Lara Kirkby has been stinging goalkeepers’ palms regularly this season, but had failed to find the back of the net since scoring her third goal in just the sixth game of the season on September 8. However, that all changed on the South Australian’s senior day as Maine rallied for a vital point against NJIT that saw the Black Bears maintain inside running in the America East. Trailing 2-0 with less than 20 minutes to play, Maine managed to win a penalty, and Kirkby duly converted to halve the deficit. An 84th minute equaliser followed to give the Black Bears a share of the points, and a draw on the road at New Hampshire will now be enough to secure an outright America East regular season crown. The goal, Kirkby’s fourth of the campaign, moved the senior to ten points for the season, outstripping last year’s output of nine.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Abbey Burns’ name on the scoresheet for UAB, but the former Adelaide United midfielder delivered at the perfect time as UAB cemented their spot in the American Athletic Conference tournament spots. Despite being outshot 26-6 by Tulsa, Burns’ 23rd minute cross to find Maiya Clark was enough for a 1-0 win as UAB goalkeeper Anika Toth posted 13 saves to preserve the lead throughout. A second win for the weekend against Temple saw UAB occupy fifth spot by the end of the weekend, but the Blazers sit just one point behind third-placed Rice with one game to play.
Jacquelline Kambere was also instrumental in helping her team qualify for the postseason as two draws were enough for Mississippi Valley State to reach the SWAC Tournament for the first time in almost a decade. Wins have been hard to come by for the Devilettes, but a goal and an assist from Kambere helped her team to a third draw in conference play against Jackson State to go with a solitary win, and with Arkansas-Pine Bluff sitting on a single point heading into their final matchday, Kambere’s season will continue for at least a couple more weeks.
VCU needed points this weekend to assure themselves of a spot in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, and Greta Kraszula stepped up against George Washington to help secure a postseason berth. A goal just a minute after halftime had put the Rams up 1-0, and when Kraszula stepped up to take a corner five minutes later, everyone knew what was possible, particularly as the Sydneysider had already almost scored a second Olimpico for the season earlier in the game. On this occasion, however, the ball was poked home by teammate Paige Kroger to double the lead and ensure victory for VCU.
However, Kraszula was not the only Aussie in the A-10 to post an assist this week, with Hannah Peric tallying one of her own, ironically against Kraszula and VCU. If Kraszula is a threat taking corners, Peric is equally as dangerous as a target, and indeed it was the Manly United product who nodded one down for a teammate to lash home the Minutewomen’s first of two equalisers in a 2-2 draw. The result saw Massachusetts and VCU finish as the 3rd and 7th seeds in the A-10 tournament, and if both win their quarter-finals, the two will meet in the semi-finals.
Continuing the theme of Aussies posting assists, Adelaide Wyrzynski helped Tarleton State secure fifth spot in the WAC with a win over Abilene Christian as the Texans advanced to the conference tournament for the first time in their three years as a program. The former FNSW Institute player redirected a cross back across the goal in the fourth minute, where it was smashed home by teammate Stevie Reynolds, the second time in as many games that the pair have combined for a goal.
The Texans will now face Cal Baptist in the WAC Tournament quarter-finals, with the winner to face top seed Utah Valley. Tarleton State won the regular season matchup between the two teams, with Wyrzynski notching an assist on the opener in a 2-1 win on Cal Baptist’s home patch. Hopefully, history can repeat on neutral ground in Abilene this coming week.
However, it wasn’t all about players scoring and assisting goals, as Shivani Battaglia demonstrated with some elite performances between the sticks for Fresno State. Although the Bulldogs split their games this week, posting a win over Air Force and a loss to Colorado College, the Western Australian did everything in her power to give her team the best chance of victory in both games. Battaglia came up with six saves in the win over Air Force, and followed up with eight more against Colorado College to keep her team in the contest despite a lopsided shots on target count that favoured Colorado College 9-2. Unfortunately, Fresno State’s postseason hopes fell by the wayside this week, but that does not take away from Battaglia’s impressive weekend.
Complete Results
Alabama State (Grace Norbury, Madison Chambers)
This week: No games.
Bellarmine (Teagan Douglas)
This week: lost 3-1 to Eastern Ky.
Teagan Douglas played the full 90 minutes in Bellarmine’s loss to Eastern Kentucky.
Charleston Southern (Eve Tiktikakis)
This week: lost 2-0 to Longwood
Eve Tiktikakis came off the bench to play 22 minutes in Charleston Southern’s loss to Longwood.
Coastal Carolina (Tahlia Voskanian)
This week: lost 1-0 to Troy
Tahlia Voskanian did not feature in Coastal Carolina’s loss to Troy.
Dartmouth (Kate Ryan)
This week: lost 4-0 to Princeton
Kate Ryan did not feature in Dartmouth’s loss to Princeton.
Denver (9-5-2) (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: defeated South Dakota St. 2-1; defeated South Dakota 2-0
Isabella Chidiac did not feature in Denver’s win over South Dakota State, but came off the bench to post one shot in eight minutes against South Dakota.
Detroit Mercy (Chantelle Symes)
This week: defeated Purdue Fort Wayne 3-1
Chantelle Symes played the full 90 minutes in Detroit Mercy’s win over Purdue Fort Wayne, making three saves.
Fresno State (Shivani Battaglia)
This week: defeated Air Force 2-0; lost 1-0 to Colorado Col.
Shivani Battaglia played every minute for Fresno State this weekend, making six saves against Air Force and eight more against Colorado College.
Harvard (Erin Gordon)
This week: defeated Penn 1-0
Erin Gordon played the full 90 minutes in Harvard’s win over Penn.
High Point (Meg Roden)
This week: defeated UNC Asheville 5-1
Meg Roden started in High Point’s win over UNC Asheville, tallying two shots in an hour on the pitch.
Incarnate Word (Montanna Mathews)
This week: defeated Tex. A&M-Commerce 3-0
Montanna Mathews did not feature in Incarnate Word’s win over Texas A&M-Commerce.
Little Rock (Candice Kilderry)
This week: drew 0-0 with Eastern Ill.
Candice Kilderry started in Little Rock’s draw with Eastern Illinois, tallying one shot on target in 66 minutes.
Long Island (Izzy Stein)
This week: lost 2-0 to Howard; lost 2-0 to Saint Francis
Izzy Stein posted identical stat lines in both games this week, playing the full 90 minutes and tallying one shot on each occasion.
Loyola Maryland (Ava Blizzard)
This week: lost 2-1 to Lehigh
Ava Blizzard did not feature in Loyola Maryland’s loss to Lehigh.
Maine (Grace Wilson, Lara Kirkby)
This week: drew 2-2 with NJIT
Lara Kirkby started in Maine’s draw with NJIT, finishing with six shots including three on target and scoring from the spot in her 79 minutes on the pitch. Grace Wilson did not feature for the Black Bears.
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
This week: defeated Davidson 2-0; drew 2-2 with VCU
Hannah Peric started both games for Massachusetts this week, playing 85 minutes against Davidson and tallying an assist during her 75 minutes on the pitch against VCU.
Mississippi Valley State (2-8-2) (Jacquelline Kambere)
This week: drew 2-2 with Jackson St.; drew 0-0 with Southern U.
Jacquelline Kambere started both games for Mississippi Valley State this week, tallying an assist and scoring with her only shot in 80 minutes against Jackson State, and registering three shots on target in 85 minutes against Southern.
Morehead State (Lilly Bailey, Natasha Tanner)
This week: drew 1-1 with SIUE
Lilly Bailey played the full 90 minutes in Morehead State’s draw with SIUE, making four saves. Natasha Tanner also started, playing 43 minutes.
Northwestern State (Caitlin Le Roux)
This week: defeated Lamar University 2-0; defeated UTRGV 3-1
Caitlin Le Roux did not feature for Northwestern State in either game this week.
Old Dominion (Alice Thompson)
This week: lost 1-0 to Arkansas St.
Alice Thompson came off the bench to play 38 minutes in Old Dominion’s loss to Arkansas State, finishing with one shot on target.
Oregon State (Katie Godden)
This week: drew 1-1 with Pepperdine
Katie Godden started in Oregon State’s draw with Pepperdine, playing 61 minutes and registering three shots with one on target.
Pacific (Libby Davy)
This week: lost 3-0 to San Francisco
Libby Davy did not feature in Pacific’s loss to San Francisco.
Purdue (Zoe Karipidis)
This week: lost 3-1 to Michigan St.
Zoe Karipidis did not feature in Purdue’s loss to Michigan State.
Rider (Eloise Jones)
This week: defeated Marist 1-0
Eloise Jones did not feature in Rider’s win over Marist.
Saint Francis (Claire Scarpin, Aimee Benton)
This week: defeated Central Conn. St. 4-2; defeated LIU 2-0
Claire Scarpin came off the bench in both games this week, playing 32 minutes against Central Connecticut State and notching one shot in half an hour of action against LIU. Aimee Benton did not feature in either game this week.
Saint Peter’s (Sophie Cook, Wilma Thodhlana)
This week: lost 1-0 to Manhattan
Wilma Thodhlana played the full 90 minutes in Saint Peter’s loss to Manhattan, whilst Sophie Cook came off the bench to play 43 minutes.
Santa Clara (Holly Furphy)
This week: defeated Gonzaga 2-1
Holly Furphy did not feature in Santa Clara’s win over Gonzaga.
Seton Hall (4-9-3) (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: lost 2-1 to Creighton; lost 1-0 to UConn
Neither Grace nor Sarah Mitchell featured for Seton Hall in either game this week.
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: No games.
Southern (Yazmin Baird-Watson)
This week: drew 0-0 with Mississippi Val.
Yazmin Baird-Watson did not feature in Southern’s draw with Mississippi Valley State.
Stetson (Camila Madriz Figueroa)
This week: lost 2-0 to FGCU
Camila Madriz Figueroa did not feature in Stetson’s loss to Florida Gulf Coast.
Tarleton State (Adelaide Wyrzynski)
This week: defeated Abilene Christian 2-0
Adelaide Wyrzynski started in Tarleton State’s win over Abilene Christian, tallying three shots with one on target and notching an assist on the opener during her 50 minutes on the pitch.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-4-5) (Molly Arens, Emma Bates)
This week: defeated Nicholls 3-0; defeated Southeastern La. 1-0
Molly Arens came off the bench in both games this week, playing 59 minutes against Nicholls State before tallying two shots with one on target in 51 minutes against Southeastern Louisiana. Emma Bates came off the bench to play five minutes on both occasions this week.
Towson (Courtney Butlion)
This week: drew 0-0 with Delaware; defeated William & Mary 1-0
Courtney Butlion came off the bench to play 52 minutes in Towson’s draw with Delaware, before moving into the starting lineup against William & Mary to once again play 52 minutes whilst also tallying one shot.
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: defeated Tulsa 1-0; defeated Temple 2-1
Abbey Burns played the full 90 minutes in both games this week, tallying an assist on the game’s only goal against Tulsa and two shots in the win over Temple.
UMBC (Annie Grove)
This week: lost 3-2 to New Hampshire
Annie Grove started in UMBC’s loss to New Hampshire, playing 72 minutes and registering one shot on target.
UNC Asheville (Mercedes McNabb, Jasmine Barry)
This week: lost 5-1 to High Point
Jasmine Barry and Mercedes McNabb both started in UNC Asheville’s loss to High Point, playing 76 and 53 minutes respectively.
VCU (3-8-4) (Greta Kraszula)
This week: defeated George Washington 2-0; drew 2-2 with Massachusetts Greta Kraszula started both games for VCU this week, posting a shot on target and an assist in 78 minutes against George Washington and playing 75 minutes in the draw with Massachusetts.
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