With no realistic auto-bid chances for the NCAA Tournament among the Aussies this season, any participation in the postseason will rely on at least one of the seven remaining teams going all the way in their conference tournaments. The teams run the gamut from true contenders to upset-minded smokeys, and we truly could end this week with anywhere from zero to six teams in the Big Dance.
Isabella Chidiac provided an assist on Denver’s only goal in their 1-0 win over South Dakota State in the regular season, and will be looking to repeat the dose as the teams face off in the Summit League semi-finals. #3 seed South Dakota State came through the opening round unscathed, posting a 1-0 win over Omaha, and will fancy their chances against Denver. The Jackrabbits actually outshot Denver 19-10 in that loss earlier in the season, but an inaccuracy problem that has plagued them all season scuppered their chances. Intriguingly, Denver’s shooting is generally even less accurate, but on that occasion six of their ten shots tested the Jackrabbits goalkeeper. Furthermore, the Pioneers have the added weapon of Chidiac standing over the ball at corners, where her deliveries have consistently wreaked havoc on opposing defences.
Should the Pioneers get through South Dakota State, they will face either #1 seed Oral Roberts, who delivered Denver their only loss in league play, or #4 Kansas City, whom they defeated 3-0 earlier in the campaign. That game against Kansas City was particularly memorable for Chidiac, as the senior scored her first, and to this point only, collegiate goal.
Lindenwood. A familiar name for Little Rock, and not for particularly good reasons. Since the Lions joined NCAA Division I, the teams have faced off six teams. The record? Four wins for Lindenwood and two draws, including a loss for Little Rock in last year’s conference tournament. However, the two teams played out a draw just last week, with the two sides trading goals in the final ten minutes. This is a true contest of attacking weaponry and defensive prowess. Little Rock average 2 goals per game compared to Lindenwood’s 1.32. However, the Lions concede just 0.89 per contest, whereas Little Rock’s goals against average sits at 1.25. A large part of that attacking threat for Little Rock has come in the form of Candice Kilderry, who has posted 4 goals and 3 assists despite moving from midfield to wingback in 2025. Although the Trojans’ defence may not meet the heady heights of Lindenwood’s, it is still solid, and the presence of Serenity Thake on the pitch gives the Trojans an elite player on that side of the ball. Claudia Hewitt hasn’t been spotted much in recent times, but one never knows what may happen in tournament play.
If the Trojans get past the Lions, they will face either top seed Tennessee Tech or 5th seed Southern Indiana, who have already played two tournament games just to get to this point. Having reached the semi-finals in each of the last two campaigns, one senses that Little Rock are a bit fed up with only getting this far, and this will only have steeled their resolve to make a championship run and secure an NCAA Tournament berth.
Columbia knocked Erin Gordon and Harvard on the final day of Ivy League regular season play, and Kate Ryan’s Dartmouth will be eager to ensure they don’t suffer the same fate in the conference tournament semi-finals. As the second seed, Dartmouth come into this game as favourites, and the Big Green also have the wood over Columbia this season. The regular season meeting between these teams finished 1-0 in Dartmouth’s favour, but it was far from their best performance. Just two of their 13 shots landed on target, a rare off night for a team that tested the goalkeeper with 45.3% of their shots throughout the campaign. Intriguingly, on that night Columbia put three of their seven shots on target, numbers that sit below their season average but were still far more efficient than Dartmouth’s. However, that was but one result in a long season, and this game will be played on neutral territory at Princeton, rather than on Dartmouth’s home patch. If the Big Green are to win, it will most likely be built on defence as they have conceded just four goals in seven league games, but scored only six goals. Conversely, Columbia banged home 11 against conference opponents, but conceded seven. That vaunted Big Green defence will continue to be led by breakout star Kate Ryan, who has been just about ever-present throughout the 2025 campaign after seeing less than an hour of playing time across her previous two seasons combined.
A win for Dartmouth would see them face either a Brown team against whom they drew 0-0, or a top-seeded Princeton team that handed the Big Green their only conference loss, a 2-0 defeat at home. However, Dartmouth finished just a point behind the Tigers, so past results may not be an indicator of future performance.
Staying in the northeast of the country, Grace Wilson and Maine face Binghamton in a battle of teams who have been at or near the top of the America East for the past few years; indeed, these teams are the first to reach the conference semi-finals for four straight years since Hartford did so from 2013-16. The exodus of players, including Lara Kirkby, to graduation following Maine’s trip to the 2024 NCAA Tournament left the Black Bears in somewhat of a rebuilding year, but nonetheless they reached the conference tournament before defeating rivals New Hampshire in the opening round to move onto the semis. Binghamton won the regular season matchup between these two teams 2-1, and the conference champions are on a 13-game unbeaten streak. However, in that game earlier in the season, Maine outshot Binghamton 11-8 and led the shots on target count 8-3, only to see an 81st minute equaliser cancelled out by a Binghamton winner just two minutes later.
Elena Barenberg has started for Maine between the sticks for most of the campaign, but if 2024 taught us anything, it’s that Grace Wilson can step up if needed even in the most difficult of circumstances. Should the South Australian be called upon, there is no doubting that they can help Maine to another conference crown. Should the Black Bears defeat Binghamton, their opponents in the championship game will either be #6 seed Bryant, with whom they drew earlier in the season or #2 Vermont, against whom they fell to a 1-0 defeat.
Montana-Rose Currey and High Point knocked off fellow Australian Sarah Birchall and Gardner-Webb in their Big South tournament opener, and their reward for that victory is a matchup with #1 seed Radford in the semi-finals. However, considering Radford finished 7-1 in league play, scoring 16 goals and conceding just 5, High Point’s performance in a 2-1 regular season defeat to the Highlanders can still give them confidence. The Panthers managed to fire off 13 shots, just one shy of Radford’s mark of 14, keeping the Highlanders below their season average of 15.2 per game whilst hovering around their own mark of 12.7. It’s also worth remembering that High Point concede fewer goals per game than Radford, despite the disparity in their win-loss-tie records of 8-4-1 against 4-9-4.
Montana-Rose Currey has been spotted intermittently as of late, but certainly has plenty of big game experience from her time at junior college which will stand her in good stead should she be called upon this weekend. If High Point do get past Radford, the championship game will be another opportunity for revenge, as they fell to defeat against both USC Upstate and Longwood, the two combatants in the other semi-final.
Finally, we are guaranteed at least one Aussie will be involved in a conference championship game as Chloe Tseros and Canisius face Stella Tosoni and Quinnipiac in the semi-finals of the MAAC tournament. Quinnipiac secured a bye through to the semi-finals by finishing in the top two, whilst Canisius had a far tougher route. The Golden Griffins left it late to nail down a tournament spot, but did manage to secure the third seed and a home game in the first round against Marist. Three saves from Tseros were enough to ensure that a 21st minute goal stood up for Canisius in a 1-0 victory, but it might take a few more saves if they are to get past Tosoni’s Bobcats. Quinnipiac average 1.69 goals per game, good enough for top 100 in the nation, although Canisius aren’t far behind with 1.41 of their own. However, Quinnipiac won the regular season matchup between these teams 2-0, a game in which the teams combined for just five shots on target. It seems unlikely that such a game will play out once again, but semi-finals can be cagey affairs, so one goal could be enough.
The winner of this game will face either Fairfield or Sacred Heart, and given Fairfield’s 4-1 win in the regular season contest between those teams, it looks as though the Stags are almost pre-destined to roll to the final. Football is a funny game, though…
Full Schedule
Bellarmine (Teagan Douglas)
This week: No games.
Cal State Bakersfield (Georgia Martell)
This week: No games.
Canisius (8-8-1) (Chloe Tseros)
This week: @ Quinnipiac – 5:00am, Friday 7 November
Central Michigan (Alyssa Di Campli)
This week: No games.
Charleston (Viktorija Calusic)
This week: No games.
Charleston Southern (Eve Tiktikakis)
This week: No games.
Chicago State (Jacquelline Kambere)
This week: No games.
Cleveland State (Sophie Abbott)
This week: No games.
Dartmouth (9-3-4) (Kate Ryan)
This week: v Columbia – 7:30am, Friday 7 November
Denver (9-4-4) (Isabella Chidiac)
This week: v South Dakota St. – 6:00am, Friday 7 November
Detroit Mercy (Chantelle Symes)
This week: No games.
East Carolina (Jenny Hill)
This week: No games.
Fresno State (Shivani Battaglia)
This week: No games.
Gardner-Webb (Sarah Birchall)
This week: No games.
George Mason (Libby Davy)
This week: No games.
George Washington (Jasmine Black)
This week: No games.
Hampton (Morgan Stanton)
This week: No games.
Harvard (Erin Gordon)
This week: No games.
High Point (4-9-4) (Montana-Rose Currey)
This week: @ Radford – 8:00am, Friday 7 November
Hofstra (Lilly Bailey)
This week: No games.
Incarnate Word (Montanna Mathews)
This week: No games.
Jacksonville State (Lara Aitken)
This week: No games.
Little Rock (7-3-6) (Claudia Hewitt, Candice Kilderry, Serenity Thake)
This week: v Lindenwood – 12:00pm, Friday 7 November
Long Island (Izzy Stein)
This week: No games.
Loyola Maryland (Eva McGorian, Ava Blizzard)
This week: No games.
Maine (5-7-3) (Grace Wilson)
This week: @ Binghamton – 9:00am, Friday 7 November
Providence (Meg Roden)
This week: No games.
Purdue (Margaux Chauvet)
This week: No games.
Quinnipiac (8-3-5) (Stella Tosoni)
This week: v Canisius – 5:00am, Friday 7 November
Rider (CJ Harris, Eloise Jones)
This week: No games.
Saint Peter’s (Wilma Thodhlana)
This week: No games.
Seton Hall (Grace Mitchell, Sarah Mitchell)
This week: No games.
Siena (Iona Snape)
This week: No games.
Tarleton State (Zoe Daly, Charlie Shanahan, Adelaide Wyrzynski, Phoebe Riley)
This week: No games.
UAB (Abbey Burns)
This week: No games.
Youngstown State (Aimee Benton)
This week: No games.
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