Safe As Houses: The Goalkeeper of the Year Contenders

Once upon a time, finding an Australian goalkeeper in NCAA Division I women’s soccer was like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, as the years have progressed, the numbers have exploded, vastly outstripping the uptick in total Aussie players, and in 2025 there are now no fewer than nine goalkeepers among the Australian cohort. Today, we look at four players who have earned a starting berth early in the campaign and look to be the main contenders for the College Matildas Goalkeeper of the Year. Intriguingly, two of the four are transfers and one is a freshman, with only Fresno State’s Shivani Battaglia a returner to her 2024 home.

Chloe Tseros (Canisius)

2025 Stats: 8 games, 1.875 GAA, .706 Save Pct, 1 clean sheet, 4-4 record, 720 minutes

Not only one of the better performing goalkeepers among Australians in NCAA Division I this season, Chloe Tseros is also a contender for Freshman of the Year. The former Sydney Olympic goalkeeper has played every minute of her first season at Canisius to this point, and impressed greatly at times in doing so. Thrown in the deep end on debut, Tseros came up with 9 saves in Canisius’ opening day loss to Buffalo, keeping the scoreline respectable and immediately showcasing her capabilities. Six more saves against Colorado College a week later and seven in a 4-2 win over Merrimack further demonstrated Tseros’ abilities, and the freshman’s 36 saves are the most by an Australian goalkeeper to this point. More importantly, after a 0-4 non-conference schedule, Tseros has helped the Golden Griffins to a 4-0 start in MAAC play as they sit perched atop the standings with a game in hand on many of their rivals.

Lilly Bailey (Hofstra)

2025 Stats: 11 games, 1.104 GAA, .721 Save Pct, 3 clean sheets, 3-1-7 record, 978 minutes

An integral part of a Morehead State side that earned an NCAA Tournament berth in 2024, Lilly Bailey moved to Hofstra to test herself at a higher level, and has hit the ground running in her first season in Hempstead. The Western Australian has been crucial for Hofstra, particularly in recent weeks. The Pride have played out seven consecutive draws since starting 3-1, with a couple of five-save efforts from Bailey notable among those games as she ensures those draws don’t turn into losses. Whilst Bailey’s save percentage of .721 is slightly down on last season’s .792, it is still a solid number that sits second among qualified Aussies to this point, behind only fellow Western Australian, Fresno State’s Shivani Battaglia. With three clean sheets under her belt, Bailey’s goals against average of 1.104 is top among qualified Aussies, and it is wholly unsurprising that the sophomore has played all bar 12 minutes of the campaign to this point.

Shivani Battaglia (Fresno State)

2025 Stats: 9 games, 1.206 GAA, .795 Save Pct, 2 clean sheets, 3-3-3 record, 671 minutes

A former junior college star at Seminole State, Shivani Battaglia spent one season at Central Michigan, but it has been at Fresno State that the Western Australian has truly flourished. Battaglia made 14 appearances in 2024 and played 1035 minutes, posting an impressive save percentage of .787, but 2025 has arguably been even more remarkable. Already with nine starts in ten games, Battaglia has firmly entrenched herself as first choice with a save percentage of .795. The senior has already posted five or more saves on four occasions in 2025, including a seven-save clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with Cal Poly and a six-save clean sheet in a 3-0 win over Nevada. It may be early days in conference play for Fresno State, but with Battaglia standing tall at the back, they could very well make a mockery of their preseason ranking of 11^th in the 13-team Mountain West Conference.

Libby Davy (George Mason)

2025 Stats: 11 games, 1.455 GAA, .680 Save Pct, 3 clean sheets, 3-6-2 record, 990 minutes

A starter for Pacific in 2023 before an early-season concussion threw a spanner in the works in 2024, Libby Davy has transferred to George Mason and has posted improved stats across the board this season. The Pacific defence did Davy few favours in 2023 and 2024 as the South Australian posted a save percentage of .646 across 20 games, but 2025 has seen Davy improve that number to .680 as she has played every minute of the campaign to this point. Most impressive was an 11-save performance in a 1-0 defeat to Penn, a game in which Davy kept the Patriots in with a chance despite being outshot 21-5. The South Australian also posted a seven-save performance in a 2-0 loss to Villanova just three days prior to that game against Penn, but mercifully, Davy has not been called upon quite so often in recent weeks. However, should the shots rain down once again, the junior has already demonstrated her ability to deal with an attacking barrage from the opposition.

Of course, with still six weeks left in the regular season, anything could happen as it sometimes only takes one opportunity for a player to take over a starting berth and put together an outstanding run of form. Jasmine Black has recently started splitting playing time with the incumbent starter at George Washington, whilst Chantelle Symes and Grace Wilson have each split time with a teammate at Detroit Mercy and Maine respectively. However, it does look to be a race in four for the Goalkeeper of the Year award at this stage.