A massive group of fifteen Aussie defenders will line up among NCAA Division I teams this season, including a number of the best performed players from last season. Under 20 World Cup representative Greta Kraszula, 2022 College Matildas Freshman of the Year Abbey Burns, and former Brisbane Roar defender Claire Farrington are among a number of players set to have a significant impact for their respective teams in 2023.
Cameron Barreiro (Sophomore, Little Rock, Perth)
A transfer from Sam Houston State, Cameron Barreiro is one of four Australians on the Trojans roster, alongside sophomore Bronte Peel and freshmen Candice Kilderry and Emily Jensen, with Queensland-based New Zealand representative Serenity Thake also on the roster. The Western Australian featured on six occasions for Sam Houston State last season, but now joins a Little Rock team that was solid in defence in 2022 but returns only five defenders from that roster. Although Barreiro featured only sparingly for Sam Houston State last year, the Little Rock coaching staff must see something in Barreiro to bring the Western Australian in on a transfer, and hopefully that can translate to more regular playing time in 2023.
Jasmine Barry (Senior, UNC Asheville, Brisbane)
A starter in 30 of 34 appearances across the last two seasons, Jasmine Barry’s transfer from Rocky Mountain College following her freshman year was an inspired choice as she has become one of the first names on the team sheet for the Bulldogs. Now heading into her senior season, Barry is the most experienced defender on a roster featuring three freshmen and four sophomores among nine defenders, and indeed is one of only four seniors on the roster at all. The Bulldogs will potentially be leaning on that experience in 2023, particularly after they conceded 1.7 goals per game in 2022 to sit in the bottom 100 in the nation for that statistic. Given that six of their ten losses in 2022 came by a single goal, there is certainly an opportunity to improve their record in 2023 if they can shore up the defence, and Barry will certainly play a large part in doing so.
Abbey Burns (Sophomore, UAB, Adelaide)
A player with the ability to slot into a variety of positions, Abbey Burns parlayed that versatility into a regular spot in the starting lineup during her freshman season, reaping plenty of success in the process. Featuring for UAB on 18 occasions, Burns started in 12 of those appearances as the Blazers secured seven wins in matches in which the South Australian featured in the matchday eleven. With four of those wins being 1-0 results, a defence that finished top 100 in the nation for goals conceded per game certainly proved to be an integral part of a UAB team that finished 9-4-5 but unfortunately fell to an overtime defeat to UTSA in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament. The Blazers will not be returning to that tournament in 2023, though, as the program steps up to the American Athletic Conference. However, with challenges come opportunities, and if UAB can perform in the AAC, they have a chance to establish themselves as one of the better teams outside the power conferences.
Teagan Douglas (Freshman, Bellarmine, Maitland)
A former Newcastle Jets Academy player as well as a Junior Matildas representative, Teagan Douglas heads to Bellarmine after reigniting her passion for football during her time with Central Coast Mariners in Football NSW League One. The defender made 25 appearances for the Mariners first grade team in 2022, helping lead the team to a 9th place finish in the 16-team Football NSW League One competition. Douglas now heads to Bellarmine looking to help the Knights build as they head into their final season of NCAA Division I reclassification before becoming a full member in 2024. Amazingly, Bellarmine finished 2022 with seven 0-0 draws, and conceded multiple goals on only four occasions, marking the defence as something on which to hang their hat. However, 2023 sees the Knights lose two key defenders to graduation, both of whom were in the team’s top four players for minutes played. That only opens a potential opportunity for Douglas, as there will be plenty of pitch time that needs filling in 2023 as the team from Louisville looks to improve on last season’s 1-7-9 record.
Claire Farrington (Senior, Butler, Modanville)
An integral part of the Butler defence, Claire Farrington has been one of the true success stories among Australians to play college women’s soccer. After coming off the bench in her freshman season, Farrington slotted into the starting lineup for her sophomore year and has rarely been unseated from her position, starting in 30 of her last 35 appearances across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Farrington is also a danger at set pieces, and was good for two goals last season whilst generally posing a threat that opposition defences could not ignore. In a conference headed by national powerhouse Georgetown, Butler are part of a very strong chasing pack but if they want to overhaul the Hoyas, Farrington and the Bulldogs defence will be crucial to their success.
Annaliese Grove (Junior, UMBC, Canberra)
Having started in all 18 games in 2022, UMBC might be tempted to put Annie Grove’s name on the team sheet template for the season before printing them out just to save time filling it in each game. Grove averaged just shy of 80 minutes per game for the Retrievers, and heads into her junior season as a player who appears to be integral as new head coach Rick Stainton’s endeavours to continue the Retrievers’ upward trajectory, having improved from two wins just four years ago two a pair of five-win seasons in the last two campaigns under Australian former head coach Vanessa Mann. Encouragingly, Grove and the Retrievers defence have incrementally improved their goals against average from 1.56 to 1.32 over the last couple of seasons, and a continuation of that trajectory could yet see the team inch their way towards contention in the America East conference.
Eloise Jones (Sophomore, Rider, Sydney)
Yet to make an appearance for Rider due to injury in her freshman year, Eloise Jones returns for her sophomore season as part of a young defensive corps for the Broncs, with the former Central Coast Mariners Academy player one of six sophomores alongside a freshman and just two upperclassmen. Although the defensive corps is fairly stable, Jones is yet to have the opportunity to showcase her talents at the college level, an opportunity that now presents itself as she looks to force her way into the rotation, if not the starting lineup. The Broncs finished 8-7-3 overall and an even 5-5 in conference play before falling on penalties in the opening round of the MAAC tournament in 2022, but this in itself was a three-win improvement on their 2021 record, so the signs are promising for a continued upward trajectory.
Greta Kraszula (Junior, VCU, Sydney)
Greta Kraszula’s freshman season saw the Northern Tigers product play just six matches off the bench, but since that time it’s been nothing but forward progress for the VCU defender. A stint with Indy Eleven in the USL W-League was followed by a FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup call-up, in which Kraszula made an appearance off the bench in the Young Matildas’ final group game against Spain. 2022 saw Kraszula feature far more regularly for VCU, starting in 15 of her 17 appearances and playing the full 90 minutes on 11 occasions. Little appears set to change in 2023 as VCU look to put 2022’s 8-win season behind them and return to the form that saw the Rams secure an Atlantic 10 regular season crown in 2021. As part of a defence that conceded just 0.842 goals per game last year, “more of the same” appears to be the plan for Kraszula this year. However, if she can also pop up to add to the goal and assist she registered in 2022, it would no doubt be highly appreciated by the VCU coaches and fans alike.
Caitlin Le Roux (Junior, Northwestern State, Adelaide)
An occasional starter during her two seasons at Louisiana Tech, Caitlin Le Roux has made the switch to Northwestern State and will look to cement a regular spot in the Demons’ back four from the outset. A starter in seven of her 22 appearances across two seasons at Louisiana Tech, the South Australian heads to Northwestern State as one of nine defenders on the roster, with a number of other recent transfers among that list. Under new head coach Ian Brophy, Le Roux and her fellow defenders will be looking to maintain the Demons’ highly impressive defensive numbers, with the team sitting 31st in the nation in 2022 for goals against average, conceding just 0.728 goals per game to complement the attack’s 2.32 goals scored per game. However, those outstanding numbers did not deliver a conference championship following an overtime loss to Texas A&M-Commerce in the Southland Conference tournament, and a program of Northwestern State’s calibre will go into 2023 with a clear goal of securing conference championship success and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Layla Lopez (Sophomore, Oral Roberts, Melbourne)
A transfer from Utah Valley in 2022, Layla Lopez has reached a conference championship game following Oral Roberts run to the Summit League final, but the redshirt sophomore will be hoping to add more extensive playing time to her résumé after playing only brief cameos in her first season with the Golden Eagles. Despite appearing in ten games, Lopez saw only 92 minutes of action and only four outings in excess of ten minutes of playing time. However, with only seven natural defenders listed on the roster in 2023, more opportunities may yet open up for Lopez on a team looking to go one better and reach the NCAA Tournament. Improving on last season’s 4-5 regular season conference record will be part of that process, but flipping a couple of 2022’s four single-goal losses into draws or victories would go a long way to securing a more favourable seed and putting Lopez and the Golden Eagles in a position where they are not forced to make a Cinderella run in the first place.
Sophie MacAlpine (Junior, Eastern Kentucky, Wollongong)
Once the home of Rachael Doyle earlier in her coaching career, Eastern Kentucky now find themselves with an Aussie on the pitch as Macarthur Rams defender Sophie MacAlpine joins a college team that wears almost identical colours to the NPLNSW outfit. Joining as a junior after two years as a student at the University of Wollongong, MacAlpine made eight first grade appearances as part of an NPLNSW title-winning Macarthur side in 2022, whilst also turning out for the reserve team on 17 occasions. MacAlpine now joins an Eastern Kentucky side that finished 9-7-2 last season but will want to shore up the defence, which statistically was just off the pace set by the team’s attacking corps at the other end. Should they be able to achieve that, a double-digit win season is definitely a possibility, with further successes not out of the question.
Asha McClurg (Senior, Coastal Carolina, Busselton)
A junior college transfer in 2022, Asha McClurg started on three occasions for Coastal Carolina in her first year of NCAA Division I action and will be hoping to build on that number in her senior year. Despite only featuring in six matches last season, three of those appearances saw McClurg play in excess of 70 minutes, giving cause for optimism in 2023. The Chanticleers will need all the defensive help they can secure after conceding two goals per game in 2022, so new head coach Jo Chubb will certainly be hoping to have McClurg, as well as the rest of the defensive corps, available for the entire campaign as they look to improve on a 3-10-4 record.
Hannah Peric (Senior, Massachusetts, Sydney)
Hannah Peric may have had an interrupted college career to this point, but when on the pitch, the Manly United product is an incredibly difficult player to plan for. Standing 6’2, her height belies her movement and technical ability, whilst towering over opposition players makes her a key threat at attacking set pieces whilst also being adept at snuffing out opposition aerial attacks. Featuring on 11 occasions in 2022, Peric made six starts for a team that finished 5-9-5 overall and 4-4-2 in conference play as the Minutewomen continue to oscillate between double-digit win seasons and less successful campaigns. With any luck, Peric will be a regular feature in the starting eleven for Massachusetts this season, and if the Sydneysider can showcase the form that earned her an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection in 2020, it could go a long way to helping UMass return to that 10+ win level in 2023.
Isabel Rolley (Senior, Illinois, Las Vegas)
Having played her entire college career to this point in the Pac-12 at USC and Oregon, Isabel Rolley will experience a significant change in scenery after transferring to Big Ten program Illinois. The second Aussie to feature for the Illini in recent years following Ashleigh Lefevre, Rolley brings significant experience to an outfit in desperate need of defensive reinforcement. Despite finishing 7-7-4 in 2022, Illinois conceded in excess of two goals per game and leaked four or more goals on four separate occasions, marking a need for improvement at the defensive end. Having made 14 starts in 17 appearances in her single season with Oregon following 25 appearances for USC, Rolley certainly appears to be just the addition that Illinois need as she looks to round out her college career on a high.
Natasha Tanner (Freshman, Morehead State, Perth)
Natasha Tanner joins a burgeoning group of Western Australians heading to college, with the state now featuring more players in NCAA Division I than all Australian states and territories bar New South Wales. A product of the NTC program in Perth, Tanner heads to Morehead State and a defence that will be looking to maintain its current level or even improve after making gains over the last couple of seasons. Although the Eagles finished a lowly 274 in the RPI rankings in 2022, they did put together a 7-7-4 record and knocked off #2 seed UT Martin on penalties in the opening round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. Morehead State do appear to be a team on the rise, and with head coach Chris Fox now in his second campaign, that first season bedding in period is now behind them and the Eagles can hopefully continue to make good progress.
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