Several debutants had an instant impact on their teams, with players at either end of the pitch making an outstanding start to their college careers. Meanwhile, Candice Kilderry picked up where she left off last season with a first goal of the campaign. Elsewhere, there was a long-awaited first assist for Isabella Chidiac, and what an assist it was!
Jacksonville State got their season off to a perfect start with a 3-2 win over West Georgia, and they have Lara Aitken to thank for playing a major part. With the Gamecocks leading 1-0 heading into the final 10 minutes, Aitken fired a cross across the face of goal which was turned in by teammate Louise Featherstone to give the Victorian an assist on debut. Leading 2-0, it looked as though Jacksonville State would roll to victory, but the game descended into chaos in the final minutes. West Georgia scored goals in the 88th and 89th minutes, with a Jacksonville State goal in between seeing the teams combine to find the back of the net three times in the space of 47 seconds. Fortunately, that would be the end of the scoring and Jacksonville State would secure the victory. Aitken’s performance saw her elevated to the starting lineup for the Gamecocks’ second game of the week against North Alabama, which saw her play 66 minutes in a 0-0 draw.
Isabella Chidiac has had to wait far longer to post the first assist of her career, but the Denver senior did just that in the Pioneers’ season opener, setting up the game winner in a 2-1 win over Air Force. The midfielder capitalised on some open space in midfield and a retreating Falcons backline to play a scything pass through for Samantha Dreiling, who hit it off the underside of the crossbar and in to give Denver a 2-0 advantage that they would not relinquish. Chidiac also had two shots of her own as she proved to be an attacking menace throughout the contest.
Being involved in goals is nothing new for Candice Kilderry though, and the Victorian became the first Aussie to find the back of the net in 2025 as Little Rock romped to a 7-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff to put a 4-1 opening day defeat to East Texas A&M behind them. A cheap turnover from the Golden Lions saw Kilderry in space with the ball at her feet, and a quick turn to shake the final defender was enough to allow her the opportunity to easily fire past the goalkeeper and put her team up 3-0 inside half an hour. Kilderry and Serenity Thake each played 50 minutes or more in the win, whilst Claudia Hewitt finished with a shot on target in her 31 minutes off the bench as Little Rock continues to be a destination for Australians.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Chloe Tseros had a busy start to her college career but played a valiant knock between the sticks as Buffalo rained shots on the Canisius goal. Although the Golden Griffins fell to a 3-0 defeat in the season opener, the former Sydney Olympic shot-stopper came up with nine saves to keep the margin respectable after the Bulls scored two goals in the first eleven minutes. Things don’t get much easier for Canisius in their next game as they face ACC side Syracuse, but Tseros and her teammates will certainly be battle-hardened for the remainder of the season following these two games, regardless of the result against the Orange.
Elsewhere, several players made their collegiate debuts. Alyssa Di Campli earned a starting spot for each of Central Michigan’s first two games, playing over an hour on each occasion. Montana-Rose Currey also started on Opening Day, playing 73 minutes for High Point in a 2-0 loss to Virginia Tech that was arguably closer than the scoreline suggests. Margaux Chauvet also started each of her first two games for Purdue, playing over 50 minutes on each occasion as the Boilermakers dominated Indiana State and Ball State. Meanwhile, Hampton’s Morgan Stanton, Loyola Maryland’s Ava Blizzard, and Tarleton State duo Charlie Shanahan and Phoebe Riley all came off the bench to make their debut, with special mention going to Blizzard, who has had to wait until her second year to see the pitch for the first time.
Complete Results
Bellarmine (Teagan Douglas)
This week: defeated Miami (OH) 2-0
Teagan Douglas came off the bench to play 27 minutes in Bellarmine’s win over Miami of Ohio.
Cal State Bakersfield (Georgia Martell)
This week: lost 1-0 to California Baptist; lost 1-0 to San Diego St.
Georgia Martell did not feature for Cal State Bakersfield this week.
Canisius (Chloe Tseros)
This week: lost 3-0 to Buffalo
Chloe Tseros played the full 90 minutes on debut for Canisius, making nine saves in a loss to Buffalo.
Central Michigan (Alyssa Di Campli)
This week: lost 2-0 to Butler; lost 1-0 to Loyola Chicago
Alyssa Di Campli started both games for Central Michigan this week, playing 72 minutes against Butler and 64 minutes in the loss to Loyola Chicago.
Charleston (Viktorija Calusic)
This week: lost 1-0 to South Carolina
Viktorija Calusic did not feature in Charleston’s narrow loss to South Carolina.
Charleston Southern (Eve Tiktikakis)
This week: lost 5-0 to Syracuse; drew 1-1 with St. Bonaventure
Eve Tiktikakis came off the bench in both games this week, playing 38 minutes in the loss to Syracuse and 13 minutes in the draw with St. Bonaventure.
Chicago State (Jacquelline Kambere)
This week: lost 6-2 to DePaul, drew 2-2 with SIUE
Jacquelline Kambere did not feature for Chicago State this week.
Cleveland State (Sophie Abbott)
This week: lost 1-0 to Kent St.; defeated Southern Ind. 2-0
Sophie Abbott did not feature for Cleveland State this week.
Dartmouth (Kate Ryan)
This week: No games.
Denver (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: defeated Air Force 2-1; drew 0-0 with Colorado Col.
Isabella Chidiac started both games for Denver this week, registering two shots and an assist in 79 minutes against Air Force before tallying another shot in 72 minutes in the draw with Colorado College.
Detroit Mercy (Chantelle Symes)
This week: defeated Valparaiso 2-1; lost 4-0 to Michigan
Chantelle Symes played the full 90 minutes and made five saves in Detroit Mercy’s win over Valparaiso, but did not feature in the loss to Michigan.
East Carolina (Jenny Hill)
This week: lost 3-1 to Liberty; drew 1-1 with NC State
Jenny Hill did not feature for East Carolina this week.
Fresno State (Shivani Battaglia)
This week: drew 1-1 with UC Davis
Shivani Battaglia played the full 90 minutes in Fresno State’s draw with UC Davis, making four saves.
Gardner-Webb (Sarah Birchall)
This week: lost 1-0 to Stetson; drew 1-1 with Queens (NC)
Sarah Birchall did not feature for Gardner-Webb in either game this week.
George Mason (Libby Davy)
This week: drew 1-1 with William & Mary
Libby Davy played the full 90 minutes on debut for George Mason, making two saves.
George Washington (Jasmine Black)
This week: defeated American 1-0; drew 2-2 with Drexel
Jasmine Black did not feature for George Washington this week.
Hampton (Morgan Stanton)
This week: match v Delaware St. postponed due to weather; lost 4-1 to Howard
Morgan Stanton’s NCAA Division I debut came against Howard as the forward made a 5-minute cameo off the bench.
Harvard (Erin Gordon)
This week: No games.
High Point (Montana-Rose Currey)
This week: lost 2-0 to Virginia Tech; lost 1-0 to Western Caro.
Montana-Rose Currey started and played 73 minutes on her NCAA Division I debut against Virginia Tech before coming off the bench to play 58 minutes in the Panthers’ loss to Western Carolina.
Hofstra (Lilly Bailey)
This week: defeated Saint Joseph’s 2-1; defeated Quinnipiac 3-0
Lilly Bailey started both games for Hofstra this week, making a single save in a complete-game outing against Saint Joseph’s and three more in a 79-minute performance against Quinnipiac.
Incarnate Word (Montanna Mathews)
This week: defeated North Texas 2-1; lost 5-0 to Texas St.
Montanna Mathews played the full 90 minutes for Incarnate Word against North Texas, before once again starting against Texas State, tallying a shot on target in 70 minutes against the Bobcats.
Mathews: 90 min v UNT
Jacksonville State (Lara Aitken)
This week: defeated West Ga. 3-2; drew 0-0 with North Ala.
Lara Aitken tallied an assist on debut in her 52 minutes off the bench against West Georgia, before starting and playing 66 minutes in Jacksonville State’s draw with North Alabama.
Little Rock (Claudia Hewitt, Candice Kilderry, Serenity Thake)
This week: lost 4-1 to East Texas A&M; defeated Ark.-Pine Bluff 7-0
All three Australians featured in both games for Little Rock this week. Candice Kilderry started both games, tallying two shots in 73 minutes against East Texas A&M before tallying her first goal of the season with one of two shots in 50 minutes in the win over UAPB. Serenity Thake came off the bench to tally three shots in 56 minutes against East Texas A&M. The senior started against UAPB, notching one shot in 55 minutes of action. Claudia Hewitt came off the bench in both games, playing 10 minutes against East Texas A&M before registering a shot on target in her 31 minutes of playing time against UAPB.
Long Island (Izzy Stein)
This week: drew 1-1 with Manhattan
Izzy Stein did not feature in Long Island’s draw with Manhattan.
Loyola Maryland (Eva McGorian, Ava Blizzard)
This week: drew 1-1 with Fla. Atlantic; defeated Saint Peter’s 2-0
Ava Blizzard came off the bench for her first two collegiate appearances this week, playing 15 minutes against Florida Atlantic before notching one shot in 27 minutes against Saint Peter’s. Eva McGorian did not feature for the Greyhounds in either game this week.
Maine (Grace Wilson)
This week: lost 2-0 to Rhode Island
Grace Wilson played the full 90 minutes in Maine’s loss to Rhode Island, making two saves.
Providence (Meg Roden)
This week: defeated Army West Point 1-0
Meg Roden started in her first game for Providence, playing 55 minutes in the Friars’ win over Army.
Purdue (Margaux Chauvet)
This week: defeated Indiana St. 4-0; defeated Ball St. 5-2
Margaux Chauvet started each of her first two collegiate games, playing 53 minutes against Indiana State and registering a shot on target in an hour of action against Ball State.
Quinnipiac (Stella Tosoni)
This week: lost 3-0 to Hofstra
Stella Tosoni did not feature in Quinnipiac’s loss to Hofstra.
Rider (CJ Harris, Eloise Jones)
This week: No games.
Saint Peter’s (Wilma Thodhlana)
This week: drew 1-1 with Drexel; lost 2-0 to Loyola Maryland
Wilma Thodhlana played the full 90 minutes for Saint Peter’s in both games this week.
Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: defeated Monmouth 3-1
Sarah Mitchell came off the bench to play 11 minutes in Seton Hall’s win over Monmouth, whilst Grace Mitchell did not feature for the Pirates.
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: defeated Lafayette 2-0; lost 5-0 to North Carolina
Iona Snape started both games for Siena this week, playing 75 minutes in the win over Lafayette and 86 minutes in the defeat to North Carolina.
Tarleton State (Charlie Shanahan, Zoe Daly, Adelaide Wyrzynski, Phoebe Riley)
This week: defeated UTRGV 1-0; lost 3-2 to Houston Christian
Charlie Shanahan came off the bench for Tarleton State in both games this week, playing 20 minutes against UTRGV and 18 minutes against Houston Christian. Phoebe Riley played two minutes off the bench against UTRGV before tallying a shot in her 22 minutes off the bench against Houston Christian. Neither Zoe Daly nor Adelaide Wyrzynski featured for the Texans in either game this week.
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: lost 2-1 to UCF; drew 1-1 with ETSU
Abbey Burns started both games for UAB this week, finishing with one shot in 73 minutes against UCF and playing 64 minutes in the draw with East Tennessee State.
Youngstown State (Aimee Benton)
This week: lost 6-1 to Indiana; lost 4-1 to Texas Tech
Aimee Benton did not feature against Indiana, but came off the bench for the final 2 minutes against Texas Tech, making one save on her Youngstown State debut.
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