With Aussies at no fewer than 36 NCAA Division I schools, it is highly unsurprising to see a number of Aussie v Aussie matchups, with four headlining the slate in Week 2. Meanwhile, our sole Ivy League player kicks off her college career as the Big Green get their season started a week later than most.
In-state foes Grambling State and Louisiana have both had solid starts to the season, with Aussies at the heart of those successes. South Australian freshman Aimee Benton has split time between the sticks with regular starter Madison Covey-Taylor as the duo appear to have cemented themselves as the top two goalkeepers for head coach Justin Wagar. Meanwhile, sophomore midfielder Emma Bates has already notched a goal this season as she looks to make up for lost time following injury during her freshman year. Both teams have already picked up wins against teams that, on paper, would be considered upsets so will be riding high. Louisiana should probably be considered favourites in this game, but Grambling State have already showed in their win over Murray State that playing teams from a perceived higher-level league will not faze them one bit.
Meanwhile, Alabama State’s Aussie duo of Grace Norbury and Madi Chambers find themselves in a similar situation to Benton and the Tigers as another SWAC team facing an in-state foe with far more pedigree as they take on Abbey Burns and UAB. UAB hung with nationally ranked Alabama last week in a 1-0 loss but also lost 2-0 to Georgia Southern, so Alabama State’s chances could hinge on which UAB team comes to play. However, the Hornets will also be hungry for a first win after falling to Jacksonville and being held to a draw by Faulkner in Week 1. Fortunately, regardless of how the game shakes out, Norbury, Chambers, and Burns all look set to play integral roles for their respective teams which can only be good news for Aussie fans.
Meanwhile, Australian fans will be hoping to see Layla Lopez make her first appearance of the season for Oral Roberts as they host Little Rock and their own Australian quartet in Tulsa for their first game of the weekend. Oral Roberts managed to slot two goals home in both games, but could only finish with a 2-2 draw with Texas A&M-Commerce and a 4-2 loss to Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Candice Kilderry notched a goal in debut as all four Aussies made an appearance for Little Rock in their 2-2 draw with Florida Atlantic. With their second game of the weekend abandoned due to lightning, the Trojans will be looking to hit back quickly as both teams look for their first win of the season.
Moving north, we find two teams with multiple Australians on the roster facing off as Long Island take on UMBC. However, of the four Aussies we could potentially see in this game, only Long Island freshman Matilda Boyle has played significant minutes. With that being said, the Western Australian has been among the Sharks’ best in their opening two games and looks set for more playing time this weekend. Fellow Shark Izzy Stein featured off the bench for a brief cameo in her sole appearance last week, whilst we are yet to see Annie Grove or Isobel Davy for the Retrievers. Hopefully, all four players hit the pitch as Long Island look to build on a 2-0 start, whilst UMBC will be hoping to return to winning form after defeating Kutztown on opening night before falling to Longwood to sit 1-1 after one week’s play.
Meanwhile, after being alerted to the presence of American-Australian Kate Ryan at Dartmouth, the last count of Aussies in NCAA Division I sees the number at 43 this season, and Ryan will have the chance to make her collegiate debut as the Big Green host Eastern Michigan. Dartmouth may have finished second-bottom in the tough Ivy League last season, but did win five non-conference games. Ryan is one of three freshmen among the eight defenders on the Dartmouth roster, each of whom will be looking to impress new head coach Taylor Schram early on in the campaign.
However, if none of those games take your fancy, there are over 50 to choose from this week, and as we saw last week, there are plenty of Aussies right at the heart of the action.
Alabama State (Madison Chambers, Grace Norbury)
This week: v UAB – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Mercer – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
Bellarmine (Teagan Douglas)
This week: v IUPUI – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; v UIndy – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
Butler (Claire Farrington)
This week: @ Notre Dame – 7:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Western Mich. – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
Central Michigan (Shivani Battaglia)
This week: v Wright St. – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
Coastal Carolina (Asha McClurg)
This week: v Charlotte – 4:00AM, Friday August 25; v Col. of Charleston – 8:00AM, Monday August 28
Dartmouth (Kate Ryan)
This week: v Eastern Mich. – 7:00AM, Saturday August 26; @ Quinnipiac – 2:00AM, Monday August 28
Denver (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: @ Marquette – 8:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Milwaukee – 4:00AM, Monday August 28
Eastern Kentucky (Sophie MacAlpine)
This week: v Belmont – 1:30AM, Friday August 25
Grambling State (Aimee Benton)
This week: v Louisiana – 10:00AM, Friday August 25; v Lamar University – 9:00AM, Monday August 28
Hawaii (Eliza Ammendolia)
This week: v Sacramento St. – 3:00PM, Friday August 25
High Point (Meg Roden)
This week: @ UNC Greensboro – 9:00AM, Thursday August 24; @ App State – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
Illinois (Isabel Rolley)
This week: @ Xavier – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Dayton – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
Kent State (Lua Suero)
This week: v Pittsburgh – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Cleveland St. – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
La Salle (Courtney Butlion)
This week: v Delaware – 8:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Princeton – 8:00AM, Monday August 28
Little Rock (Cameron Barreiro, Emily Jensen, Candice Kilderry, Bronte Peel)
This week: @ Oral Roberts – 10:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Oklahoma St. – 4:00AM, Monday August 28
Long Island (Matilda Boyle, Isabella Stein)
This week: v UMBC – 2:00AM, Monday August 28
Louisiana (Emma Bates)
This week: @ Grambling – 10:00AM, Friday August 25; @ SFA – 4:00AM, Monday August 28
Maine (Lara Kirkby)
This week: v Holy Cross – 8:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Stonehill – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
This week: @ UMass Lowell – 8:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Yale – 7:00AM, Monday August 28
Mississippi Valley State (Jacquelline Kambere)
This week: @ Southern Miss. – 7:00AM, Sunday August 27
Morehead State (Natasha Tanner)
This week: @ Indiana – 10:00AM, Friday August 25
Northwestern State (Caitlin Le Roux)
This week: @ Mississippi St. – 10:00AM, Friday August 25; v Rice – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
Oral Roberts (Layla Lopez)
This week: v Little Rock – 10:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Tulsa – 8:00AM, Monday August 28
Oregon State (Katie Godden)
This week: v UC San Diego – 7:00AM, Friday August 25
Pacific (Libby Davy)
This week: @ UC Irvine – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; v UC Santa Barbara – 6:00AM, Monday August 28
Rider (Eloise Jones)
This week: @ Temple – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Seton Hall – 6:00AM, Monday August 28
Santa Clara (Holly Furphy)
This week: @ Washington – 9:30AM, Friday August 25; @ Seattle U – 6:00AM, Monday August 28
Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: v Binghamton – 6:00AM, Friday August 25; v Rider – 6:00AM, Monday August 28
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: @ Western Ky. – 10:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Lipscomb – 4:00AM, Monday August 28
Southern Illinois (Chantelle Symes)
This week: v Kansas City – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; v Southeast Mo. St. – 4:00AM, Monday August 28
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Molly Arens)
This week: @ FGCU – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; @ Fla. Atlantic – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: @ Alabama St. – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; v Jacksonville St. – 9:00AM, Monday August 28
UMBC (Isobel Davy, Annaliese Grove)
This week: @ Drexel – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; @ LIU – 2:00AM, Monday August 28
UNC Asheville (Jasmine Barry)
This week: @ Davidson – 6:00AM, Friday August 25; @ South Carolina St. – 6:30AM, Monday August 28
USC (Talia Grossman)
This week: @ Duke – 9:00AM, Friday August 25; @ North Carolina – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
VCU (Greta Kraszula)
This week: v Old Dominion – 8:00AM, Friday August 25; @ William & Mary – 3:00AM, Monday August 28
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