Eight points may separate first placed Maine and sixth-placed UMBC in the America East Standings, but if the events of last year’s game between these two teams is any indicator, those league positions mean absolutely nothing. 2023 saw Annie Grove and the Retrievers go 2-0 up inside 40 minutes, before an assist from Lara Kirkby helped halve the deficit before a late Olimpico secured a share of the points for Maine. However, these dropped points proved to be kryptonite in the Black Bears’ chase for a regular season crown, and the South Australian duo of Kirkby and Grace Wilson will be determined to not let the same fate befall them in 2024. However, this year sees them facing a UMBC side that is right in the mix for a first conference tournament berth since 2015. With four conference games remaining and the battle both for the regular season championship and spots in the tournament both incredibly tight at this stage, three points will be like gold dust for both teams.
SWAC play has seen Grambling State skip away atop the standings, but Aussie-laden Alabama State and Mississippi Valley State currently sit in a tie for second, and face each other this week in a game with serious seeding implications for the conference tournament. With Alcorn State cancelling their season, a win in this game for either team would all but secure a conference tournament spot, but these teams will each have their eyes on as high a seeding as possible, and it may be their Aussies who help them on their way. Grace Norbury has been all but ever-present in the Alabama State lineup, whilst Madison Chambers has been in and out of the eleven, but remains impactful even when coming off the bench. Meanwhile, Mississippi Valley State’s Jacquelline Kambere has already scored a brace against Conference USA outfit Jacksonville State this season. Regardless of the result, both teams will still have plenty of chances to fashion a solid regular season campaign in the final few weeks.
Having played one more game than some of their title rivals, Hannah Peric and Massachusetts sit a point clear of Dayton atop the Atlantic 10 standings, but can make that game in hand moot with a win over the Flyers this weekend. The Minutewomen built their success in the early part of the season on defence, with Peric a massive part of that. However, the team has conceded two goals in three of their last four games, and they won’t be able to rely on scoring four goals every time, as they have done in two of those three games to secure victory. If they can get back to the levels that saw them keep six clean sheets in the space of eight games during August and September, a regular season crown is a definite possibility. This game against Dayton would be a perfect time to revert to type, as the Flyers have banged home 35 goals in 13 games this season, six goals better than any other team in the Atlantic 10.
The Aussies are starring in the Ohio Valley Conference this season, and both Little Rock and Morehead State have massive chances to pick up three points this weekend. Fourth-placed Morehead State take on Southern Indiana as part of a late-season schedule that sees the Eagles face three teams below them in the standings in their final four games. That makes just about every game at this stage a six-pointer as they look to keep the chasing pack off their backs, but Lilly Bailey and Natasha Tanner are more than equipped to deal with the situation. Bailey made 15 saves last week whilst conceding just a single goal across two games, whilst Tanner has emerged as a crucial part of the lineup, starting six of the last seven games and playing more than 70 minutes in each of those starts.
Meanwhile, Little Rock sit top of the table and have Candice Kilderry to thank for much of their success, having scored FOUR game-winning goals in 2024, with three of those coming in conference play. This week sees the Trojans face bottom side Southeast Missouri State, a team that will be familiar to long-time College Matildas fans, with the Redhawks having featured no fewer than six Aussies over the years. However, it is Little Rock that has become a haven for Australians recently, and one of the leading contenders for the Rachael Doyle Medal will hope to deliver the Trojans another three points in their chase for a regular season title. Having already defeated second-placed Tennessee Tech earlier in the season, and with a game against third-placed Lindenwood still to come, Little Rock’s destiny is fully in their own hands. If Kilderry keeps banging home game-winners, a regular season crown is well within reach.
A midweek win over San Francisco saw Katie Godden and Oregon State open up a three-point gap atop the West Coast Conference as the Beavers look to crash their temporary conference home. The Beavers’ sole game this week comes against a San Diego side sitting second-bottom of the league, with just a solitary point through four games and a goal difference of -7. Godden has come into her own as the season has progressed, and her presence could once again be crucial to victory after tallying a couple of assists in recent games. Three points will be crucial in this one, because of the five teams currently three points adrift of the Beavers, two have games in hand, including Holly Furphy’s Santa Clara outfit. Three points will also be crucial for the Broncos, but for vastly different reasons to Oregon State. Whilst the Beavers cannot afford to drop points against the lower teams in the league, Santa Clara are looking to prevent this week’s opponent, Loyola Marymount, from skipping ahead. The teams are tied on seven points, with LMU having played a game more. Although there are still seven games to play, those will fly by quickly, and in a league with no conference tournament, the regular season crown is the only way to guarantee an NCAA Tournament berth. Fortunately, Santa Clara are also in the mix for an at-large bid, but Furphy and her teammates won’t want many more slip-ups as the bubble continues to shrink and few or perhaps no future opportunities for résumé-building wins.
Izzy Stein and Long Island sit level atop the Northeast Conference, but with still six games to play, there is still plenty to shake out over the next few weeks. The Sharks face Stonehill in their first game of the week, with the Skyhawks ineligible for the postseason as they reclassify to Division I, but still well and truly capable of upsetting the apple cart; in fact, Stonehill lead the conference in RPI at this stage. Delaware State should, on paper, provide a slightly less challenging contest, although the Hornets secured a point against Wagner, whom if not for those dropped points would sit just a point behind LIU. However, with captain Stein leading from the front and quite literally bending over backwards (well, performing Sam Kerr-esque backflip celebrations, anyway) for her team, anything is possible for the Sharks.
Full Schedule
NCAA Division I
Alabama State (4-5-2) (Grace Norbury, Madison Chambers)
This week: v Mississippi Val. – 10:00am, Saturday 12 October
Bellarmine (3-8-2) (Teagan Douglas)
This week: v Queens (NC) – 10:00am, Friday 11 October; v West Ga. – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Charleston Southern (5-3-2) (Eve Tiktikakis)
This week: @ Gardner-Webb – 7:00am, Sunday 13 October
Coastal Carolina (5-4-4) (Tahlia Voskanian)
This week: @ App State – 6:00am, Friday 11 October; v Louisiana – 10:00am, Monday 14 October
Dartmouth (6-4-2) (Kate Ryan)
This week: @ Columbia – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Denver (7-5-1) (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: v St. Thomas (MN) – 12:00pm, Friday 11 October; v North Dakota St. – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Detroit Mercy (5-6-2) (Chantelle Symes)
This week: v Wright St. – 10:00am, Friday 11 October; @ Cleveland St. – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Fresno State (5-5-2) (Shivani Battaglia)
This week: v UNLV – 1:00pm, Friday 11 October; v Nevada – 6:00am, Monday 14 October
Harvard (4-2-5) (Erin Gordon)
This week: v Cornell – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
High Point (5-4-3) (Meg Roden)
This week: @ USC Upstate – 10:00am, Sunday 13 October
Incarnate Word (5-5-2) (Montanna Mathews)
This week: v UTRGV – 11:00am, Saturday 12 October; v Houston Christian – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Little Rock (7-5-2) (Candice Kilderry)
This week: v Southeast Mo. St. – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Long Island (4-5-1) (Izzy Stein)
This week: @ Stonehill – 6:30am, Friday 11 October
Loyola Maryland (4-3-5) (Ava Blizzard)
This week: v Army West Point – 10:00am, Saturday 12 October
Maine (8-1-2) (Grace Wilson, Lara Kirkby)
This week: @ UMBC – 3:00am, Monday 14 October
Massachusetts (9-3-2) (Hannah Peric)
This week: v Dayton – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Mississippi Valley State (2-6-2) (Jacquelline Kambere)
This week: @ Alabama St. – 10:00am, Saturday 12 October; @ Alabama A&M – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Morehead State (6-5-3) (Lilly Bailey, Natasha Tanner)
This week: v Southern Ind. – 3:00pm, Sunday 13 October
Northwestern State (7-5-1) (Caitlin Le Roux)
This week: v Houston Christian – 11:00am, Saturday 12 October; v Tex. A&M-Commerce – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Old Dominion (7-4-1) (Alice Thompson)
This week: v Ga. Southern – 5:00am, Friday 11 October; @ Georgia St. – 7:00am, Monday 14 October
Oregon State (5-6-1) (Katie Godden)
This week: @ San Diego – 7:00am, Sunday 13 October
Pacific (2-10-1) (Libby Davy)
This week: v Pepperdine – 1:00pm, Sunday 13 October
Purdue (6-6-1) (Zoe Karipidis)
This week: @ Indiana – 10:00am, Friday 11 October; v Ohio St. – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Rider (1-7-3) (Eloise Jones)
This week: @ Merrimack – 4:00am, Sunday 13 October
Saint Francis (4-6-2) (Claire Scarpin, Aimee Benton)
This week: v FDU – 6:00am, Friday 11 October
Saint Peter’s (4-8) (Sophie Cook, Wilma Thodhlana)
This week: @ Iona – 3:00am, Sunday 13 October
Santa Clara (8-2-2) (Holly Furphy)
This week: @ LMU (CA) – 1:00pm, Sunday 13 October
Seton Hall (4-6-3) (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: @ Xavier – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Siena (6-6-2) (Iona Snape)
This week: @ Sacred Heart – 3:00am, Sunday 13 October
Southern (2-8-1) (Yazmin Baird-Watson)
This week: @ Prairie View – 11:00am, Saturday 12 October; @ Texas Southern – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Stetson (7-7) (Camila Madriz Figueroa)
This week: @ Austin Peay – 10:00am, Friday 11 October; @ Lipscomb – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Tarleton State (7-5-3) (Adelaide Wyrzynski)
This week: @ Seattle U – 7:00am, Sunday 13 October
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-2-4) (Molly Arens, Emma Bates)
This week: @ Lamar University – 11:00am, Saturday 12 October; @ SFA – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Towson (4-4-6) (Courtney Butlion)
This week: @ Col. of Charleston – 10:00am, Friday 11 October; @ UNCW – 3:00am, Monday 14 October
UAB (5-4-2) (Abbey Burns)
This week: v Charlotte – 11:00am, Friday 11 October
UMBC (5-7-1) (Annie Grove)
This week: v Maine – 3:00am, Monday 14 October
UNC Asheville (2-7-1) (Mercedes McNabb, Jasmine Barry)
This week: @ Longwood – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
VCU (2-6-4) (Greta Kraszula)
This week: @ Saint Louis – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
NCAA Division II
American International (5-3-1) (Eloise Paine)
This week: v Adelphi – 8:00am, Sunday 13 October
Barton (4-3-2) (Brigitte Sander)
This week: @ Chowan – 3:00am, Sunday 13 October
Cal Poly Pomona (8-0-1) (Georgia Rink)
This week: @ Cal St. East Bay – 1:00pm, Saturday 12 October; @ Cal St. San Marcos – 5:30am, Monday 14 October
Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-3-2) (Katie McDermott)
This week: v Cal Poly Humboldt – 1:00pm, Saturday 12 October; v Sonoma St. – 5:30am, Monday 14 October
Caldwell (Liz Warne)
This week: No games.
Carson-Newman (4-2-2) (Amber Wilkinson)
This week: v Mars Hill – 8:00am, Sunday 13 October
Catawba (6-1-3) (Ashley Hughes)
This week: @ Tusculum – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Charleston (WV) (7-3) (Ciara Casamento, Kate Duffy)
This week: v Wheeling – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Concord (5-4-1) (Caitlin Webster, Holly Gray)
This week: v Frostburg St. – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Drury (8-1-2) (Keva Culkin)
This week: @ Upper Iowa – 9:00am, Saturday 12 October; @ Lewis – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Felician (1-7-3) (Ruby Samild)
This week: v Goldey-Beacom – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
Fort Lewis (6-1-1) (Renee Junna)
This week: v Colo. Sch. of Mines – 9:30am, Saturday 12 October; v UC-Colo. Springs – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Francis Marion (6-1-2) (Ashley Jordan)
This week: v UNC Pembroke – 7:30am, Sunday 13 October
Franklin Pierce (9-1-1) (Erin Keyt)
This week: v Southern N.H. – 4:00am, Sunday 13 October
Gannon (6-0-3) (Paige Taylor)
This week: @ Pitt.-Johnstown – 3:00am, Sunday 13 October
Glenville State (4-4-2) (Summer McShane-Cale)
This week: @ Fairmont St. – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Jefferson (8-0-1) (Liv Riddel)
This week: @ Post – 3:00am, Saturday 12 October
Lincoln Memorial (3-4-2) (Jade Brown)
This week: @ Newberry – 4:00am, Sunday 13 October
Mississippi College (Erin Stamatopoulos)
This week: No games.
Oklahoma Christian (6-1-3) (Layla Lopez, Chloe Walker)
This week: @ Angelo St. – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
Seton Hill (4-2-4) (Maddie Teakle)
This week: v Slippery Rock – 3:00am, Sunday 13 October
Southern New Hampshire (6-0-3) (Imogen Noon)
This week: @ Franklin Pierce – 4:00am, Sunday 13 October
UNC Pembroke (6-2-2) (Sarah Bonifant)
This week: @ Francis Marion – 7:30am, Sunday 13 October
USC Beaufort (6-2-2) (Alice Webster)
This week: v Georgia College – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
UT-Tyler (7-1-2) (Mackenzee Stokes)
This week: v Tex. Permian Basin – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
UTPB (3-3-2) (Lara Brewis)
This week: @ UT Tyler – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
Valdosta State (3-4-1) (Sienna Havill)
This week: @ West Florida – 9:00am, Saturday 12 October; @ Spring Hill – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
West Virginia State (6-2-2) (Emma Farrelly)
This week: @ West Liberty – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Wingate (6-1-2) (Sophie MacAlpine)
This week: v Anderson (SC) – 8:00am, Sunday 13 October
NCAA Division III
Bethany College (5-4-3) (Gabby Hicks)
This week: @ Geneva – 7:00am, Sunday 13 October
Dean College (Miro McIntyre Clere)
This week: No games.
Lesley (6-4-1) (Maya Spatafore)
This week: @ Husson – 6:00am, Sunday 13 October; @ Husson – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Millikin University (9-1-1) (Lila Castillo Burgess)
This week: @ Carroll (WI) – 10:00am, Sunday 13 October
Monmouth College (Brontë De Zwart)
This week: No games.
SUNY Oneonta (3-6-1) (Lisa Schinckel)
This week: v SUNY Morrisville – 4:00am, Sunday 13 October
Southern Maine (8-2-2) (Kayla O’Connor)
This week: @ Rhode Island Col. – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
NAIA
Briar Cliff (IA) (Tamzin Hilton)
This week: @ Midland – 9:00am, Sunday 13 October
Corban (Ava Hayes)
This week: @ Evergreen (WA) – 6:30am, Saturday 12 October; @ Northwest (WA) – 6:30am, Sunday 13 October
Cumberlands (Ky.) (Georgia Martell)
This week: @ Campbellsville (KY) – 9:00am, Saturday 12 October
Jamestown (N.D.) (Olivia Cullen, Gaby Sarkis)
This week: @ Missouri Baptist – 8:00am, Friday 11 October; @ Columbia (MO) – 4:00am, Sunday 13 October
Keiser (Fla.) (Zara Board, Georgia Little, Zoe Edwards)
This week: v Florida Memorial (FL) – 3:00am, Sunday 13 October
Midway (Holly Johnstone)
This week: v IU Kokomo – 6:00am, Friday 11 October; v Brescia (KY) – 3:00am, Sunday 13 October
Reinhardt (Ga.) (Riley Welsh)
This week: @ Johnson (TN) – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
Rio Grande (Saskia Vos)
This week: @ IU Columbus (Ind.) – 7:30am, Friday 11 October; v WVU Tech (WV) – 6:00am, Sunday 13 October
Rocky Mountain (MT) (Piper Adams-Jones, Georgia Dean, Tara Appleby, Ellen Gaudry)
This week: v Southern Oregon – 7:00am, Saturday 12 October; v Oregon Tech – 6:00am, Monday 14 October
Science and Arts (Emali Goulas)
This week: No games.
St. Andrews (NC) (Charlotte Weinand)
This week: @ Kentucky Christian – 8:15am, Saturday 12 October
St. Thomas (Fla.) (D’arne Boato)
This week: No games.
Webber International (FL) (Claudia Vincent)
This week: @ Warner (FL) – 9:00am, Sunday 13 October
Xavier (La.) (Amelia Suma)
This week: v Texas College – 5:00am, Friday 11 October; v Jarvis Christian – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
NJCAA Division I
Barton (Mary Kahraman)
This week: v Kansas City Kansas – 7:00am, Sunday 13 October
Dodge City (Jada Lamond)
This week: v Garden City – 4:00am, Monday 14 October
Eastern Florida State (Aimee Longhurst)
This week: v Daytona State – 12:00am, Saturday 12 October
LSU Eunice (Gabby Stone)
This week: v Angelina – 9:00am, Sunday 13 October
Laramie County (Giselle Heck)
This week: @ Central Wyoming – 6:00am, Saturday 12 October; @ Northwest – 7:00am, Sunday 13 October
Monroe College (Emily Mackie)
This week: No games.
Murray State (Sofia Lopez, Kellie McMahon)
This week: @ Eastern Oklahoma State – 5:00am, Monday 14 October
Seminole State (OK) (Sophia Doumos)
This week: v Northeastern Oklahoma A&M – 7:00am, Monday 14 October
Seward County (Ryshelle Taylor)
This week: No games.
Tyler (Ella Palframan, Anna Powell, Sienna Powell, Layne Chapman)
This week: @ Trinity Valley – 8:00am, Saturday 12 October
Western Wyoming (Isabelle Kenna)
This week: @ Iowa Western – 8:00am, Saturday 12 October; v Indian Hills – 5:00am, Sunday 13 October
NJCAA Division II
Heartland (Morgan Stanton)
This week: @ Lincoln Land – 8:00am, Friday 11 October; v Lake County – 4:00am, Sunday 13 October
Johnson County (Sophie Abbott, Montana-Rose Curry)
This week: v Hesston – 11:00am, Sunday 13 October
Mineral Area (Thea Draganova)
This week: v Metropolitan – 6:00am, Sunday 13 October
Northeast (Samantha Bayer, Amelia Bingley, Helena Chetcuti, Talia Sanders)
This week: @ Southeastern – 7:30am, Sunday 13 October
3C2A
Feather River (Lillian Pettersen)
This week: v Redwoods – 5:00am, Saturday 12 October
USports Canada
UNBC (Scarlet Thomas)
This week: v UBC – 12pm, Saturday October 12; v UBC – 12pm, Sunday October 13
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