Midweek undoubtedly provided more action than the previous week, and everyone will be hoping that Week 5 keeps the good times rolling as more and more Aussies step up. Sandra Hill is back in action after a week off due to postponed games, whilst it’s ‘welcome back’ for Indianna Asimus as her Wyoming side kick off their season with a pair of conference games.
Midweek Wrap
In one of the moments of the season, Jazzmin Forwood was instrumental as St. Francis Brooklyn picked up their first win in program history with a 3-1 win over Merrimack. Forwood provided the assist for the Terriers’ third goal, with the Territorian’s low cross finding a teammate to give St. Francis an unassailable lead late in the piece.
Hannah Peric was outstanding on debut last week, but somehow found a way to be even better against Stony Brook as Massachusetts picked up a 2-0 win. The towering Sydneysider wreaked havoc in the air when she wasn’t stopping attackers in their tracks, and it was only a matter of time until one of those aerial balls paid off. Eventually, a header from a corner found a teammate who toed the ball home to secure Peric her first college assist as she sets the early pace in the race for College Matildas Freshman of the Year.
Ash Harvie and Kiarnie Latham both enjoyed outstanding debuts as Eastern Illinois faced Tennessee-Martin in each team’s season opener. Tennessee-Martin secured a well-earned 1-0 win, with Latham finishing with a single shot in a complete game performance. Meanwhile, Harvie was ever-present for Eastern Illinois, playing the full 90 minutes.
Week 5 Preview
After their scheduled doubleheader against Dixie State was postponed, Sandra Hill and Grand Canyon return to action this week against New Mexico State looking to move to 2-1 in conference play. The Lopes may be 1-5 overall to this point, but have far outperformed that record and have every reason to be confident against an Aggies side that coughed up six goals to nil in two defeats to Utah Valley last weekend, the same team against which Grand Canyon scored their only win of the season. On a personal level, Hill has been in solid form to start the season and will be hoping to maintain that level as she begins to launch a charge at the Rachael Doyle Medal.
Meanwhile, in the SWAC, Grace Norbury and Sophie Bui will face off against Ashley Commens as Alabama State take on Grambling State in Montgomery. For Alabama State, it will be the second game of their first weekend of conference play, whilst Grambling State will look to build on last week’s 3-0 win over Texas Southern. Expect Grace Norbury to play an integral part for Alabama State in this one, whilst Bui and Commens will be raring to go off the bench for their respective sides.
Kiarnie Latham played 90 minutes on debut in Tennessee-Martin’s win over Eastern Illinois, and the Skyhawks will look to move to 2-0 as they take on a Belmont side against whom they split a pair of fixtures last season. The Skyhawks got the win in the regular season, only for Belmont to exact revenge in the conference tournament on UT-Martin’s home patch, so the returning players in particular will be hungry for victory. Latham may not have been part of that team, but won’t need any extra motivation to play an integral part in Tennessee-Martin’s performance, as proven in last week’s full-game performance on debut.
Meanwhile, Ash Harvie and Eastern Illinois will be hoping to bounce back from that loss to Latham and Eastern Illinois with a victory over Morehead State in their second conference game. Like Latham, Harvie played the full 90 minutes last week and will be looking to maintain her constant presence in her team’s lineup. As for the team, Eastern Illinois have won their last two games against Morehead State, including a 3-0 win last season, whilst the Eagles haven’t won more than five games in any of the last three seasons. On paper, this is the perfect opportunity for a bounce-back game.
Finally, it is time to welcome Indianna Asimus back into the fold as Wyoming kick off their season against Utah State. All three teams open their season this weekend, meaning the slate is entirely clean, with no prior form this season to go by. However, Wyoming and Utah State finished 9th and 10th respectively in the Mountain West last season, whilst New Mexico finished 4th but only five points clear of Wyoming through 11 games. Now a junior in a side with just four seniors, Asimus will no doubt be looked upon as a leader for Wyoming as they look to rebound from last year’s 7-win season and return to the kind of form that saw the Cowgirls rack up 12 wins in 2018.
Full Schedule
Alabama State (Grace Norbury, Sophie Bui)
This week: v Arkansas-Pine Bluff – 11am, Saturday March 6; v Grambling State – 6am, Monday March 8
Butler (Claire Farrington)
This week: v DePaul – 7am, Friday March 5
Creighton (Renee Pountney)
This week: v Xavier – 6am, Monday March 8
East Tennessee State (D’arne Boato)
This week: v UNC Greensboro – 7am, Saturday March 6; v VMI – 5am, Monday March 8
Eastern Illinois (Ashleigh Harvie)
This week: v Morehead State – 6am, Saturday March 6
Grambling State (Ashley Commens)
This week: @ Alabama A&M – 8am, Saturday March 6; @ Alabama State – 6am, Monday March 8
Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)
This week: v New Mexico State – 8am, Sunday March 7
Hartford (Jamie Campbell)
No games this week.
Hofstra (Grace Watson Carr)
No games this week.
Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre)
This week: @ Wisconsin – 4am, Friday March 5; @ Minnesota – 1pm, Sunday March 7
Incarnate Word (Madison McComasky)
This week: v McNeese State – 10am, Saturday March 6; v Lamar – 6am, Monday March 8
La Salle (Alyssa Van Heurck)
No games this week.
Marshall (Laura Farrelly)
This week: v Florida Atlantic – 11am, Saturday March 6
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
No games this week.
Nicholls State (Shauni Reid)
This week: v Stephen F. Austin – 7am, Saturday March 6; v Sam Houston State – 6am, Monday March 8
Rhode Island (Teresa Morrissey)
This week: @ Northeastern – 5am, Monday March 8
San Francisco (Ashley Jordan)
This week: @ Pepperdine – 7am, Sunday March 7
St. Francis Brooklyn (Jazzmin Forwood)
No games this week.
Stanford (Amy Sayer)
This week: v Utah – 10am, Saturday March 6; v Colorado – 7am, Monday March 8
Tennessee-Martin (Kiarnie Latham)
This week: @ Belmont – 11:30am, Saturday March 6
UMBC (Abi Jordan)
This week: @ Stony Brook – 4am, Monday March 8
USC (Talia Grossman)
This week: v Oregon State – 8am, Saturday March 6; v Oregon – 8am, Monday March 8
Washington State (Aly Hay)
This week: @ Arizona State – 1pm, Saturday March 6; @ Arizona – 6am, Monday March 8
Wyoming (Indianna Asimus)
This week: v Utah State – 7am, Saturday March 6; v New Mexico – 7am, Monday March 8
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