The 2023 season is just about upon us, with 42 Australians set to take to the pitch in NCAA Division I women’s soccer this year. With players spread across a variety of levels of competition, not to mention geographically from Hawaii to Maine, there will no doubt be many storylines to play out over the course of the campaign.
However, it is tradition here at College Matildas to focus on the newcomers to the scene in Week 1, so join us as we road trip (metaphorically, of course) across the United States and take a look at the nine players looking to make their debut this week.
Starting in Stockton, California, Libby Davy has already earned a preseason start for Pacific in their exhibition against Stanford. A 9-1 defeat may have been a tough initiation for a freshman going up against one of the College Cup favourites, but nonetheless Davy is in the running for an opportunity to rebound in the Tigers’ first competitive action of the season. Pacific host Big West side UC San Diego, who are tipped to finish 8th in their conference in 2023, in their opener before Big Sky outfit Eastern Washington come to town. Pacific finished well clear of both of these sides in the national RPI ranking last season, and these are the types of teams they will need to see off if they are to hit the kind of form they will need to compete in the high-level West Coast Conference.
Our next stop is a mere 1,900 miles away in Little Rock, Arkansas, where we find freshman duo Emily Jensen and Candice Kilderry lining up alongside fellow Australians, Bronte Peel and Cameron Barreiro, for the Trojans of Little Rock. We’ll have to be quick to catch them though, because they are off to Florida for the first week of the campaign, facing Florida Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coast. On the face of it, this looks to be a stern test for the Trojans, with both of their opponents this week coming of double-digit win seasons in 2022. Florida Gulf Coast are always a dangerous proposition, even for elite teams, belying their status as a mid-major in the A-Sun conference. Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic were picked to finish 3rd in their division in the American Athletic Conference even after making the step up from Conference USA this season. Regardless of their results this week, Little Rock will return battle-hardened, and there is nothing better than a road trip for team bonding early in the campaign.
Heading south on US-167 S, we make our way to Grambling State University in Louisiana, where South Australian goalkeeper Aimee Benton will be hoping to grab the starting nod from day one for the Tigers. Intriguingly, if Benton does get the start, her first two games will be against a pair of opponents also known for success with Aussies: Murray State and Southeast Missouri State. Benton will have to beat out incumbent Madison Covey-Taylor if she is to gain the starter’s role, but that only makes for an intriguing storyline to keep track of throughout the campaign. The Tigers will be up against it facing these opponents, but head coach Justin Wagar will have his team as prepared as possible for their opening game.
Moving east to another SWAC outfit, junior college transfer Jacquelline Kambere will line up for Mississippi Valley State in 2023 as the Delta Devils look to lift themselves out of the doldrums after finishing 0-12-2 last season, including a pair of forfeits. Held scoreless on nine occasions in 2022, MVSU will no doubt be buoyed by Kambere’s goalscoring ability as they head to Macon, Georgia to face The Citadel and Mercer in a pair of games to open the season. Non-conference play may not be kind to them in 2023, but these early season games will hopefully give the team the perfect lead-in to conference play come mid-September.
Heading east to North Carolina, we find Canberra United Academy product Meg Roden at High Point University, where she will play under the leadership of Australian head coach, Aaron McGuiness. 12-time Big South Champions, the Panthers will be hoping that Roden’s Young Matildas pedigree can assist them in returning to the top of the mountain. They commence preparations by opening their non-conference slate by hosting Campbell before travelling to Huntington, West Virginia to face Marshall. Both of these opponents shape to be tough outs, but winning tough games is the perfect way to build back up from 2022’s disappointing five-win campaign.
Northwards to our first stop in Kentucky, and former Central Coast Mariners defender Teagan Douglas who will look to make her mark at Bellarmine University. The Knights kick off their season by hosting in-state foe Northern Kentucky in a Sunday afternoon matinee. Neither team is coming off a particularly good 2022 campaign, with Northern Kentucky finishing 2-11-2 and Bellarmine notching just one win last season; however, they did draw nine games. Flipping those draws to win will by vital in 2023, and hopefully Douglas can work her way into the starting lineup and help the Knights to do just that.
Staying in the Bluegrass State, we meet Eastern Kentucky University junior Sophie MacAlpine, who joins the Colonels following two years studying at the University of Wollongong and playing NPL New South Wales for Macarthur Rams. Her initiation to college soccer will not be an easy one as her team travels to SEC outfit Kentucky, but Eastern Kentucky actually finished 2022 with a superior RPI to the Wildcats. What that means in 2023 remains to be seen, but it is still a positive for the Colonels. Their second match of the week sees Western Michigan come to town for Eastern Kentucky’s home opener, which also won’t be an easy game, but a return home to Richmond will hopefully be enough to get MacAlpine’s team over the line on her debut weekend.
Our third and final stop in Kentucky is at Morehead State, where we find Western Australian freshman defender Natasha Tanner. The Eagles finished an even .500 in 2022 with a 7-7-4 record, but dropped points to teams ranked in the bottom 50 for RPI in the country, something they will need to make amends for in 2023. Neither of their opponents this week, Marshall and Detroit, are quite that low, but these are still eminently winnable games for the Eagles as they look to continue an upward trajectory that saw them move from four wins in 2021 to seven in 2022.
Our penultimate stop is at Central Michigan University, where we meet another Western Australian: sophomore junior college transfer goalkeeper Shivani Battaglia, fresh off a stellar season for Seminole State College in Oklahoma. One of four goalkeepers on the roster, it will have been quite a preseason battle for the starting spot, and the season opener on the road at Detroit will reveal who won that particular contest. Following a 2-11-5 season in 2022, an early win will be like gold dust for the Chippewas as they look to improve quickly before taking on power conference teams Louisville and Cincinnati in the upcoming weeks.
Our final stop takes us to New York, where yet another Western Australian in Matilda Boyle joins sophomore Izzy Stein as part of an Australian duo at Long Island University. Intriguingly, the Sharks will take on a pair of teams featuring an Aussie to start the season. The Saint Peter’s side that they will visit for the season opener features head coach Julia Bazi, whilst former Central Coast Mariners defender Eloise Jones will suit up for the Rider outfit that they face on Sunday afternoon. With LIU finishing 2022 with four wins but averaging fewer than 0.7 goals per game, both Boyle and Stein could quickly become crucial to the Sharks’ chances this season.
However, the newcomers are not the only players involved, and it all starts at 3am Friday (Sydney time) with two simultaneous games as Oregon transfer Lara Kirkby and Maine take on NCAA Division I newcomers Le Moyne, whilst Izzy Stein, Matilda Boyle, and LIU take on Saint Peter’s.
Full Schedule
(Times are in Sydney/Melbourne time; please check team official schedules well in advance if planning to watch a game.)
Alabama State (Madison Chambers, Grace Norbury)
This week: @ Jacksonville – 8:00AM, Saturday August 19; @ Faulkner – 5:00AM, Monday August 21
Bellarmine (Teagan Douglas)
This week: v Northern Ky. – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Butler (Claire Farrington)
This week: v Virginia Tech – 9:00AM, Friday August 18; v Illinois St. – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Central Michigan (Shivani Battaglia)
This week: @ Detroit Mercy – 6:00AM, Friday August 18
Coastal Carolina (Asha McClurg)
This week: v UNCW – 9:00AM, Friday August 18
Denver (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: v Colorado St. – 11:00AM, Friday August 18; @ Colorado Col. – 4:00AM, Monday August 21
Eastern Ky. (Sophie MacAlpine)
This week: @ Kentucky – 9:30AM, Friday August 18; v Western Mich. – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Grambling State (Aimee Benton)
This week: @ Murray St. – 8:00AM, Saturday August 19; @ Southeast Mo. St. – 4:00AM, Monday August 21
Hawaii (Eliza Ammendolia)
This week: v Utah Valley – 3:00PM, Friday August 18; v Gonzaga – 12:00PM, Monday August 21
High Point (Meg Roden)
This week: v Campbell – 9:00AM, Friday August 18; @ Marshall – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Illinois (Isabel Rolley)
This week: v Loyola Chicago – 10:00AM, Friday August 18
Kent State (Lua Suero)
This week: @ Oakland – 9:00AM, Friday August 18; v Colgate – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
La Salle (Courtney Butlion)
This week: v Towson – 8:00AM, Friday August 18; @ UAlbany – 5:00AM, Monday August 21
Little Rock (Cameron Barreiro, Emily Jensen, Candice Kilderry, Bronte Peel)
This week: @ Fla. Atlantic – 9:00AM, Friday August 18; @ FGCU – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Long Island (Matilda Boyle, Isabella Stein)
This week: @ Saint Peter’s – 5:00AM, Friday August 18; @ Rider – 7:00AM, Monday August 21
Louisiana (Emma Bates)
This week: @ Middle Tenn. – 10:00AM, Friday August 18; v South Fla. – 4:00AM, Monday August 21
Maine (Lara Kirkby)
This week: v Le Moyne – 3:00AM, Friday August 18; v Rhode Island – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
This week: @ Stony Brook – 8:30AM, Friday August 18; @ Vanderbilt – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Mississippi Valley State (Jacquelline Kambere)
This week: v The Citadel – 9:00AM, Saturday August 19; v Mercer – 4:00AM, Monday August 21
Morehead State (Natasha Tanner)
This week: v Marshall – 6:00AM, Friday August 18; @ Detroit Mercy – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Northwestern State (Caitlin Le Roux)
This week: @ North Texas – 10:00AM, Monday August 21
Oral Roberts (Layla Lopez)
This week: @ Tex. A&M-Commerce – 10:00AM, Friday August 18; @ Oklahoma – 10:00AM, Monday August 21
Oregon State (Katie Godden)
This week: @ San Francisco – 11am, Friday August 18; @ Santa Clara – 6am, Monday August 21
Pacific (Libby Davy)
This week: v UC San Diego – 12:00PM, Friday August 18; v Eastern Wash. – 6:00AM, Monday August 21
Rider (Eloise Jones)
This week: v Wagner – 9:00AM, Friday August 18; v LIU – 7:00AM, Monday August 21
Santa Clara (Holly Furphy)
This week: v San Jose St. – 12:30PM, Friday August 18; v Oregon St. – 6:00AM, Monday August 21
Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: v Lafayette – 8:00AM, Friday August 18; v Central Conn. St. – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: v Central Conn. St. – 7:00AM, Friday August 18; v Syracuse – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Southern Illinois (Chantelle Symes)
This week: v Jackson St. – 4:00AM, Friday August 18; @ IUPUI – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Molly Arens)
This week: v Texas Southern – 10:00AM, Friday August 18; @ UTRGV – 9:30AM, Monday August 21
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: v Ga. Southern – 10:00AM, Friday August 18; v Alabama – 9:00AM, Monday August 21
UMBC (Isobel Davy, Annaliese Grove)
This week: v Kutztown – 9:00AM, Friday August 18; v Hampton – 9:00AM, Friday August 18; v Longwood – 6:00AM, Monday August 21
UNC Asheville (Jasmine Barry)
This week: v Western Caro. – 8:00AM, Friday August 18; @ VMI – 5:00AM, Monday August 21
USC (Talia Grossman)
This week: v Michigan – 5:00AM, Friday August 18; v Georgia – 5:00AM, Monday August 21
VCU (Greta Kraszula)
This week: v Liberty – 9:00AM, Friday August 18; @ UNCW – 3:00AM, Monday August 21
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