2022 Week 3 Preview

If the first two weeks of the season are anything to go by, Week 3 should be an absolute cracker. The second round of the South Texas Showdown takes place in Corpus Christi, whilst Amy Sayer and Stanford face Penn State in what should be a red-hot battle between two teams looking to flex their national title credentials.

The first match between Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTRGV this season resulted in an absolute barnburner that saw the Islanders take a 4-3 victory, and UTRGV will be hungry for revenge in a rematch that also doubles as an Aussie v Aussie matchup. Molly Arens came away with two assists in 2022’s first edition of the South Texas Showdown, but UTRGV duo Caitlin Webster and Dani Rutstein will be out to secure victory against their fellow Australian. UTRGV currently sit 0-3, but two of their losses have come by a single goal. Meanwhile, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi currently own a 3-1 record, so we find ourselves watching one team desperate to pick up their first win against one eager to keep their strong early-season form going.

Sticking with teams in the Lone Star State, the Australian contingent at Oregon host the University of Texas this weekend for an early season test. Two hard-fought draws against WCC sides sees the Ducks sitting at 1-0-2, remaining undefeated but with just one win under their belt. Meanwhile, Texas sit at 2-1-0, but their sole loss came against national title contenders North Carolina, making this a solid test for Oregon as they look to build towards Pac-12 play. Hopefully this week also sees a continued increase in playing time for Lara Kirkby, who notched a career-high 29 minutes off the bench last week. Meanwhile, Isabel Rolley looks to be one of the first names on the team sheet at this stage, and her move from USC is looking like a better decision with each passing game.

Meanwhile, Abbey Burns and UAB are headed into Pac-12 territory to take on that conference’s pair of Arizona schools. The Blazers actually hosted Arizona State last season but fell to a 5-1 defeat, so will be keen to inflict some revenge on the Sun Devils. Meanwhile, Arizona already look in solid position to improve on 2021’s 5-13 record, sitting at 2-0-1 to start the season. UAB sit at 2-1, but will be heartened by their performance in a 2-1 loss to highly-fancied Memphis, a team they will be conference rivals with next season. If UAB are to take something from their trip to the Grand Canyon State, it does look as though Burns will play a large part. The freshman has started in three of the Blazers’ four games this season, and played at least 66 minutes in each contest.

As if playing against the Chinese national team a couple of weeks ago wasn’t enough of a test, Amy Sayer and Stanford will this week take on one of the few teams ranked above them as #8 Penn State come to town. Following an opening day draw against nationally ranked Georgetown, the Nittany Lions have knocked off their next three opponents including current #21 West Virginia to build an outstanding early CV. Stanford’s college opponents to this point haven’t been quite as imposing as Penn State’s, but they do have that win over China under their belt, and plenty of players in hot form. That list of players includes Amy Sayer, who notched a pair of goals in the win over UC Santa Barbara last week, and another against Penn State would provide plenty of extra confidence as the Cardinal approach a run of high-level opponents before Pac-12 play.

Moving to the other side of the country, Isabella Stein has been providing solid cameos off the bench for Long Island, and this week gets the chance to do so against Annaliese Grove and Isobel Davy as the Sharks head to UMBC to take on the Retrievers. The Sharks are currently 2-2 with a pair of victories bookended by some heavy losses, so will no doubt be eager to find some consistency even at this early stage of the season. Stein saw a season-high 40 minutes last week in a loss to Stony Brook, which can hopefully be a precursor to even more minutes this week. Meanwhile, UMBC come into this weekend with two consecutive wins under their belt and a decent 2-1-1 record through two weeks of action. Whilst local starter Morgan McGruder appears to be keeping the rest of the Retrievers’ goalkeepers, including Isobel Davy, on the bench at the moment, Annaliese Grove has proven immovable from the starting lineup. The Canberran has started all four games this season, and has yet to play fewer than 54 minutes in any game this season. This looks to be a highly intriguing match at this early stage in the season, with both teams sitting at or just above .500 and looking to continue their upward trajectory.

Full Schedule

(All Times AEST)

Alabama State (Madison Chambers, Grace Norbury)

This week: @ Lipscomb – 9am, Saturday September 3; v Stetson – 4am, Monday September 5

Butler (Claire Farrington)

This week: v Wright State – 9am, Friday September 2; v Wisconsin – 3am, Monday September 5

Coastal Carolina (Asha McClurg)

This week: v Campbell – 9am, Monday September 5

Creighton (Renée Pountney)

This week: v North Dakota – 9:30am, Friday September 2; v Tulsa – 4am, Monday September 5

Denver (Isabella Chidiac)

This week: @ Eastern Washington – 9am, Friday September 2; @ Washington State – 11am, Monday September 5

DePaul (Katie Godden)

This week: v Northwestern – 7am, Friday September 2

Hawai’i (Eliza Ammendolia)

This week: @ Portland – 12pm, Monday September 5

Kent State (Lua Suero)

This week: @ Loyola Maryland – 7am, Monday September 5

La Salle (Courtney Butlion)

This week: @ Colgate – 9am, Friday September 2; v Albany – 3am, Monday September 5

Long Beach State (Aimee Medwin)

This week: v Fresno State – 12pm, Friday September 2; v San Diego – 12pm, Monday September 5

Long Island (Isabella Stein)

This week: v Vermont – 6am, Friday September 2; @ UMBC – 6am, Monday September 5

Louisiana (Emma Bates)

This week: @ Lamar – 10am, Friday September 2; @ Abilene Christian – 4am, Monday September 5

Louisiana Tech (Caitlin Le Roux)

This week: @ Ole Miss – 9am, Friday September 2; @ Mississippi State – 4am, Monday September 5

Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)

This week: v Boston College – 6am, Friday September 2; v UMass-Lowell – 5am, Monday September 5

Oral Roberts (Layla Lopez)

This week: @ Little Rock – 10am, Friday September 2; v Missouri State – 6am, Monday September 5

Oregon (Lara Kirkby, Isabel Rolley)

This week: v Texas – 12pm, Friday September 2; v Boise State – 6am, Monday September 5

Rider (Eloise Jones)

This week: v Temple – 9am, Sunday September 4

San Francisco (Ashley Jordan)

This week: v California – 12pm, Friday September 2

Santa Clara (Holly Furphy)

This week: v Penn State – 12:30pm, Monday September 5

Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)

This week: v Delaware – 3am, Monday September 5

Siena (Iona Snape)

This week: v Sacred Heart – 5am, Friday September 2; v Hartford – 5am, Monday September 5

Southern Illinois (Chantelle Symes)

This week: v Alabama A&M – 9am, Friday September 2; v Purdue-Fort Wayne – 4am, Monday September 5

St. Francis Brooklyn (Chloe Walker)

This week: @ Manhattan – 9am, Friday September 2; @ St. Bonaventure – 3am, Monday September 5

Stanford (Amy Sayer)

This week: v Penn State – 12pm, Friday September 2; v Cal Poly – 8am, Monday September 5

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Molly Arens)

This week: v UTRGV – 10am, Monday September 5

UAB (Abbey Burns)

This week: @ Arizona State – 3am, Friday September 2; @ Arizona – 3:30am, Monday September 5

UMBC (Isobel Davy, Annaliese Grove)

This week: v Delaware State – 8am, Friday September 2; v Long Island – 6am, Monday September 5

UNC Asheville (Jasmine Barry)

This week: v Western Carolina – 8am, Friday September 2; @ Elon – 9am, Monday September 5

USC (Talia Grossman)

This week: v TCU – 8am, Friday September 2

UTRGV (Dani Rutstein, Caitlin Webster)

This week: v Texas Southern – 9:30am, Saturday September 3; @ Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – 10am, Monday September 5

VCU (Greta Kraszula)

This week: v William & Mary – 9am, Friday September 2; v East Carolina – 4am, Monday September 5

About Lachy 436 Articles
Founder of College Matildas. An Australian women's football fan who also happens to be a college sports fan. Often found at A-League Women or NPLW games.

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