Lara Aitken had tallied an assist on opening day and a first collegiate goal in late August, and this week doubled that tally as Jacksonville State faced Kennesaw State in their penultimate game of 2025. In a game between two fairly evenly matched teams, it was the Victorian who opened the scoring in the 42nd minute after coming off the bench midway through the first half. Unfortunately, Kennesaw State would equalise just four minutes after halftime before finding the winner 14 minutes from fulltime to knock the Gamecocks out of conference tournament contention. However, Aitken’s goal made her just the fifth Australian to score multiple goals this season as the freshman makes an immediate impact in northeastern Alabama.
However, Aitken wasn’t the only Victorian midfielder to score this week as Little Rock’s Candice Kilderry took her season tally to four. The Trojans dominated Western Illinois from the outset, with a goal in the 13th minute followed up by Kilderry’s strike just 70 seconds later. Those two goals would be enough to secure victory as Western Illinois finished with just one shot on target, but Little Rock tacked on a third on the half-hour mark to see the match finish 3-0. A 1-0 win over Eastern Illinois on Sunday moved the Trojans into top spot in their final season in the Ohio Valley Conference before moving to the United Athletic Conference in 2026. However, they lead only on head-to-head record against Tennessee Tech, so a final day win over Lindenwood is the only way to ensure the Trojans secure a regular season title.
Isabella Chidiac was once again on hand to deliver an assist as Denver maintained their grip on a top-two spot in the Summit League with a win over Omaha. The Pioneers had the edge over the Mavericks for much of the game, and when Lily O’Grady turned Chidiac’s smart square pass into an absolute laser from outside the area, Denver took a 1-0 in the 28th minute. A second goal would follow in the 63rd minute, and although Omaha pulled one back five minutes later, Denver were able to prevent an equaliser and move five points clear of third-place South Dakota State. Denver have played one more game than the Jackrabbits, but that buffer means they control their own destiny heading into their final league game against South Dakota.
Siena just need to keep winning to give themselves a shot at reaching the MAAC tournament, and Iona Snape helped ensure they would do just that with her second assist of the season in a 3-0 win over Mount St. Mary’s. Goals in the 10th and 72nd minutes probably already had the three points in the bag for Siena as the Mountaineers found themselves unable to properly test the Saints’ goalkeeper for much of the contest. However, an attacking raid down the right started by Snape saw Siena notch a third with 9 minutes to play to leave the Saints just one point outside the conference tournament spots with two games to play. Siena play two teams below them in the league standings to round out the season, but must take full advantage of the opportunity and hope that Manhattan or Canisius drop points over the remaining two games.
Purdue fell to a 3-1 defeat to Northwestern, but Margaux Chauvet provided an impressive highlight in delivering an assist for the Boilermakers’ only goal. An initial header from a Purdue corner fell to the former Sydney FC midfielder at the edge of the area, and her side-foot volley – which may even have been goal-bound – was headed home with aplomb by a teammate with the Northwestern goalkeeper quickly approaching to level the scores at 1-1 right on the half-hour mark. Unfortunately, the Wildcats posted two goals in the first six minutes after halftime to secure a 3-1 victory and mathematically eliminate Purdue from conference tournament contention. Despite that, the Boilermakers still have one game remaining against a Minnesota team just two points ahead of them on the table, so there is still a chance to move up in the standings even at this late stage.
Fresno State needed a six-point weekend to put themselves back in tournament contention in the Mountain West, and Shivani Battaglia promptly delivered between the sticks as the Bulldogs knocked off Colorado State and Grand Canyon to move into the sixth and final tournament spot with two games to play. The Western Australian posted eight saves in a game that saw the goalkeepers combine for 15 saves on 16 shots, and fortunately it was Fresno State that scored the game’s only goal in the 78th minute. Grand Canyon made things far tougher for the Bulldogs, as Battaglia found herself with the unenviable stat line of two goals conceded and zero saves made through 14 minutes. However, the senior would not concede again. Battaglia posted six saves as a 28th-minute own goal combined with two strikes in three minutes just after the 70-minute mark delivered the Bulldogs a memorable 3-2 victory. Whilst the job is far from done in terms of conference tournament qualification, the Bulldogs are now in the box seat heading into the final two games of league play.
It was a tough day out for George Washington against Atlantic 10 heavyweights Rhode Island, but nonetheless there was a career milestone for Jasmine Black, who made her first collegiate start and played the full 90 minutes after playing the second half of three earlier contests. The former Sydney FC shot-stopper faced a barrage of shots as the Rams rolled to a 5-0 win, but was able to help her team to a draw against Richmond in the Revolutionaries’ second game of the weekend. Black came up with three saves in a 1-1 draw with the Spiders, just their second non-loss of league play. Whilst they may be out of conference tournament contention at this late stage, two 90-minute outings for their freshman goalkeeper is certainly not a bad thing when looking ahead to 2026 and beyond.
Meanwhile, Sarah Birchall continues to play an integral role as Gardner-Webb look to lock in a Big South conference tournament spot. The freshman has started nine consecutive games after coming off the bench to start the season, and looks unlikely to be shifted from that position in the near future. A 1-0 win over USC Upstate leaves the Runnin’ Bulldogs undefeated in their last five games, with Birchall playing the full 90 minutes in the three wins among those five contests. After playing less than half an hour off the bench in the team’s two opening games, Birchall now averages almost an hour of playing time per game for a Gardner-Webb team that has already doubled its win total from each of the last two seasons, but more importantly, is four points above the cutline with two games remaining in league play. They’re not in yet, but they’re not far away.
Complete Results
Bellarmine (Teagan Douglas)
This week: lost 1-0 to Central Ark.; defeated North Ala. 1-0
Teagan Douglas played the first 23 minutes of Bellarmine’s win over Central Arkansas, but did not feature in the win over North Alabama.
Cal State Bakersfield (Georgia Martell)
This week: defeated UC Davis 4-1; defeated UC Riverside 3-0
Georgia Martell did not feature for Cal State Bakersfield in either game this week.
Canisius (Chloe Tseros)
This week: lost 2-0 to Marist
Chloe Tseros played the full 90 minutes in Canisius’ loss to Marist, making six saves.
Central Michigan (Alyssa Di Campli)
This week: drew 1-1 with Kent St.; lost 3-0 to Miami (OH)
Alyssa Di Campli started both games for Central Michigan this week, playing 45 minutes against Kent State and 33 minutes in the loss to Miami of Ohio.
Charleston (Viktorija Calusic)
This week: lost 2-0 to Stony Brook; defeated Hofstra 1-0
Viktorija Calusic did not feature for Charleston on either occasion this week.
Charleston Southern (Eve Tiktikakis)
This week: lost 5-2 to Longwood
Eve Tiktikakis played 28 minutes off the bench in Charleston Southern’s loss to Longwood.
Chicago State (Jacquelline Kambere)
This week: defeated Howard 2-1
Jacquelline Kambere started in Chicago State’s win over Howard, rattling off four shots on target in 76 minutes of playing time.
Cleveland State (Sophie Abbott)
This week: drew 1-1 with Robert Morris; defeated Purdue Fort Wayne 2-0
Sophie Abbott did not feature for Cleveland State in either game this week.
Dartmouth (Kate Ryan)
This week: lost 2-0 to Princeton
Kate Ryan played the full 90 minutes in Dartmouth’s loss to Princeton, notching one shot.
Denver (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: drew 1-1 with St. Thomas (MN); defeated Omaha 2-1
Isabella Chidiac started both games for Denver this week, tallying a shot on target in 77 minutes against St. Thomas, before posting her eighth assist of the season and a shot in 56 minutes in the win over Omaha.
Chidiac: start, 77 min, 1 shot on target v STU
Detroit Mercy (Chantelle Symes)
This week: lost 1-0 to Northern Ky.
Chantelle Symes did not feature in Detroit Mercy’s loss to Northern Kentucky.
East Carolina (Jenny Hill)
This week: lost 5-0 to Memphis
Jenny Hill came off the bench to play nine minutes in East Carolina’s loss to Memphis.
Fresno State (Shivani Battaglia)
This week: defeated Colorado St. 1-0; defeated Grand Canyon 3-2
Shivani Battaglia played every minute of the weekend for Fresno State, making eight saves against Colorado State and six more in the win over Grand Canyon.
Gardner-Webb (Sarah Birchall)
This week: defeated USC Upstate 1-0
Sarah Birchall played the full 90 minutes in Gardner-Webb’s win over USC Upstate, finishing with one shot on target.
George Mason (Libby Davy)
This week: drew 1-1 with Davidson; lost 1-0 to Fordham
Libby Davy played every minute for George Mason this week, making three saves against Davidson and eight more against Fordham.
George Washington (Jasmine Black)
This week: lost 5-0 to Rhode Island; drew 1-1 with Richmond
Jasmine Black played every minute for George Washington this week, making three saves in each game.
Harvard (Erin Gordon)
This week: drew 2-2 with Brown
Erin Gordon came off the bench to play 14 minutes in Harvard’s draw with Brown.
High Point (Montana-Rose Currey)
This week: defeated UNC Asheville 2-0
Montana-Rose Currey came off the bench to play six minutes in High Point’s win over UNC Asheville.
Hofstra (Lilly Bailey)
This week: lost 2-0 to UNCW; lost 1-0 to Col. of Charleston
Lilly Bailey started both games for Hofstra this week, making two saves in a complete-game performance against UNCW before playing 75 minutes and making four saves in the loss to Charleston.
Incarnate Word (Montanna Mathews)
This week: lost 2-1 to Southeastern La.; lost 1-0 to Northwestern St.
Montanna Mathews started both games for Incarnate Word this week, registering one shot in 61 minutes against Southeastern Louisiana and a shot on target in 57 minutes against Northwestern State.
Jacksonville State (Lara Aitken)
This week: lost 2-1 to Kennesaw St.
Lara Aitken came off the bench to score with her only shot in 28 minutes of playing time in Jacksonville State’s loss to Kennesaw State.
Little Rock (Claudia Hewitt, Candice Kilderry, Serenity Thake)
This week: defeated Western Ill. 3-0; defeated Eastern Ill. 1-0
Candice Kilderry started both games for Little Rock this week, scoring with her only shot in 66 minutes against Western Illinois before tallying another shot on target in a complete-game outing against Eastern Illinois. Serenity Thake played the first 17 minutes against Western Illinois, but did not feature against Eastern Illinois. Claudia Hewitt played a six-minute cameo off the bench against Western Illinois, but did not feature in the win over Eastern Illinois.
Long Island (Izzy Stein)
This week: lost 4-2 to Central Conn. St.
Izzy Stein started in Long Island’s loss to Central Connecticut State, tallying one shot on target in 68 minutes of playing time.
Loyola Maryland (Eva McGorian, Ava Blizzard)
This week: lost 3-0 to Colgate
Ava Blizzard came off the bench to tally a shot on target in 35 minutes of playing time in Loyola Maryland’s loss to Colgate, whilst Eva McGorian did not feature for the Greyhounds.
Maine (Grace Wilson)
This week: drew 2-2 with UMass Lowell; defeated UMBC 2-0
Grace Wilson did not feature for Maine in either game this week.
Providence (Meg Roden)
This week: lost 2-0 to Xavier
Meg Roden started in Providence’s loss to Xavier, playing 72 minutes.
Purdue (Margaux Chauvet)
This week: lost 1-0 to Penn St.; lost 3-1 to Northwestern
Margaux Chauvet started both games for Purdue this week, tallying a shot in 79 minutes of playing time against Penn State, before notching another shot and an assist in a complete-game outing against Northwestern.
Quinnipiac (Stella Tosoni)
This week: defeated Sacred Heart 2-1
Stella Tosoni did not feature in Quinnipiac’s win over Sacred Heart.
Rider (CJ Harris, Eloise Jones)
This week: drew 2-2 with Niagara
Eloise Jones came off the bench to play six minutes in Rider’s draw with Niagara, whilst CJ Harris remains out through injury.
Saint Peter’s (Wilma Thodhlana)
This week: defeated Merrimack 1-0
Wilma Thodhlana started in Saint Peter’s win over Merrimack, tallying one shot in 85 minutes of playing time.
Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: lost 2-0 to Butler
Sarah Mitchell played a brief 5-minute cameo off the bench in Seton Hall’s loss to Butler, whilst Grace Mitchell did not feature on this occasion.
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: defeated Mount St. Mary’s 3-0
Iona Snape played the full 90 minutes in Siena’s win over Mount St. Mary’s, tallying an assist and a shot.
Tarleton State (Zoe Daly, Charlie Shanahan, Adelaide Wyrzynski, Phoebe Riley)
This week: lost 1-0 to Utah Tech; drew 1-1 with Southern Utah
Adelaide Wyrzynski came off the bench for Tarleton State in both games this week, notching two shots in 32 minutes against Utah Tech and playing 12 minutes in the draw with Southern Utah. The Texans’ three other Aussies did not feature on either occasion this week.
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: defeated Fla. Atlantic 2-0
Abbey Burns started in UAB’s win over Florida Atlantic, playing 65 minutes.
Youngstown State (Aimee Benton)
This week: defeated Oakland 3-0; defeated South Carolina St. 3-0
Aimee Benton did not feature in Youngstown State’s win over Oakland, but played the first 45 minutes in the win over South Carolina State, although the South Australian was not required to make a save.
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