Conference tournaments are finally here, and we have plenty of Aussies gunning for silverware in the tournaments starting this week. Elsewhere, other teams are still looking to improve their seeding or just force their way into the conference tournaments that start next week.
The Atlantic 10 Tournament starts this week, and two teams featuring Aussies have earned a spot. Greta Kraszula’s VCU finished as the #3 seed and will take on Saint Joseph’s in the quarter-finals. These teams did not actually meet during the regular season as the Atlantic 10 features fifteen teams but only ten conference games, so there is no previous matchup to help gauge what may transpire in this contest. However, VCU are the higher seed and will have home ground advantage, making them favourites to progress through to the semi-finals. Moreover, Saint Joseph’s average only 0.94 goals per game this season, and with Kraszula holding things down at the defensive end, one goal might be enough for the Rams to secure victory.
Meanwhile, Hannah Peric and Massachusetts finished as the 7th seed after dropping the tiebreaker to Saint Joseph’s after both teams tallied 14 points in league play. The Minutewomen will travel to Dayton to face the #2 seed Flyers, a team to whom they lost 2-1 at home earlier in the season. On that occasion, Massachusetts held Dayton to just five shots on target, an impressive feat considering the Flyers average 8.5 in that category throughout the season. If Peric and the UMass defence can perform a similar feat on this occasion, they could just spring the upset and advance through to the semi-finals themselves.
Having wrapped up the Summit League regular season title, Isabella Chidiac and Denver will spend the early part of this week watching the conference tournament quarter-finals as they learn the identity of their semi-final opponent. The Pioneers will face the winner of the 4 v 5 quarter-final, which sees Layla Lopez and Oral Roberts take on a North Dakota State program has featured a couple of Aussies in the past. Denver knocked off both of their potential opponents during the regular season, defeating North Dakota State 2-0 in the conference opener and rolling Oral Roberts 5-1 just last week. Although neither Chidiac nor Lopez have seen significant minutes this season, one can never be quite sure when a player will be called upon to make an impact, and hopefully both Aussies can play a role in their teams’ successes in the conference tournament.
Kent State have won only four games during conference play, but with five draws in their six remaining contests, Lua Suero’s side have given them an outside chance of rising to second in the MAC with a win over ladder-leading Buffalo on the final day of the regular season. Although they would still require Ball State and Bowling Green to drop points if they are to rise any further up the table, a win would secure a top 4 spot and hosting rights for the conference tournament. Intriguingly, Kent State have lost only once since Suero made her debut, and that loss came in her debut against Western Michigan. With any luck, the freshman can yet again have a talismanic effect on the Golden Flashes and help secure a crucial victory.
Big East regular season play wraps up this week, and the final round includes an Aussie v Aussie matchup that will decide conference tournament seedings. Claire Farrington’s Butler take on Renée Pountney and Creighton, with both teams sitting on 14 points. Should either team win this game, they will not only finish no worse than fourth, but would jump to third if Katie Godden and DePaul can take at least a point from third placed St. John’s. In encouraging signs, Pountney made her first appearance in almost a month last week against Xavier, whilst Farrington headed home her second goal of the season in Butler’s 2-2 draw with Seton Hall. In what is a winner-take-all game in terms of conference tournament seeding, hopefully both Aussies can play a significant role for their respective teams.
Sitting two wins below .500 with three games to play, Oregon and their Aussie contingent have no margin for error if they are to make a late run at an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. A trip to Arizona this week won’t be easy for the Ducks, but both Arizona and Arizona State are beatable opponents. Both teams sit just two points above Oregon in a highly congested midpack in the Pac-12 standings, with Arizona State in the healthiest position overall as their RPI ranking is 19 whereas Arizona and Oregon both hover around 40th position. Nonetheless, all three teams have plenty to play for as they either attempt to secure an NCAA Tournament bid or, in Arizona State’s case, improve their CV and gain a higher seed. Lara Kirkby made her first appearance in three weeks against California last week, and with Isabel Rolley immovable from the Ducks’ defence, hopefully we see both Aussies get an extended run this week.
Oregon’s RPI is certainly healthy enough to give them a shot at an NCAA Tournament bid, but if they don’t reach that .500 winning percentage to ensure eligibility, it won’t matter how impressive a résumé they compile.
Full Schedule
(All Times AEDT)
Alabama State (Madison Chambers, Grace Norbury)
This week: v Alabama A&M – 10am, Saturday October 29
Butler (Claire Farrington)
This week: @ Creighton – 11am, Friday October 28; Big East Tournament – TBD
Coastal Carolina (Asha McClurg)
This week: v Louisiana-Monroe – 10am, Friday October 28
Creighton (Renée Pountney)
This week: v Butler – 10:30am, Friday October 28; Big East Tournament – TBD
Denver (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: v TBD – 6am, Monday October 31 (Summit League Tournament Semi-Final)
DePaul (Katie Godden)
This week: v St. John’s – 7am, Friday October 28
Hawai’i (Eliza Ammendolia)
This week: @ UC Irvine – 1pm, Friday October 28; Big West Tournament – TBD
Kent State (Lua Suero)
This week: v Buffalo – 6am, Friday October 28; v TBD – 4am, Monday October 31 (MAC Tournament Quarter-Final)
La Salle (Courtney Butlion)
This week: No games.
Long Beach State (Aimee Medwin)
This week: v UC Davis – 1pm, Friday October 28; Big West Tournament – TBD
Long Island (Isabella Stein)
This week: @ St. Francis Brooklyn – 6am, Friday October 28
Louisiana (Emma Bates)
This week: @ Southern Miss – 6am, Friday October 28; Sun Belt Tournament – TBD
Louisiana Tech (Caitlin Le Roux)
This week: @ North Texas – 11am, Sunday October 30
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
This week: @ Dayton – 10am, Saturday October 29 (Atlantic 10 Tournament Quarter-Final)
Oral Roberts (Layla Lopez)
This week: v North Dakota State – 9am, Saturday October 29 (Summit League Tournament Quarter-Final)
Oregon (Lara Kirkby, Isabel Rolley)
This week: @ Arizona State – 1pm, Friday October 28; @ Arizona – 7am, Monday October 31
Rider (Eloise Jones)
This week: @ Canisius – TBD, Monday October 31 (MAAC Tournament Quarter-Final)
Sam Houston State (Cameron Barreiro)
This week: @ Cal Baptist – 1pm, Friday October 28; @ Grand Canyon – 1pm, Sunday October 30
San Francisco (Ashley Jordan)
This week: @ San Diego – 7am, Sunday October 30
Santa Clara (Holly Furphy)
This week: @ BYU – 11am, Sunday October 30
Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: @ Connecticut – 10am, Friday October 28
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: No games.
Southern Illinois (Chantelle Symes)
This week: v Murray State/Drake – 6am, Monday October 31 (Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Second Round)
St. Francis Brooklyn (Chloe Walker)
This week: v Long Island – 6am, Friday October 28
Stanford (Amy Sayer)
This week: v Utah – 10am, Friday October 28; v Colorado – 6am, Monday October 31
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Molly Arens)
This week: @ Houston Christian – 11am, Saturday October 29
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: v Rice – 5am, Sunday October 30
UMBC (Isobel Davy, Annaliese Grove)
This week: v Binghamton – 9am, Friday October 28
UNC Asheville (Jasmine Barry)
This week: No games.
USC (Talia Grossman)
This week: v Washington – 8am, Friday October 28; v Washington State – 6am, Monday October 31
UTRGV (Dani Rutstein, Caitlin Webster)
This week: v Abilene Christian – 10:30am, Friday October 28; v Tarleton State – 10:30am, Sunday October 30
VCU (Greta Kraszula)
This week: v Saint Joseph’s – 10am, Saturday October 29 (Atlantic 10 Tournament Quarter-Final)
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