Matildas midfielder Amy Sayer is certainly the biggest name featured in this season’s class of Australian midfielders, but the Stanford freshman is by no means the only player to watch. Players such as Alyssa Van Heurck and Indianna Asimus are integral parts of their respective teams, whilst Molly Arens and Kiarnie Latham look to have found teams in which they can provide instant impact as freshmen. However, the biggest name outside of Sayer is nowhere to be seen, with Eliza Ammendolia’s season already over after the Big West cancelled, among other sports, both men’s and women’s soccer in the wake of the current COVID-19 situation in the US.
Molly ARENS (Freshman, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Newcastle)
A potential signing coup for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, national youth team representative Molly Arens joins an Islanders side coached by fellow Australian, Craig Shaw. Having come up through the Emerging Jets ranks, the combative midfielder has experience training and playing alongside current W-League players, and has even joined the Jets W-League team for preseason games in the past. Few players in the Southland Conference, Australian or otherwise, possess the kind of résumé that Arens has compiled, and it would not surprise to see the freshman among the top players in the league by the end of the season. In fact, Arens may just be the player that the Islanders need to push them into the upper echelon of the conference, having finished in fifth place in 2019, but only six points shy of a top-two finish.
Indianna ASIMUS (Junior, Wyoming, Newcastle)
The lynchpin of the Wyoming midfield, Indianna Asimus enters her third season at Laramie as one of the most integral pieces of the Cowgirls roster. An occasional starter in her freshman season, Asimus was almost ever-present in 2019 for a Wyoming side that finished 7-7-5 but narrowly missed out on a Mountain West Conference tournament berth. The Dubbo product by way of Newcastle started all 19 games, averaging 83 minutes per appearance whilst banging home 6 goals to finish as the top goalscorer among all Australians in NCAA Division I. Asimus also picked up the College Matildas Breakout Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year awards in 2019, no mean feat given the presence of players such as Beattie Goad and Eliza Ammendolia. With Wyoming looking to get back to the kind of form that saw the Cowgirls secure a share of the 2018 regular season conference championship, Asimus’ presence will only become more crucial for the team from Laramie in 2020.
D’arne BOATO (Sophomore, East Tennessee State, Melbourne)
Having found only limited opportunities in her freshman year at East Tennessee State, D’arne Boato will be hoping to change that in her second season. With the Buccaneers’ roster hardly flush with defenders, it does look as though there will be more chances opening up in 2020 in a team that sat just outside the top 100 in goals conceded per game in 2019, but has lost a couple of defensive starters to graduation. It is also worth remembering that the Buccaneers have a new coach this year in 17-season Samford assistant coach Jay Yelton, meaning every player has a clean slate with which to make an impression, which could benefit Boato significantly as she looks to force her way into the lineup.
Laura FARRELLY (Junior, Marshall, Central Coast)
Yet to play a game in her two seasons at Marshall, Laura Farrelly will be hoping to change that as she enters her junior year. After the Thundering Herd finished with a fairly mediocre 4-14 record last season, change may be afoot in Huntington, not least due to the fact that head coach Michael Swan is in his first season in charge. Although Swan would be reasonably familiar with the Marshall side from his time as an assistant at Conference USA foes Charlotte, the entire roster will now have a chance to impress the new coach, benefitting those players who haven’t seen a lot of playing time in the past. The Thundering Herd didn’t suffer from any problems scoring goals last season, so it may come to pass that if Farrelly can prove her adeptness at shielding the back four, it could be a massive asset to a Marshall side that needs all the help it can get in defence at the moment.
Kiarnie LATHAM (Freshman, Tennessee-Martin, Sydney)
Like fellow freshman Molly Arens, Kiarnie Latham heads to college after spending her formative days with the Emerging Jets program. Training and playing alongside a number of W-League and national junior representative players will no doubt have stood Latham in good stead as she looks to make an immediate impact for Tennessee-Martin. Listed as a midfielder/defender on the Skyhawks roster, it will be intriguing to see how the freshman is used in her opening campaign. With only four specialist defenders listed on the roster, and three of those being seniors, Latham may end up being deployed in the backline, particularly as the team looks to shore things up at the back after conceding 1.6 goals per game in 2019. With the Skyhawks having little trouble banging the goals in, securing things at the back could make the difference as the team finished just five points off top spot in the 10-game Ohio Valley schedule in 2019 before falling 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
Grace NORBURY (Freshman, Alabama State, Melbourne)
The pipeline between Australia and Montgomery continues to deliver as Grace Norbury joins sophomore Sophie Bui at Alabama State. With significant NPL Victoria experience, Norbury has perhaps the best credentials coming into her college career of any Alabama State’s Australian crop since Anastasia McCleary. In an Alabama State side that has slipped back slightly since consecutive SWAC titles in 2016 and 2017, the addition of a player of Norbury’s calibre could put the Hornets back among the title contenders, particularly with affiliate member and perennial contender Howard leaving to play as an independent in 2020.
Amy SAYER (Freshman, Stanford, Sydney)
Undoubtedly the cream of the crop among this year’s freshman class, thrice-capped Matilda Amy Sayer maintains the Aussie presence at Stanford following Beattie Goad’s graduation after the 2019 season. Having been utilised in a variety of central midfield roles across her time with Canberra United, Sydney FC, and the national program, Sayer should slot seamlessly into whichever role Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe requires of her as she looks to make an immediate impact in the wake of two-time MAC Hermann Trophy winner Catarina Macario’s early departure to the professional ranks. But, even with the loss of a player of Macario’s calibre, competition for positions in the Stanford lineup will be fierce, with the Cardinal coming off their second national championship in three seasons. However, if there’s one Australian player that could make her mark on a program like Stanford from day one, it’s Amy Sayer.
Alyssa VAN HEURCK (Junior, La Salle, Perth)
One of a pair of Aussies at La Salle alongside goalkeeper Claudia Jenkins, Van Heurck may not receive the same plaudits as her fellow countrywoman, but nonetheless remains an integral member of the Explorers side. A starter in 18 of her 20 appearances in 2019, the Western Australian made significant strides last season after starting in 6 of her 17 appearances in her freshman season in 2018. Able to slot in either in a wingback role or higher up the pitch, Van Heurck has made an impact wherever she has been deployed, and will no doubt continue in the same vein once La Salle finally take to the pitch during the American spring.
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