Dartmouth started their season this week, and Kate Ryan was right back among the thick of the action after being almost ever-present for the Big Green in 2025. Having been named in the team’s leadership group for the season, Ryan helped keep things locked down at the back as Dartmouth conceded just one goal across the opening weekend of action. Two goals in the opening 13 minutes were enough for a 2-1 win against UMass-Lowell, who would find the back of the net just before the hour mark but could not breach the Big Green defence a second time.
Dartmouth’s second game of the weekend came against in-state foes New Hampshire, with neither team able to find the back of the net. Dartmouth held New Hampshire to just eight shots, but put only two of their own 13 attempts on target, leading to a 0-0 draw. Ryan played all 180 minutes of the weekend, a sentence that looks set to be repeated throughout the season.
Emily Rutkowski had already started each of her first three games for Mercer as they went into their game with South Carolina State, and it seemed only a matter of time until the Timor-Leste Under 20s national team representative found the back of the net for the first time. As the Bears wreaked havoc on the Bulldogs defence with six goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, Rutkowski was one of those doing the damage. A perfectly weighted ball from a teammate found the Victorian making a run into the box, and Rutkowski made no mistake to put Mercer up 7-0 just before the hour mark. The Bears would tack on another late on to round out an 8-0 win and move to 3-1 to start the season.
Adelaide Wyrzynski may not have found the back of the net in Week 1, but the Philippines national team representative looked dangerous against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and a first goal of the season was only a matter of time. That goal came this week as Wyrzynski posted the game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw against UTEP. In a game that featured quantity of shots versus quality, Tarleton State won the shots on target count 5-4 despite UTEP leading the total shots 22-12. In the end, it was a 58th minute penalty that saw Wyrzynski step up to bury her first goal of the campaign after UTEP had taken the lead 10 minutes earlier. Intriguingly, after a barrage of shots to start the second half, the Miners were unable to bounce back following Wyrzynski’s goal, with only a handful of shots following for UTEP as the Texans were able to hold on for a 1-1 draw.
Southern University kicked its season off this week, and there was an instant starting debut for JUCO transfer Keisha Blaauw. Although the Jaguars fell to a 4-0 defeat to Florida Gulf Coast, Blaauw was able to post 78 minutes in her first game at the NCAA Division I level following her transfer from North Idaho College. Things don’t get any easier this coming week for the Jags as they face ACC side SMU, but a matchup against NCAA Division II side Spring Hill this coming Sunday should provide a more even contest for the team from Baton Rouge.
Providence senior Meg Roden had been seen only sparingly off the bench in Week 1, so it was a relief to see the Friars’ star midfielder back in the starting lineup for their contest against Northeastern. After playing just 30 minutes across the opening weekend, Roden played the full 90 minutes in the 0-0 draw against the Huskies. Now listed as a midfielder/defender for Providence, Roden’s role in the team will be one to keep an eye on as the season continues.
Lastly, there was good news and bad news as Grace Wilson and San Francisco faced Oregon in an early-season non-conference matchup. Against a torrent of Oregon shots, Wilson came up with six saves in the first 39 minutes of the game to see the Dons trail only 1-0 as half-time approached. Unfortunately, a red card at that point would spell the end of the contest for the South Australian. However, coming up with six saves against an Oregon team that looks vastly improved to previous seasons is certainly something positive to take away from the 3-0 defeat.
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