
Following two seasons at Louisiana, midfielder Emma Bates will join the Australian contingent at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after recently entering the transfer portal. Bates will team up with fellow Northern New South Wales product Molly Arens, with the pair set to form a dynamic midfield duo under new head coach and fellow Australian, Daniel Clitnovici.
Despite missing much of her freshman season in 2022 through injury, Bates managed seven appearances off the bench before expanding her role in 2023 to become a starter throughout the back half of the season. The former Northern Tigers player would start in 10 of her 16 appearances in her sophomore year, with only injury interrupting her streak of starts. Bates also popped up with two goals and an assist to finish fourth on the Louisiana roster for both goals and points as the Ragin Cajuns finished 7-9-2, falling to a 2-1 defeat in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
Bates now joins a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi side entering a transition period of sorts. Whilst former head coach Craig Shaw remains part of the athletic department as Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations, there will be a new man at the women’s soccer helm in Clitnovici. The Islanders completed a similar season to Louisiana last season, notching a 7-8-4 record before falling on penalties in their Southland Conference tournament opener. Although the team’s attacking numbers weren’t terrible last year, ranking around the middle of the pack both nationally and in the conference, they could certainly use a boost. Adding a player like Bates, who has already demonstrated her ability to not only facilitate but also score at the college level, might just be the tonic for the Islanders, particularly alongside a player like Arens who has already shown herself to be one of the premier players in the conference.
Of course, this is not the only time Arens and Bates have been involved in the same program at the same time. Although they did not play together as they came through different age groups, both players were involved in the Newcastle Jets as juniors. Now, they get the chance to take to the pitch together and lead the Islanders to the top of the Southland Conference.
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