t be easy to take down a Saint Louis team currently ranked #10 in the nation, but quality of opponent has hardly been an issue for VCU this season. The Rams have a win over Pittsburgh and a draw with Virginia, both of whom are also nationally ranked, on their CV already this season.
Full Schedule
(All Times AEDT)
Alabama State (Madison Chambers, Grace Norbury)
This week: v Alcorn State – 10am, Saturday October 22; v Mississippi Valley State – 5am, Monday October 24
Butler (Claire Farrington)
This week: @ Seton Hall – 5am, Friday October 21; v Georgetown – 4am, Monday October 24
Coastal Carolina (Asha McClurg)
This week: v Marshall – 10am, Friday October 21; @ South Alabama – 4am, Monday October 24
Creighton (Renée Pountney)
This week: v DePaul – 10:30am, Friday October 21; @ Xavier – 4am, Monday October 24
Denver (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: @ Oral Roberts – 11am, Saturday October 22; @ Kansas City – 5am, Monday October 24
DePaul (Katie Godden)
This week: @ Creighton – 10:30am, Friday October 21; @ Villanova – 5am, Monday October 24
Hawai’i (Eliza Ammendolia)
This week: v UC Riverside – 4pm, Friday October 21; v Cal State Fullerton – 1pm, Monday October 24
Kent State (Lua Suero)
This week: v Ball State – 10am, Friday October 21; @ Central Michigan – 4am, Monday October 24
La Salle (Courtney Butlion)
This week: @ George Mason – 10am, Friday October 21; v Davidson – 4am, Monday October 24
Long Beach State (Aimee Medwin)
This week: @ Cal Poly – 1pm, Friday October 21; @ UC Santa Barbara – 7am, Monday October 24
Long Island (Isabella Stein)
This week: @ Saint Francis (PA) – 3am, Monday October 24
Louisiana (Emma Bates)
This week: v Troy – 11am, Friday October 21; @ Appalachian State – 4am, Monday October 24
Louisiana Tech (Caitlin Le Roux)
This week: v UAB – 5am, Monday October 24
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
This week: @ Loyola Chicago – 10am, Friday October 21; v Fordham – 4am, Monday October 24
Oral Roberts (Layla Lopez)
This week: v Denver – 11am, Saturday October 22; v Omaha – 5am, Monday October 24
Oregon (Lara Kirkby, Isabel Rolley)
This week: v Stanford – 1pm, Friday October 21; v California – 6am, Monday October 24
Rider (Eloise Jones)
This week: @ Marist – 4am, Sunday October 23
Sam Houston State (Cameron Barreiro)
This week: No games.
San Francisco (Ashley Jordan)
This week: @ Loyola Marymount – 1pm, Sunday October 23
Santa Clara (Holly Furphy)
This week: v Portland – 7am, Sunday October 23
Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: v Butler – 5am, Friday October 21
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: @ Iona – 4am, Sunday October 23
Southern Illinois (Chantelle Symes)
This week: @ Valparaiso – 11:30am, Friday October 21; @ Illinois-Chicago – 4am, Monday October 24
St. Francis Brooklyn (Chloe Walker)
This week: v Saint Francis (PA) – 6am, Friday October 21; @ Stonehill – 2am, Monday October 24
Stanford (Amy Sayer)
This week: @ Oregon – 1pm, Friday October 21; @ Oregon State – 6am, Monday October 24
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Molly Arens)
This week: v Northwestern State – 11am, Saturday October 22; v Lamar – 5am, Monday October 24
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: @ Louisiana Tech – 5am, Monday October 24
UMBC (Isobel Davy, Annaliese Grove)
This week: v New Hampshire – 3am, Monday October 24
UNC Asheville (Jasmine Barry)
This week: v Campbell – 9am, Sunday October 23
USC (Talia Grossman)
This week: @ Utah – 11am, Friday October 23; @ Colorado – 5am, Monday October 24
UTRGV (Dani Rutstein, Caitlin Webster)
This week: @ Stephen F. Austin – 5am, Monday October 24
VCU (Greta Kraszula)
This week: @ Saint Louis – 11am, Friday October 21; v George Mason – 4am, Monday October 24
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