Having earned a lead and then squandered it in the space of a few minutes midway through the second half, Alabama State needed a hero in their game against Alabama A&M as they looked to secure the regular season championship. Up stepped Grace Norbury, who capped another outstanding performance with the game-winning goal early in overtime. The freshman drifted wide to find herself in an acre of space to receive a cross before slotting home to send the Hornets into raptures as they celebrated the regular season title. The goal capped another impressive performance from Norbury as the midfielder once again played the full game and registered two shots on target. The Hornets will now face Alcorn State in the first round of the SWAC Tournament, hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
The blockbuster between La Salle and Massachusetts was a crucial game for both teams, and also saw Alyssa Van Heurck and Hannah Peric heavily involved for their respective sides. Both players spent the full 90 minutes on the pitch, but it was Van Heurck and La Salle who came away with the spoils to hopefully launch a late charge towards the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Massachusetts still find themselves top of the North pod, but things are a lot tighter now with very little room for any slip-ups at this late stage.
Coming into the weekend on a five-game losing streak, Wyoming would have been desperate to get a win on the board, particularly against local rivals Colorado State. Things didn’t look good early for the Cowgirls as they gave up a 12th minute penalty, but a save from goalkeeper Hannah Lee kept the game at 0-0, which is how it would stay until halftime. However, in the opening minute of the second half, Aussie junior Indianna Asimus managed to slide the ball home for the opener, opening the floodgates as Wyoming piled on three goals in the space of 11 minutes to secure a 3-0 victory in the traditional Border War matchup.
Sandra Hill and Grand Canyon looked, on paper, to be up against it as they took on high-flying Cal Baptist, but the Lopes had other ideas. Playing the same opponent twice in the space of a few days, Grand Canyon actually led twice in their first game against the Lancers before an 83rd minute equaliser saw the game end 2-2. Unperturbed by dropping their lead late in the contest, the Lopes came out firing in the second fixture. Goals in the 4th and 18th minutes set Grand Canyon their way, with a third just before halftime helping the Lopes to a 4-0 victory. In all this attacking domination, sometimes the performances of the defenders can get lost, but Hill was instrumental for Grand Canyon. The senior played all 110 minutes in the overtime draw before playing 61 minutes in the 4-0 win, tallying a shot in both games.
Finally, Amy Sayer capped a day in which she received another call-up to the Matildas squad with another solid performance for Stanford. Although the Cardinal lost both games this week to the Arizona schools, a delightful pass from the freshman played in Jojo Harber for the opening goal against Arizona in the team’s first game of the week. After several close calls on both shots and near-assists, Harber’s goal marked the first assist of Sayer’s college career, but surely not the last.
Complete Results
Alabama State (Grace Norbury, Sophie Bui)
This week: defeated Alabama A&M 2-1 (OT)
Grace Norbury played all 95 minutes in Alabama State’s overtime win against Alabama A&M, scoring the winner in the process. Sophie Bui did not feature for the Hornets this week.
Butler (Claire Farrington)
This week: game v Xavier cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.
Creighton (Renee Pountney)
This week: defeated Marquette 2-1 (OT); defeated DePaul 2-1
Renee Pountney came off the bench for Creighton to play 20 minutes and tally a shot against Marquette, but did not feature in the win over DePaul.
Eastern Illinois (Ashleigh Harvie)
No games this week.
Grambling State (Ashley Commens)
This week: defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3-2
Ashley Commens did not feature for Grambling State in their win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)
This week: drew with Cal Baptist 2-2; defeated Cal Baptist 4-0
Sandra Hill played all 110 minutes in Grand Canyon’s draw with Cal Baptist, before playing 61 minutes in the 4-0 win later in the week. The senior also finished with a shot in both games.
Hofstra (Grace Watson Carr)
This week: drew with Drexel 1-1
Grace Watson Carr did not feature for Hofstra in their draw with Drexel.
Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre)
This week: defeated Northwestern 2-1
Ashleigh Lefevre did not feature for Illinois in their win over Northwestern.
Incarnate Word (Madison McComasky)
This week: drew with Central Arkansas 1-1; defeated Northwestern State 2-0
Madison McComasky started both games for Incarnate Word this week, playing 49 minutes against Central Arkansas and all 90 minutes in the win over Northwestern State.
La Salle (Alyssa Van Heurck)
This week: defeated Massachusetts 2-1
Alyssa Van Heurck played the full 90 minutes for La Salle in their win over Massachusetts.
Marshall (Laura Farrelly)
This week: game v Charlotte postponed
Massachusetts (Hannah Peric)
This week: lost to La Salle 2-1
Hannah Peric played the full 90 minutes for Massachusetts in their loss to La Salle.
Nicholls State (Shauni Reid)
This week: drew with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0-0; lost to Houston Baptist 3-0
Shauni Reid did not feature against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but came off the bench to play 20 minutes in the loss to Houston Baptist.
Rhode Island (Teresa Morrissey)
This week: defeated Saint Joseph’s 2-1
Teresa Morrissey did not feature for Rhode Island in their win over Saint Joseph’s.
San Francisco (Ashley Jordan)
This week: lost to Santa Clara 4-0
Ashley Jordan did not feature for San Francisco in their loss to Santa Clara.
St. Francis Brooklyn (Jazzmin Forwood)
No games this week.
Stanford (Amy Sayer)
This week: lost to Arizona 2-1; lost to Arizona State 2-0
Amy Sayer started both games for Stanford this week. The freshman tallied an assist and a shot in 69 minutes against Arizona, and a shot on target in 66 minutes against Arizona State.
Tennessee-Martin (Kiarnie Latham)
This week: defeated Eastern Kentucky 5-1
Kiarnie Latham came off the bench for Tennessee-Martin in their win over Eastern Kentucky, playing 12 minutes.
UMBC (Abi Jordan)
This week: lost to UMass-Lowell 4-0
Abi Jordan did not feature for UMBC in their loss to UMass-Lowell.
USC (Talia Grossman)
This week: defeated Washington 5-0; defeated Washington State 1-0
Backup goalkeeper Talia Grossman did not feature for USC in either game this week.
Washington State (Aly Hay)
This week: lost to UCLA 4-0; lost to USC 1-0
Backup goalkeeper Aly Hay did not feature for Washington State in either game this week.
Wyoming (Indianna Asimus)
This week: defeated Colorado State 3-0
Indianna Asimus started and played 75 minutes for Wyoming in their win over Colorado State, scoring with her only shot of the contest.
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