The Breakout Player of the Year is always one of the favourite awards to present here at College Matildas. Each year, a number of players burst onto the scene after being given little opportunity in previous seasons, whilst others who have shown glimpses of star power emerge as crucial members of their program’s lineup. 2025 is no different, with a handful of players stepping up into bigger roles for their teams, and today we’ll take a look at a few who have emerged as contenders for this award.
Kate Ryan (Dartmouth)
2023-24: 2 appearances, 0 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 shots, 34 minutes
2025: 8 appearances, 7 starts, 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 shot, 701 minutes
Inserted into Dartmouth’s season opener after 19 minutes, Kate Ryan has played every minute of the season since in a dramatic transformation given the defender’s stats across the previous two seasons. Looking from the outside, 34 minutes of playing time in a pair of demolition victories for Dartmouth hardly read like the CV of a player who would become an integral member of the Big Green defence. However, Ryan has stepped in with aplomb and since proved herself to not only be outstanding at the back, but also a threat at attacking set pieces. Dartmouth have conceded just five goals in eight games this season to sit inside the top 40 for goals conceded per game and 25th for shutout percentage, having kept five clean sheets in those eight contests. The Texan-Victorian defender has also tacked on an assist and a goal this season, recently finding the back of the net for the first time to deliver Dartmouth their first win at Harvard in 20 years. At this point, Ryan is not only a contender for Breakout Player of the Year, but may even be more than just a smokey for Defensive Player of the Year.
Isabella Chidiac (Denver)
2022-24: 29 appearances, 2 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists, 15 shots, 475 minutes
2025: 9 games, 9 starts, 0 goals, 5 assists, 8 shots, 631 minutes
career assists have come this season.
(Photo: Justin Tafoya/Clarkson Creative)
Isabella Chidiac’s talent has been apparent for all to see since her days at Football NSW Institute, but the midfielder has had to bide her time in the battle for a starting spot at Denver. However, 2025 has been a different story as the Sydneysider has proven threatening both in open play and at set pieces to already deliver five assists in nine games. Of particular note was the perfect through ball that set up the Pioneers’ opening-day winner against Air Force, and the two corners that landed perfectly on Emma Thielbahr’s head to secure victory against a previously unbeaten Colorado State side. Although Chidiac is yet to find the back of the net this season, she has been desperately close on a couple of occasions, and it feels as though a first goal is not far away. Considering that she is now seemingly one of the first names on the teamsheet for Denver, Chidiac should have plenty more chances to add to her stats as the Pioneers enter Summit League play having broken a three-game losing streak with an impressive win over Colorado State in their last start.
Montanna Mathews (Incarnate Word)
2024: 14 appearances, 6 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists, 2 shots, 565 minutes
2025: 8 appearances, 8 starts, 1 goal, 1 assist, 8 shots, 598 minutes
Montanna Mathews may have started 2025 from a higher point than our other two contenders, but there is no denying the Incarnate Word fullback’s increased impact this season. Although the Albury-raised defender made 14 appearances and 6 starts in 2024, Mathews played only 40 minutes per game as opportunities in the starting lineup evaporated by the end of the campaign. On paper, that would not bode well for the next season, but Mathews made a mockery of that idea, playing the full 90 minutes on opening day and rattling off nine starts in as many opportunities to start the season. The marauding fullback notched a first collegiate assist in a 5-0 win over Prairie View A&M early in the season, and more recently scored her first goal in Incarnate Word colours courtesy of an incisive run that culminated in a well-placed finish from the edge of the area to make sure of a win over Nicholls.
Does Mathews’ 2024 stat line put her behind the eight-ball in terms of ‘breakout player’ when compared to Ryan and Chidiac? Possibly. But there is no denying the improvement that we have seen from the player hailing from the banks of the Murray.
Although these three players have established themselves as the leading contenders for Breakout Player of the Year, the door is not shut on any other players at this early stage. Eve Tiktikakis has forced herself into the starting lineup for Charleston Southern in recent weeks, whilst Loyola Maryland forward Ava Blizzard’s return from an ACL injury suffered at the start of the 2024 campaign continues to gather pace after a sublime headed goal to open her collegiate account. With still seven weeks left in the regular season, there is still plenty to play out and enough games for any eligible player to force their way into the reckoning.
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