It may not have been the most highlight-packed week in the history of College Matildas, but for a select few players there were some massive results, a goal, and even a collegiate debut!
Amy Sayer and Katie Godden faced off as Stanford headed on a trip to the Windy City, and both players came away with something to show for their efforts. Sayer came off the bench for the Cardinal and registered two shots on target in just 16 minutes of play as Stanford came away with the 3-1 win, with Godden finding the back of the net for DePaul. Godden’s goal came in the 88th minute for her first of the season, doubling her career tally in the process.
At the other end of the pitch, it was Greta Kraszula and the VCU defence managing to hold firm and secure a massive result against in-state foes and #5 ranked Virginia. Fresh off a victory over the previously 6-0 Pittsburgh, VCU were certainly confident coming in and Kraszula was at the centre of a rear-guard effort from the Rams. Although Virginia managed 24 shots to 7, the VCU defence ensured that few of those shots would trouble the goalkeeper as only six ended up on target, whilst VCU finished with five on target from seven total shots. Despite Virginia’s superiority on paper, VCU came away with a 0-0 draw to move to 2-1-5, but more importantly, two massive results to lift the team’s confidence heading into conference play. Kraszula was ever-present for the Rams all weekend, putting in a pair of 90-minute shifts as the Young Matildas’ World Cup representative emerges as an integral member of the VCU lineup.
Meanwhile, it looks as though Kraszula’s fellow Atlantic 10 player and NPLNSW product Hannah Peric could be re-emerging as a key player for Massachusetts as her playing time continues to rise following last week’s comeback after 13 months on the sidelines. Although losses to Boston University and nationally ranked Harvard may not be the results the Minutewomen were looking for, the increase in minutes for Peric will make for pleasant reading for fans in both Massachusetts and Manly. The defender played 24 minutes off the bench against Boston University, but moved into the starting lineup to play 81 minutes against Harvard. It looks as though Peric might just be moving back onto the must-watch list as Atlantic 10 opponents once again face the prospect of attempting to defend the towering Sydneysider at set pieces. Good luck with that!
Another Sydneysider who saw her minutes increase this week was Denver freshman Isabella Chidiac, who made her long-awaited collegiate debut as the Pioneers enjoyed an undefeated weekend. Although the Young Matildas representative played only 12 minutes in a draw against San Jose State and another five in a win over Colorado State, getting onto the pitch for a debut is just the first step in what will hopefully be a highly successful career in the Mile High City.
Finally, Abbey Burns and UAB sprung an upset of sorts against in-state rivals Samford. Although Samford may not play in one of the more glamorous leagues, the Bulldogs have been ranked this season and were still receiving votes in the national poll heading into the weekend. However, UAB had been battle-hardened by their recent trip to Arizona and their home game against Memphis, and they needed to stay strong in a game that saw the Blazers take just two shots in 90 minutes. In the end, a 17th minute goal proved to be enough as Burns and the UAB defence held Samford to just three shots on target and came away with a 1-0 victory to move to 3-2-2. With conference play kicking off next week, a win over a team like Samford could be just the springboard the Blazers need.
Complete Results
Alabama State (Madison Chambers, Grace Norbury)
This week: lost 4-1 to Jacksonville State; defeated Faulkner 2-1
Madison Chambers came off the bench to play 64 minutes against Jacksonville State, before moving into the starting lineup against Faulkner to tally a shot in 44 minutes of playing time. Grace Norbury came off the bench in both games, playing 43 minutes against Jacksonville State and 31 minutes in the win over Faulkner.
Butler (Claire Farrington)
This week: lost 2-1 to Dayton; lost 1-0 to Northwestern
Claire Farrington started for Butler and registered a shot on target in 45 minutes of action against Dayton, but did not feature for the Bulldogs against Northwestern.
Coastal Carolina (Asha McClurg)
This week: lost 2-1 to Charlotte; defeated Stetson 1-0
Asha McClurg started and played 81 minutes for Coastal Carolina against Charlotte, but did not feature in the win over Stetson.
Creighton (Renée Pountney)
This week: defeated Colorado College 2-1; drew 1-1 with South Dakota State
Renée Pountney came off the bench to play 13 minutes in Creighton’s win over Colorado College, but did not feature in the draw with South Dakota State.
Denver (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: drew 1-1 with San Jose State; defeated Colorado State 2-1
Isabella Chidiac made her collegiate debut with a shot on target during a 12-minute cameo off the bench against San Jose State, before playing five minutes off the bench in Denver’s win over Colorado State.
DePaul (Katie Godden)
This week: lost 2-1 to Loyola Chicago; lost 3-1 to Stanford
Katie Godden came off the bench for DePaul on both occasions this week, tallying a shot in 48 minutes against Loyola Chicago and netting an 87th-minute consolation goal as part of her 22-minute outing against Stanford.
Hawai’i (Eliza Ammendolia)
This week: defeated Portland State 2-1
Eliza Ammendolia started for Hawai’i in their win over Portland State, registering two shots with one on target in 63 minutes of action.
Kent State (Lua Suero)
This week: lost 1-0 to Youngstown State; lost 2-1 to Ohio State
Lua Suero did not feature for Kent State in either game this week.
La Salle (Courtney Butlion)
This week: lost 3-1 to Rutgers
Courtney Butlion came off the bench for La Salle in their loss to Rutgers, playing 11 minutes.
Long Beach State (Aimee Medwin)
This week: lost 2-0 to Harvard
Aimee Medwin started for Long Beach State in their loss to Harvard, playing the full 90 minutes.
Long Island (Isabella Stein)
This week: lost 2-0 to Dartmouth; drew 2-2 with VMI
Isabella Stein played a brief seven-minute cameo off the bench for Long Island in their loss to Dartmouth, but did not feature in the draw with VMI.
Louisiana (Emma Bates)
This week: lost 3-0 to Idaho; lost 4-1 to Eastern Washington
Emma Bates did not feature for Louisiana on either occasion this week.
Louisiana Tech (Caitlin Le Roux)
This week: lost 1-0 to Little Rock
Caitlin Le Roux came off the bench for Louisiana Tech in their loss to Little Rock, playing 22 minutes.
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
This week: lost 1-0 to Boston University; lost 4-1 to Harvard
Hannah Peric came off the bench to play 24 minutes in Massachusetts’ win over Boston before moving into the starting lineup to play 81 minutes in the loss to Harvard.
Oral Roberts (Layla Lopez)
This week: defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2-0; lost 5-2 to Oklahoma
Layla Lopez came off the bench to play seven minutes against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but did not feature in Oral Roberts’ loss to Oklahoma.
Oregon (Lara Kirkby, Isabel Rolley)
This week: lost 4-1 to Santa Clara; defeated Hofstra 1-0
Isabel Rolley came off the bench for Oregon on both occasions this week, playing 33 minutes against Santa Clara and eight minutes in the win over Hofstra. Lara Kirkby also came off the bench in both games, playing five minutes against Santa Clara and a solitary minute against Hofstra.
Rider (Eloise Jones)
This week: lost 5-1 to Fairleigh Dickinson; drew 1-1 with St. Francis Brooklyn
Eloise Jones did not feature for Rider in either game this week.
Sam Houston State (Cameron Barreiro)
This week: No games.
San Francisco (Ashley Jordan)
This week: defeated Baylor 3-1; drew 1-1 with SMU
Ashley Jordan came off the bench for San Francisco twice this week, playing 31 minutes in the win over Baylor and 14 minutes in the draw with SMU.
Santa Clara (Holly Furphy)
This week: defeated Oregon 4-1; lost 1-0 to California
Holly Furphy did not feature for Santa Clara in either game this week.
Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: lost 1-0 to Lafayette; defeated Iona 1-0
Sarah Mitchell started both games for Seton Hall this week, playing 45 minutes against Lafayette and 82 minutes in the win over Iona. Grace Mitchell played 45 minutes off the bench against Lafayette and seven minutes off the bench against Iona.
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: lost 2-1 to Lehigh
Iona Snape came off the bench for Siena in their loss to Lehigh, playing 30 minutes.
Southern Illinois (Chantelle Symes)
This week: drew 1-1 with SIU Edwardsville; defeated Southeast Missouri State 1-0
Chantelle Symes did not feature for Southern Illinois in either game this week.
St. Francis Brooklyn (Chloe Walker)
This week: drew 1-1 with Rider
Chloe Walker did not feature for St. Francis Brooklyn in their draw with Rider.
Stanford (Amy Sayer)
This week: lost 1-0 to Northwestern; defeated DePaul 3-1
Amy Sayer started for Stanford in the loss to Northwestern, playing 29 minutes before coming off the bench to register a pair of shots on target in 16 minutes against DePaul.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Molly Arens)
This week: lost 1-0 to Lamar
Molly Arens started for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and played 68 minutes in their loss to Lamar.
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: defeated Samford 1-0; match v Tennessee Tech cancelled
Abbey Burns played the full 90 minutes in UAB’s win over Samford, whilst the Blazers’ match against Tennessee Tech was cancelled due to inclement weather.
UMBC (Isobel Davy, Annaliese Grove)
This week: drew 0-0 with Marist; lost 1-0 to Robert Morris
Annaliese Grove played the full 90 minutes in UMBC’s draw with Marist, before starting and playing 58 minutes in the loss to Robert Morris. Isobel Davy did not feature for the Retrievers in either game this week.
UNC Asheville (Jasmine Barry)
This week: lost 1-0 to Davidson; match abandoned v East Tennessee State
Jasmine Barry started for UNC Asheville and played 66 minutes in their loss to Davidson, whilst the match against East Tennessee State was abandoned in the 70th minute with the scoreboard reading 1-1, just 54 seconds before the game would have become official.
USC (Talia Grossman)
This week: defeated Cal State Northridge 2-0; drew 1-1 with Nebraska
Talia Grossman did not feature for USC in either game this week.
UTRGV (Dani Rutstein, Caitlin Webster)
This week: lost 5-0 to Texas
Caitlin Webster and Dani Rutstein both came off the bench in UTRGV’s loss to Texas, playing eight and seven minutes respectively.
VCU (Greta Kraszula)
This week: defeated Pittsburgh 3-2; drew 0-0 with Virginia
Greta Kraszula finished with an identical stat line in each game this week, registering a shot in 90-minute outings on both occasions.
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