Tag: Beattie Goad

2018 Week 10 Preview

We’re getting right down to crunch time now, with plenty of Aussies either fighting to secure a conference tournament berth or simply work themselves back into the hunt. The biggest matchup of the week is in a league with no postseason tournament though as Colorado take on Stanford with both teams eyeing the league crown.

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Sam Roff’s Fairleigh Dickinson faced Shelby Milton’s Saint Francis side in last year’s Northeast Conference championship game, with Saint Francis emerging on penalties to take the title, and this week they meet for the first time since that thrilling match. This match sees the teams currently sitting in 2nd and 3rd behind high-flying Central Connecticut State, but with the conference tournament featuring just four teams, neither will want to drop points and potentially open themselves up to being caught by the chasing pack. Both teams are solid at the back, but Fairleigh Dickinson certainly have the edge up front, having scored 14 goals in conference play whereas Saint Francis have scored just six. Nevertheless, this should be a tight game that will do a lot to decide the makeup of the conference tournament.

Stanford v Colorado isn’t a matchup that springs to mind when talking about the Pac-12 conference title race, but Beattie Goad and Isobel Dalton face off this week with the winner moving into pole position alongside USC for the title in a league that features no postseason tournament. Colorado have racked up 17 goals in their six conference games to this point, but Stanford have conceded just two in their five wins in a perfect league slate to this point. Stanford would be favourites in this one at any venue, but on their home patch they are simply unbeatable over the last three seasons, and will no doubt come in with the utmost confidence. Don’t count Colorado out though – the Buffaloes are in this title race on merit and will certainly give things a fair shake.

Claudia Jenkins and Alyssa Van Heurck find themselves right in the mix for the final conference tournament spot in the Atlantic 10 as their La Salle side sit one point behind eighth-placed Dayton heading into the final two games of conference play. They’ll certainly have to be at their best this week though, as the Explorers face 2nd placed VCU and 4th placed George Mason in their final two league games, needing wins in both games and relying on Dayton to drop points at least once to secure that last postseason spot. Jenkins has had her hands full for much of the season, averaging almost five saves per game, and will surely face a lot of work this weekend against two of the better offences in the league. Whilst this isn’t the spot La Salle would have liked to be in at this stage, they do at least have the opportunity to sneak into the tournament, and from there, who knows what may eventuate?

Aussie-laden Hofstra may have already clinched their Colonial Athletic Association tournament berth, but for William & Mary, Drexel, and Towson, their seasons will hinge on this weekend’s results. Lorena Bugden’s William & Mary side are in the best position of the three, sitting in fifth and four points clear of elimination with just two games remaining. They will want to get things wrapped up in the first game of the weekend against seventh-placed Delaware though, as a loss there would leave Delaware within one point of them and also see the Tribe needing a result against second-placed Northeastern to secure their tournament berth. Emma Heckenberg’s Drexel outfit sit in the sixth and final tournament spot as things stand, but play Northeastern first up this weekend. Fortunately, they play bottom side Elon in their second game of the weekend, but three points may not be enough, so they will be hoping to at least sneak a draw against Northeastern. Then there’s Jodie Burchell and Towson, who need to beat UNC Wilmington and hope for a whole raft of results to go their way if they are to rise from their ninth spot in the standings.

Full Schedule:

Akron (Freyja Murray) 

This week: v Bowling Green – 10am, Friday October 19; v Toledo – 4am, Monday October 22 

Albany (Claire Urquhart)

This week: v UMBC – 10am, Friday October 19; @ Binghamton – 4am, Monday October 22 

Chicago State (Sarah Clark)

This week: v UTRGV – 5am, Saturday October 20

Colorado (Isobel Dalton)

This week: @ California – 6am, Friday October 19; @ Stanford – 6am, Monday October 22 

Drexel (Emma Heckenberg)

This week: @ Northeastern – 9am, Friday October 19; v Elon – 4am, Monday October 22 

East Tennessee State (Isabel Hodgson) 

This week: @ Mercer – 10am, Saturday October 20; @ The Citadel – 5am, Monday October 22 

Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff) 

This week: v Saint Francis – 6am, Sunday October 21 

Georgia Southern (Hannah Allen) 

This week: @ Arkansas State – 10am, Saturday October 20; @ Arkansas-Little Rock – 4am, Monday October 22

Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)

This week: v New Mexico State – 1pm, Saturday October 20; v Utah Valley – 7am, Monday October 22

Hawaii (Kiri Dale)

This week: @ Cal Poly – 1pm, Saturday October 20; @ UC Santa Barbara – 11am, Monday October 22 

Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson-Carr)

This week: v Charleston – 4am, Monday October 22 

Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre)

This week: @ Northwestern – 11am, Friday October 19; @ Nebraska – 5am, Monday October 22

La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck) 

This week: v George Mason – 10am, Friday October 19; @ VCU – 4am, Monday October 22 

LSU (Caitlin Cantrill)

This week: @ Tennessee – 10am, Friday October 19; v South Carolina – 4am, Monday October 22

Marshall (Laura Farrelly)

This week: v Louisiana Tech – 4am, Monday October 22

Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Tenille Harberger, Kristy Helmers)

This week: @ Central Arkansas – 11am, Saturday October 20; @ Northwestern State – 5am, Monday October 22

North Dakota State (Lauren Featherstone) 

This week: v Oral Roberts – 11am, Saturday October 20; v Nebraska-Omaha – 5am, Monday October 22

Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley)

This week: @ UTSA – 10am, Friday October 19; @ UTEP – 9am, Monday October 22

Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore)

This week: @ Belmont – 10:30am, Friday October 29; v Austin Peay – 6am, Monday October 22

St. Francis University (Shelby Milton) 

This week: @ Fairleigh Dickinson – 6am, Sunday October 21

Stanford (Beattie Goad)

This week: v Utah – 11am, Friday October 19; v Colorado – 6am, Monday October 22 

Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis)

This week: @ TCU – 11am, Saturday October 20 

Towson (Jodie Burchell)

This week: @ UNC Wilmington – 5am, Monday October 22

UCLA (Teagan Micah) 

This week: v Oregon – 12pm, Friday October 19; v Oregon State – 6am, Monday October 22 

Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout) 

This week: @ The Citadel – 4am, Saturday October 20; @ Mercer – 5am, Monday October 22

William & Mary (Lorena Bugden)

This week: @ Delaware – 4am, Friday October 19; v Northeastern – 4am, Monday October 22 

Wyoming (Indianna Asimus, Annika Clayton, Jessie Gentle, Caitlin Pickett)

This week: v Nevada – 8am, Saturday October 20; v UNLV – 6am, Monday October 22

2018 Week 7 Preview

Beattie Goad. Teagan Micah. Stanford. UCLA. Last time this matchup occurred, it was in Orlando and culminated in one of the greatest College Cup games in history, with Goad and Stanford taking final honours in a 3-2 victory. This time, the Cardinal defend their home patch, with Micah and UCLA out for redemption. Back on the east coast, a plethora of Aussie v Aussie matchups are set to shake up conference title races even at this early stage.

Games don’t get much bigger than a rematch of the previous year’s College Cup championship, and that’s exactly what we have this week as Beattie Goad and Stanford face Teagan Micah’s UCLA side on Friday afternoon Sydney time. Stanford are currently on a 31-match unbeaten streak dating back to early last season, but for UCLA, they will be looking to bounce back after falling 1-0 to Washington State in their only game last week. Teagan Micah missed that game after suffering a knock during the warm-ups, and will be hoping to return to the side for one of the most highly anticipated games of the season. On the other hand, Beattie Goad continues to make the most of her extended time on the pitch in a Stanford side that has suffered a few injuries of its own recently, continuing to be one of the best-performed players for the Cardinal in recent weeks.

Staying in the Pac-12, Isobel Dalton and Colorado travel south to Arizona to take on Arizona State before facing Arizona to round out the week. The Buffaloes have put together an outstanding 9-0-1 record to this point, but the two Arizona schools represent an entirely different proposition to what they have faced in non-conference play and in the 6-0 win in last week’s conference opener against Oregon State. Now sitting at #18 in the rankings, Colorado will be out to show that they deserve that ranking against a pair of solid opponents, and Isobel Dalton will hopefully be able to secure some more playing time after an impressive outing off the bench against Oregon State. Of particular note was the delightful pass that set up the team’s final goal, a ball that reminded everyone of the senior’s class in midfield.

Heading east, we find another highly-anticipated game in the form of the local derby between Kate Swartwout’s Western Carolina and Isabel Hodgson’s East Tennessee State outfit. Swartwout and the Catamounts certainly have the bragging rights at the moment, having won in both 2016 and 2017, and with a 5-3-2 record to this point in comparison to ETSU’s 3-7, will be favourites for this one. However, the Buccaneers’ offence appears to be humming again with everyone back after defeating Wofford 7-1 last week as both of these teams beat the same two opponents last week to sit tied atop the Southern Conference standings after one week of play. Isabel Hodgson picked up a goal and an assist in the space of a minute in that win over Wofford, whilst Kate Swartwout has been an integral part of the Western Carolina side for much of the year, so expect both Aussies to be heavily involved in what should be an entertaining game.

Emma Heckenberg’s Drexel side and Lorena Bugden’s William & Mary outfit each split their opening Colonial Athletic Association league games this week, meaning that a win in this Aussie v Aussie matchup could go a long way to keeping whichever team gets the three points in contention for top spot in a league season consisting of just nine games. Both teams played College of Charleston last week, with William & Mary falling 2-1, but Drexel winning by the same scoreline in overtime as Heckenberg delivered an assist on the equaliser before the Dragons completed the comeback in the extra minutes. Drexel are certainly the team expected to do better in conference play this season, but William & Mary always pose a threat and will certainly not roll over easily.

Laura Farrelly and Marshall got away to a flyer in Conference USA last week with wins over UTEP and Florida International, and this week will see the Thundering Herd attempt to keep the good times rolling against Gaby Bentley and Old Dominion. The Monarchs had a far less successful opening to league play, falling to Louisiana Tech and Charlotte, and need to pick up some points fairly quickly if they want to make their way into a conference tournament that selects only the top 8 in the 14-team league. Whilst this game does have the potential to be an Aussie v Aussie matchup, it will take some selection changes from coaches for it to happen, as Farrelly is yet to make her debut and Bentley has seen only limited minutes in recent weeks. However, to paraphrase Murray Walker, anything happens in college women’s soccer, and it usually does.

Full Schedule: 

Akron (Freyja Murray)

This week: v Eastern Michigan – 9am, Saturday September 29; v Central Michigan – 3am, Monday October 1

Albany (Claire Urquhart)

This week: v Stony Brook – 9am, Friday September 28; @ UMass Lowell – 7am, Monday October 1 

Chicago State (Sarah Clark)

This week: v Cal State Bakersfield – 4am, Saturday September 29; v Cal Baptist – 4am, Monday October 1 

Colorado (Isobel Dalton)

This week: @ Arizona State – 7am, Friday September 28; @ Arizona – 5am, Monday September 1

Drexel (Emma Heckenberg) 

This week: @ William & Mary – 4am, Monday October 1

East Tennessee State (Isabel Hodgson) 

This week: @ Western Carolina – 9am, Saturday September 29; v King – 9am, Tuesday October 2

Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff)

This week: @ Central Connecticut State – 8am, Saturday September 29; v Robert Morris – 6am, Monday October 1 

Georgia Southern (Hannah Allen)

This week: @ Louisiana-Monroe – 9am, Saturday September 29; @ South Alabama – 3am, Monday October 1 

Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)

This week: @ Seattle – 6am, Monday October 1

Hawaii (Kiri Dale)

This week: @ UC Irvine – 12pm, Saturday September 29; @ Cal State Northridge – 10am, Monday October 1

Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson-Carr) 

This week: v Delaware – 9am, Friday September 28; @ UNC Wilmington – 2am, Monday October 1

Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre) 

This week: v Michigan State – 9am, Sunday September 30 

La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck) 

This week: @ Duquesne – 9am, Friday September 28; v Massachusetts – 3am, Monday October 1 

LSU (Caitlin Cantrill) 

This week: v Alabama – 10am, Friday September 28

Marshall (Laura Farrelly)

This week: @ Old Dominion – 9am, Saturday September 29; @ Charlotte – 3am, Monday October 1 

Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Tenille Harberger, Kristy Helmers)

This week: v Houston Baptist – 7am, Saturday September 29; v Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – 4am, Monday October 1 

North Dakota State (Lauren Featherstone)

This week: @ Western Illinois – 7am, Saturday September 29; @ Fort Wayne – 1:30am, Monday October 1 

Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley)

This week: v Marshall – 9am, Saturday September 29; v Western Kentucky – 3am, Monday October 1 

Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore) 

This week: v Eastern Kentucky – 9:30am, Friday September 28; v Morehead State – 5am, Monday October 1 

St. Francis University (Shelby Milton)

This week: @ Sacred Heart – 2am, Saturday September 29; @ Bryant – 5am, Monday October 1 

Stanford (Beattie Goad) 

This week: v UCLA – 1pm, Friday September 28; v USC – 6am, Monday October 1 

Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis) 

This week: v Oklahoma – 10am, Saturday September 29; v Baylor – 4am, Monday October 1

Towson (Jodie Burchell) 

This week: v Northeastern – 5am, Friday September 28; @ Elon – 3am, Monday October 1

UCLA (Teagan Micah)

This week: @ Stanford – 1pm, Friday September 28; @ California – 8am, Monday October 1

Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout)

This week: v East Tennessee State – 9am, Saturday September 29 

William & Mary (Lorena Bugden)

This week: v UNC Wilmington – 9am, Friday September 28; v Drexel – 4am, Monday October 1 

Wyoming (Indianna Asimus, Annika Clayton, Jessie Gentle, Caitlin Pickett)

This week: @ Utah State – 8am, Saturday September 29; @ Boise State – 5am, Monday October 1

2018 Week 4 Preview

Sam Roff and Monique Iannella will face off in an All-Aussie matchup as part of a big week as teams look to hit form just in time for the rapidly approaching conference season.

(Featured Image Credit: Jonathan Heisler)

An All-Aussie matchup between a couple of the best defenders we have highlights this week’s schedule as Sam Roff’s Fairleigh Dickinson side face Monique Iannella and Hofstra. Hofstra have certainly enjoyed a better start to the season to this point, sitting at 3-2 even after last week’s heavy loss to Virginia. However, Fairleigh Dickinson recently snapped a four-game losing streak with last week’s win over Kent State and will be in no mood to fall back into those losing ways that halted their momentum early in the piece. Whatever the result may be, expect both Roff and Iannella to be heavily involved as the pair form integral parts of their respective backlines.

Beattie Goad has been on a tear for Stanford recently, but this week will be the biggest test of the still young season as the Cardinal host Notre Dame before facing North Carolina in a #1 v #2 matchup. It’s been a slightly stuttering start for Notre Dame, who won their first three games before falling to a 4-1 loss to Butler two weeks ago, and have since fallen to 4-2. However, the Fighting Irish are certainly a very good side and will provide a stern test for Stanford. North Carolina are always among the title contenders, and currently sit at #2 in the polls, behind only Stanford themselves. The Tar Heels have won five of their six games to this point, with their only dropped points coming in a 1-1 draw with a Texas side currently sitting at #18 in the polls. With that said, Stanford are a perfect six wins from six games, scoring 18 goals and conceding just 2 to this point, and will expect themselves to win both of these games to extend their 26-game winning streak by another two games.

Emma Heckenberg has been in solid form of late, and her Drexel team has been no different, winning their last three games to move to a 3-1-2 record through six games, with their only loss to this point coming on the road at Rutgers. This week sees the Dragons take on one of their local rivals on the four-mile trip to St. Joseph’s to face a Hawks team that also finds itself in good form coming in. Whilst St. Joseph’s fell to a 3-0 loss to Princeton last week, they still sit at 3-1-1 and drew 1-1 with the same Rutgers side that defeated Drexel. With both sides looking to continue good starts to the season and plenty of feeling between the two teams, this game could be an entertaining early season contest.

It’s been a tough start to the season for Isabel Hodgson and East Tennessee State, but the Buccaneers picked up their first competitive win of the season last week, which couldn’t have come at a better time as they now host #9 ranked Tennessee as they continue to battle-test themselves before conference play. However, the Volunteers sit at 5-0-1 through six games, and rolled to a 4-0 victory over the same George Mason side that defeated East Tennessee State 1-0 earlier in the season. Although this will be an incredibly tough game for the Buccaneers, it could prove to be valuable down the stretch, particularly if they can at least keep it close, if not pick up a result.

Gaby Bentley has been in scoring form for Old Dominion recently with two goals in as many weeks, and the Monarchs may need the South Australian to pop up with another midfield strike if they are to get results in a tough pair of games against VCU and Duke. VCU have put together a 3-2 record to this point against an interesting set of opponents, and would probably be considered slender favourites. However, Old Dominion are 2-1-2 against a reasonably comparable set of opponents, so this match could certainly be a tight one. Duke, however, will be a different proposition entirely. Although the Blue Devils slipped up in a loss to Ashleigh Lefevre and Illinois early in the season, they have compiled a 4-1-1 record with wins against a number of power conference teams to flex their title credentials. Old Dominion will certainly have their work cut out for them against a side looking to return to the College Cup, but like ETSU against Tennessee, these are the games that test a team’s mettle and can set them up for conference play, which is where Old Dominion really need to shine this year if they are to make a run at the NCAA Tournament.

Full Schedule: 

Akron (Freyja Murray)

This week: @ Dayton – 9am, Saturday September 8; @ Xavier – 3am, Monday September 10

Albany (Claire Urquhart)

This week: @ Siena – 6am, Friday September 7; v Rhode Island – 3am, Monday September 10

Chicago State (Sarah Clark)

This week: @ Massachusetts – 3am, Saturday September 8

Colorado (Isobel Dalton) 

This week: @ Marquette – 10am, Friday September 7; @ Michigan State – 2am, Monday September 10

Drexel (Emma Heckenberg) 

This week: @ St. Joseph’s – 9am, Friday September 7

East Tennessee State (Isabel Hodgson)

This week: v Tennessee – 9am, Friday September 7

Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff)

This week: v Hofstra – 9am, Friday September 7; v Army – 2am, Monday September 10 

Georgia Southern (Hannah Allen)

This week: @ Kennesaw State – 8am, Saturday September 8

Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)

This week: @ Northern Colorado – 11am, Saturday September 8; @ Colorado State – 4am, Monday September 10

Hawaii (Kiri Dale)

This week: v UC San Diego – 3pm, Saturday September 8

Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson-Carr)

This week: @ Fairleigh Dickinson – 9am, Friday September 7; @ Princeton – 9am, Monday September 10

Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre)

This week: v Illinois State – 4am, Monday September 10

La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck)

This week: @ Rutgers – 3am, Monday September 10

LSU (Caitlin Cantrill)

This week: v Stetson – 10am, Friday September 7; v Samford – 7am, Monday September 10

Marshall (Laura Farrelly)

This week: @ High Point – 9am, Saturday September 8; @ Gardner-Webb – 3am, Monday September 10 

Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Tenille Harberger, Kristy Helmers)

This week: v Southern Mississippi – 4am, Monday September 10

North Dakota State (Lauren Featherstone) 

This week: @ Minnesota – 9am, Saturday September 8; v Northern Iowa – 4am, Monday September 10 

Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley)

This week: v VCU – 9am, Friday September 7; @ Duke – 7am, Monday September 10

Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore)

This week: v Oral Roberts – 5am, Monday September 10

St. Francis University (Shelby Milton) 

This week: @ Niagara – 9am, Friday September 7; @ Buffalo – 2am, Monday September 10

Stanford (Beattie Goad)

This week: v Notre Dame – 11am, Saturday September 8; v North Carolina – 7:30am, Monday September 10 

Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis)

This week: v Florida International – 10:15am, Saturday September 8; v Oregon State – 10am, Monday September 10

Towson (Jodie Burchell)

This week: @ Loyola Maryland – 9am, Friday September 7; v UMBC – 3am, Monday September 10

UCLA (Teagan Micah)

This week: v Pepperdine – 12pm, Saturday September 8

Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout) 

This week: @ Tennessee-Martin – 10am, Saturday September 8; @ Middle Tennessee State – 5am, Monday September 10

William & Mary (Lorena Bugden)

This week: @ Bucknell – 9am, Friday September 7; @ Texas A&M – 9am, Monday September 10

Wyoming (Indiana Asimus, Annika Clayton, Jessie Gentle, Caitlin Pickett)

This week: v Montana – 8am, Saturday September 8; v Iowa – 4am, Monday September 10

2018 Week 3 Wrap

One of the biggest weekends for Australians in college in recent memory transpired this week, with four players tallying goals, another six registering assists, and a number of others putting in solid efforts to round out what was a simply mesmerising set of performances across the board.

(Featured Image Credit: Jim Shorin/ISIPhotos.com)

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who had a better weekend than Beattie Goad, with the junior proving instrumental for Stanford as the #1 side in the nation extended their winning streak to 26 games. The Cardinal had to work for it in both games, being outshot by BYU in their opening game of the week but nonetheless finding their way to a 2-0 win, with Goad being credited with an assist on the game’s opening goal. The junior then came up with the opening goal in Stanford’s second game of the week against Minnesota, hitting a shot from the edge of the area into the far bottom corner and out of the goalkeeper’s reach. However, Stanford would by no means have the game their own way as Minnesota forced overtime before the Cardinal escaped with a winner early in overtime.

Claudia Jenkins also enjoyed an outstanding week, playing a vital role between the sticks in La Salle’s 2-1 overtime win over Colgate. Jenkins faced six shots on target, making an impressive five saves, with each and every one of those proving crucial as the Explorers only managed to equalise in the final 15 minutes after giving up the opener just after the hour mark. The La Salle side didn’t mess around in overtime, as although it took them seven minutes to create an attacking chance, they scored with their very first to clinch the golden goal win and move to 4-1 through their first five games. Alyssa Van Heurck came off the bench for La Salle in the win, playing an 8-minute cameo.

Isabel Hodgson returned to the scorers list for the first time in 2018 as the South Australian looks to improve on last season’s return of two goals, burying the winner in East Tennessee State’s win over USC Upstate. In a fairly even contest that saw each team register 10 shots, Hodgson’s close-range finish in the 19th minute proved to be the difference as the Buccaneers put a four-game losing streak behind them to pick up their first win of the season with the 1-0 result. Unfortunately, a far tougher Charlotte side proved to be too much to handle for ETSU in their second game of the weekend as the Buccaneers fell to a 3-0 defeat, with Hodgson tallying one of the team’s three shots.

Teagan Micah and UCLA endured a tough road trip to Florida with national team stars Hailie Mace and Jessie Fleming away representing the US and Canada respectively, but the Australian goalkeeper still managed to notch a career highlight even as the Bruins could only come away with a draw and a loss from their two games in the southeast. UCLA opened the weekend with a 0-0 draw against Florida, and although Micah had just the one save to make, that save was enough to see the junior register the 20th clean sheet of her career in just 51 appearances, equating to just under 40% of Micah’s appearances resulting in clean sheets. Ironically, Micah came up with six saves against Florida State in the team’s second game of the week, but the Bruins fell to a 4-1 defeat as the Seminoles peppered the UCLA goal with ten shots on target.

Gaby Bentley’s goal against Towson last week proved to be no fluke as the South Australian tallied her second goal of the season, although Old Dominion fell to George Mason in their only game of the week. Bentley scored the opener in the 40th minute, capitalising on a rebound to tap the ball home from close range. But George Mason equalised early in the second half before finding the winner 16 minutes from fulltime to send the Monarchs to their first loss of what has been a solid season to this point.

Monique Iannella has been delivering assists to teammates from the moment she transferred from Texas to Hofstra, and nothing changed this week as the former Melbourne City player again played a part in the build-up of a Pride goal. Needing a solid start against Fordham as they looked to put together a dominant performance for the first time since their win over Bucknell, Iannella was credited with the assist on Lucy Shepherd’s opener in the third minute as Hofstra found themselves 2-0 up inside 20 minutes before running out 3-1 victors. Unfortunately, things were far tougher against #6 Virginia, who registered 27 shots to 2 on their way to a 5-1 victory.

Emma Heckenberg appears to be joining Iannella as a threat whipping in corners after delivering two almost identical assists in Drexel’s 2-1 victory over St. John’s. The first came in the 11th minute as Kiera Hennessy looped a header off Heckenberg’s delicious ball in over the goalkeeper’s head to nestle in the back of the net, before repeating the dose 17 minutes later in a similar fashion. St. John’s gave themselves a late chance with an 88th minute goal from the spot, but Drexel managed to hold on for the 2-1 victory. The Dragons followed that victory up with a 1-0 overtime win over Maryland, with Heckenberg and the Drexel defence holding the Terrapins to just two shots on target before the Dragons came up with a 94th minute golden goal to take their winning streak to three games as part of a four-game unbeaten run.

Kristy Helmers and Tessa Calabria have found minutes slightly difficult to come by so far this season, but the attacking pair pressed their claims for increased playing time after delivering for Nicholls State this weekend. Whilst Helmers tallied a single shot in the Colonels’ 2-1 thrilling overtime win over Jackson State, that had nothing on the performances the Aussie pair turned out in a 6-0 demolition of Alcorn State. Helmers was given the start and tallied four shots, scoring the opener in the 8th minute, whilst Calabria tallied five shots and added an assist in just 21 minutes off the bench as Nicholls State rattled off 36 shots on the way to cruising to a dominant victory.

Ashleigh Lefevre also made a case for more playing time off the bench after coming up with an assist in Illinois’ win over SIU Edwardsville. The Illini, already on a high after securing an upset 2-1 win over #14 Oklahoma State, came out firing against their in-state foes, scoring in the first minute and heading into halftime up 3-0. Lefevre tallied her assist on the fourth goal of the game 12 minutes after the break, teeing up Kelly Maday for the junior’s third goal of the season as Illinois cruised to a 5-0 demolition of the Cougars.

Jessie Gentle is one player who has no need to fight for increased playing time, with the senior one of the first names on the team sheet for Wyoming, and this week the Woolgoolga product came up with her first tangible production of the season as Wyoming picked up a 2-1 win over Idaho State. With Wyoming up 1-0 going into the second half, Gentle delivered the assist on what would prove to be the game-winning goal in the 49th minute as the Cowgirls went up 2-0 before Idaho State made things interesting with a goal in the 82nd minute as the game ended 2-1.

Finally, we had yet another Australian make their NCAA Division I debut this week as Chicago State’s Sarah Clark made her first appearance since transferring from Lassen Community College. Clark came off the bench for the Cougars in their 2-0 loss to Eastern Illinois, playing 21 minutes to see her first action in the top level of college soccer.

Complete Results: 

Akron (Freyja Murray)

This week: drew 2-2 with Indiana State; defeated Youngstown State 6-0

Freyja Murray did not feature in the draw with Indiana State, but played 13 minutes off the bench in the win over Youngstown State.

Albany (Claire Urquhart)

This week: defeated Iona 2-1; lost 2-0 to Buffalo

Claire Urquhart did not feature for Albany in either game this week.

Chicago State (Sarah Clark)

This week: lost 6-1 to SIU Edwardsville; lost 2-0 to Eastern Illinois

Sarah Clark did not feature in the loss to SIU Edwardsville, but came off the bench to make her NCAA Division I debut against Eastern Illinois, playing 13 minutes. 

Colorado (Isobel Dalton)

This week: defeated UTSA 4-0; defeated Iowa State 3-1

Isobel Dalton came off the bench in both games this week, registering a single shot in her 9 minutes of playing time against UTSA, before playing 19 minutes in the win over Iowa State and again tallying a shot.

Drexel (Emma Heckenberg)

This week: defeated St. John’s 2-1; defeated Maryland 1-0 (OT)

Emma Heckenberg started both games this week, playing 84 minutes and delivering the corners that resulted in both Drexel goals against St. John’s, before playing the full 94 minutes in the overtime win over Maryland.

East Tennessee State (Isabel Hodgson)

This week: defeated USC Upstate 1-0; lost 3-0 to Charlotte

Isabel Hodgson started both games this week, playing 65 minutes and scoring the only goal in ETSU’s win over USC Upstate, before registering a single shot in 76 minutes in the loss to Charlotte.

Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff)

This week: lost 4-0 to Cleveland State; defeated Kent State 2-1

Sam Roff played the full 90 minutes in the loss to Cleveland State, before coming off the bench to play 63 minutes and register two shots on target in the win over Kent State. 

Georgia Southern (Hannah Allen)

This week: lost 1-0 to Stetson; defeated Davidson 1-0

Hannah Allen did not feature for Georgia Southern in either game this week.

Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)

This week: lost 2-1 to UTEP; lost 2-1 to UTSA (OT)

Sandra Hill did not feature for Grand Canyon in either game this week.

Hawaii (Kiri Dale)

This week: defeated Saint Mary’s 2-1; defeated Pacific 5-0

Kiri Dale came off the bench against Saint Mary’s registering a shot in 47 minutes of action, before getting the start in the win over Pacific and playing 48 minutes. 

Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson-Carr)

This week: defeated Fordham 3-1; lost 5-1 to Virginia

Monique Iannella started both games this week, playing the full 90 minutes and tallying an assist in the win over Fordham before playing 84 minutes in the loss to Virginia. Grace Watson-Carr did not feature for Hofstra this week.

Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre) 

This week: defeated Oklahoma State 2-1; defeated SIU Edwardsville 5-0

Ashleigh Lefevre came off the bench in both games this week, playing five minutes in the upset win over Oklahoma State and delivering the assist for Illinois’ fourth goal during her 20-minute cameo against SIU Edwardsville.

La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck) 

This week: defeated Colgate 2-1 (OT)

Claudia Jenkins played the full 97 minutes and made five saves in La Salle’s 2-1 overtime win over Colgate, whilst Alyssa Van Heurck came off the bench to play 8 minutes.

LSU (Caitlin Cantrill)

This week: defeated South Alabama 1-0

Caitlin Cantrill did not feature for LSU in the win over South Alabama.

Marshall (Laura Farrelly)

This week: defeated Eastern Kentucky 2-1; lost 3-1 to Ohio

Laura Farrelly did not feature for Marshall in either game this week.

Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Tenille Harberger, Kristy Helmers) 

This week: defeated Jackson State 2-1; defeated Alcorn State 6-0

Kristy Helmers came off the bench in the win over Jackson State, playing 29 minutes and tallying a single shot, before getting the start in the demolition of Alcorn State, slotting home her first goal of the season in 60 minutes of playing time. Tessa Calabria played just 10 minutes off the bench against Jackson State, but registered five shots in 21 minutes and tallied an assist in the win over Alcorn State. Tenille Harberger did not feature in either game this week.

North Dakota State (Lauren Featherstone)

This week: lost 1-0 to Northern Colorado; lost 1-0 to Drake

Lauren Featherstone came off the bench to play 29 minutes against Northern Colorado, but did not feature in the loss to Drake. 

Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley)

This week: lost 2-1 to George Mason

Gaby Bentley finished with Old Dominion’s only goal in 28 minutes off the bench as the Monarchs fell to a 2-1 defeat. 

Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore) 

This week: lost 5-0 to Arizona; lost 4-0 to Arizona State

Siena Senatore did not feature for Southeast Missouri State in either game this week.

St. Francis University (Shelby Milton) 

This week: defeated Binghamton 3-0; drew 0-0 with Bucknell

Shelby Milton did not feature for St. Francis in either game this week. 

Stanford (Beattie Goad)

This week: defeated BYU 2-0; defeated Minnesota 2-1 (OT)

Beattie Goad started both games this week, playing the full 90 minutes against BYU and delivering an assist on Stanford’s opener, before again playing a complete game against Minnesota and scoring the Cardinal’s opening goal in the 2-1 overtime victory.

Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis) 

This week: lost 1-0 to Boston College

Demi Koulizakis came off the bench for Texas Tech in the loss to Boston College, but saw just 10 minutes of playing time. 

Towson (Jodie Burchell)

This week: lost 1-0 to Bucknell; lost 3-1 to Utah State

Jodie Burchell came off the bench to play 12 minutes in the loss to Bucknell, but did not feature in the loss to Utah State.

UCLA (Teagan Micah)

This week: drew 0-0 with Florida; lost 4-1 to Florida State

Teagan Micah picked up the 20th clean sheet of her career against Florida, making a single save, before making six saves in the loss to Florida State. 

Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout)

This week: defeated Campbell 1-0 (OT); drew 0-0 with Navy (match shortened due to lightning)

Kate Swartwout came off the bench against Campbell to play 18 minutes and register a pair of shots, before playing the final 10 minutes against Navy as the match was called after 72 minutes due to lightning with the score at 0-0.

William & Mary (Lorena Bugden) 

This week: match v South Carolina cancelled due to inclement weather; defeated Liberty 2-1 (OT)

Lorena Bugden did not feature for William & Mary in the win over Liberty. 

Wyoming (Indiana Asimus, Annika Clayton, Jessie Gentle, Caitlin Pickett)

This week: defeated Idaho State 2-1

All four Australians started the game in the win over Idaho State, with Jessie Gentle providing the assist on Wyoming’s goal in the 48th minute in a 75-minute effort. Indianna Asimus tallied three shots in 57 minutes, whilst Annika Clayton also had a trio of attempts in her 80 minutes on the pitch, with Caitlin Pickett playing 62 minutes.

Player of the Year Points:

3: Beattie Goad (Stanford)
2: Emma Heckenberg (Drexel)
1: Claudia Jenkins (La Salle)

2018 Week 3 Preview

Title contenders Stanford and UCLA head on the road for some early season tests, with Beattie Goad and Teagan Micah looking to maintain their outstanding early season form. Elsewhere, Sam Roff and Fairleigh Dickinson will be looking to get back to winning ways, whilst Monique Iannella and Hofstra are hoping that a win comes a little more easily than in last week’s overtime thriller against Boston University.

(Featured Image Credit: Hector Garcia)

Beattie Goad and Stanford face a difficult road double this week, with their task not made any easier by the amount of distance they will cover across the weekend. The Cardinal begin their week in Utah at BYU, facing the Cougars for the first time since an NCAA Tournament win in 2015. BYU currently sit at 1-1-1, a fair record considering their schedule to this date, but Stanford will go into this one as heavy favourites. Stanford then travel to Minnesota for their second game of the week, facing a Golden Gophers side that has started the season 3-1, with a loss to nationally ranked Washington State their only blip so far. With plenty of travel and a game in their legs, Stanford will have to make sure they get up for this one or it could prove to be a potential banana skin for the #1 team in the country.

UCLA also head away this week, and whilst their two opponents may not be as spread as wide as Stanford’s, the Bruins have set themselves up with a solid early-season test against national title contenders Florida and Florida State. Florida in particular will be itching to bounce back as their ambitions to secure a high seeding in the NCAA Tournament took an early hit after falling to Ohio State and Oklahoma State last week after starting the season with a pair of wins. Florida State, on the other hand, are absolutely flying at the moment. The Seminoles have started the season 4-0, scoring 12 goals and conceding the princely sum of zero. However, UCLA have already shown their wares in last week’s 2-1 win over Penn State, a game in which Teagan Micah’s performance earned the Australian junior Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week honours after some scintillating saves as Penn State needed a spot kick to get by the Queenslander, and even that was nearly saved.

Hofstra make the trip from Long Island into the city for a local derby of sorts against Bronx-based Fordham in what is a regular fixture for the two sides. The Pride are on a three-game winning streak dating back to 2015, and with the team looking to maintain their reputation as a mid-major powerhouse, this is one game they simply have to win to keep themselves in the national conversation, particularly after slipping to a loss to Fairfield earlier in the season. Fordham are yet to pick up a win this season, falling to three defeats to start their campaign, so expect this one to be battled out intensely, and whilst it would be great to see Monique Iannella pick up another assist or two, hopefully the Pride won’t require one in the final minute again as they did to force overtime in their win over Boston University.

Although the Pride will start favourites against Fordham, they will definitely be underdogs in their road game against #7 Virginia which rounds out their weekend. However, with that said, the Pride have very little to lose in this matchup, and that may just give them the freedom to play which could help them perhaps spring a surprise against a highly-rated Cavaliers that is tipped to be in the mix in the latter stages of the NCAA Tournament come the end of the season.

La Salle’s Australian goalkeeper Claudia Jenkins has given up only one goal in four games this season, but unfortunately that one goal came in the second overtime of a midweek match against Drexel as the Explorers fell to a still-impressive 3-1 record through four games. The Explorers play just the one game this week, against a Colgate side that currently sits at 1-1-1 through three games after picking up their first victory of the season last weekend in a double overtime win over Claire Urquhart and Albany. But with Jenkins in sparkling form recently and Aussie freshman Alyssa Van Heurck helping to shore up the defence off the bench, the Explorers have turned into a defensive juggernaut of sorts, and if La Salle are to pick up a fourth victory in five games, it will start at the back.

Fairleigh Dickinson looked set to take victory in their midweek match against Rider before giving up a last-minute game-tying goal before falling in overtime, but Sam Roff and the Knights will be looking to bounce back on neutral turf as they face a pair of Ohio schools in Wilmington, North Carolina. Having suffered three consecutive losses, this trip away for a pair of games could hopefully serve as the shake-up the team needs to get them back in their rhythm after a tough couple of weeks since their opening day victory over Marshall. The first game, against Cleveland State, looks set to be the Knights’ best chance at victory, particularly as the Vikings fell 2-0 to Kent State, the other team that Fairleigh Dickinson will face this weekend, just last week. However, neither game will be a walk in the park, and another solid performance from Roff and her fellow defenders will go a long way to getting the Knights over the line this weekend.

Full Schedule:

Akron (Freyja Murray)

This week: v Indiana State – 9am, Saturday September 1; v Youngstown State – 3am, Monday September 3

Albany (Claire Urquhart)

This week: v Iona – 6am, Saturday September 1; v Buffalo – 3am, Monday September 3

Chicago State (Sarah Clark)

This week: v SIU Edwardsville – 4am, Saturday September 1; v Eastern Illinois – 4am, Monday September 3

Colorado (Isobel Dalton)

This week: v UTSA – 8am, Saturday September 1; v Iowa State – 4am, Monday September 3

Drexel (Emma Heckenberg)

This week: v St. John’s – 9am, Friday August 31; v Maryland – 4am, Monday September 3

East Tennessee State (Isabel Hodgson)

This week: @ USC Upstate – 9am, Friday August 31; @ Charlotte – 9am, Monday September 3

Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff)

This week: v Cleveland State – 7am, Saturday September 1; v Kent State – 1am, Monday September 3

Georgia Southern (Hannah Allen)

This week: v Stetson – 6am, Saturday September 1; v Davidson – 3am, Monday September 3

Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)

This week: @ UTEP – 10am, Saturday September 1; @ UTSA – 4am, Monday September 3

Hawaii (Kiri Dale) 

This week: @ Saint Mary’s – 9:30am, Friday August 31; @ Pacific – 6am, Monday September 3

Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson-Carr)

This week: @ Fordham – 9am, Friday August 31; @ Virginia – 3am, Monday September 3

Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre) 

This week: v Oklahoma State – 10am, Saturday September 1; v SIU Edwardsville – 4am, Monday September 3

La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck)

This week: @ Colgate – 9am, Friday August 31

LSU (Caitlin Cantrill)

This week: @ South Alabama – 10am, Friday August 31

Marshall (Laura Farrelly)

This week: v Eastern Kentucky – 9am, Saturday September 1; @ Ohio – 3am, Monday September 3

Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Tenille Harberger, Kristy Helmers)

This week: v Jackson State – 7am, Saturday September 1; v Alcorn State – 4am, Monday September 3 

North Dakota State (Lauren Featherstone) 

This week: v Northern Colorado – 10am, Saturday September 1; v Drake – 4am, Monday September 3 

Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley) 

This week: @ George Mason – 9am, Friday August 31

Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore)

This week: @ Arizona – 7:30am, Saturday September 1; @ Arizona State – 4:30am, Monday September 3

St. Francis University (Shelby Milton)

This week: v Binghamton – 6am, Saturday September 1; v Bucknell – 6am, Monday September 3

Stanford (Beattie Goad)

This week: @ BYU – 11am, Friday August 31; @ Minnesota – 4am, Monday September 3

Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis)

This week: @ Boston College – 10am, Sunday September 2

Towson (Jodie Burchell)

This week: v Utah State – 1am, Monday September 3 

UCLA (Teagan Micah)

This week: @ Florida – 9am, Saturday September 1; @ Florida State – 7am, Monday September 3

Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout)

This week: v Campbell – 9am, Saturday September 1; v Navy – 3am, Monday September 3

William & Mary (Lorena Bugden)

This week: v South Carolina – 9am, Friday August 31; v Liberty – 4am, Monday September 3

Wyoming (Indiana Asimus, Annika Clayton, Jessie Gentle, Caitlin Pickett)

This week: @ Idaho State – 8am, Friday August 31

2018 Week 2 Wrap

There were outstanding performances all over the field from Aussies this weekend, from Teagan Micah between the sticks and Monique Iannella in defence to Beattie Goad in a more advanced role. Iannella in particular was one to watch, providing Hofstra fans with a moment to remember in the dying seconds of regulation time in their win over Boston University.

(Featured Image Credit: Jonathan Heisler)

Monique Iannella came up with not only one of the performances of the week but also the moment of the week as Hofstra secured an overtime victory over Boston University in their only game of the week. Despite giving up just two shots on target all game, the Pride found themselves trailing coming into the final minute courtesy of a Boston University free kick in the 65th minute. However, Hofstra won themselves a corner with just 20 seconds to play, which Iannella whipped in, finding the head of teammate Madeline Anderson for the game-tying goal to force overtime. The Pride would then go on to secure victory with a golden goal in the second minute of the second overtime period to move to 2-1 through three games.

Gaby Bentley also picked up a goal this week as Old Dominion took on Towson. Coming off the bench, Bentley played 34 minutes and scored the Monarchs’ third goal in the 65th minute, picking up a pass from a teammate before firing home as Old Dominion would romp to a 4-0 win. Towson’s Aussie freshman Jodie Burchell also played in that game, making her collegiate debut with a 27-minute stint off the bench in the Tigers’ defeat.

Kate Swartwout generally spends most of her time in the back line for Western Carolina, but a move into a more advanced position paid dividends, including one vital play that allowed the Catamounts to come away with a win and a draw from the weekend’s games. Having tallied two shots but failed to find the back of the net in her side’s 1-1 draw with Elon, Swartwout came up with the assist on her side’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Belmont. Bringing down an aerial ball, Swartwout got in a tangle with a defender but managed to get the ball to teammate Cani Couch, who launched a rocket from the edge of the area to tally the game-winner.

Stanford continued to roll in their early season games, following up last week’s 5-0 win over UC Davis with a 5-1 win over San Francisco. The Cardinal gave up an equaliser on the half-hour mark after going up early, but responded with a penalty just a minute later before tallying three second-half goals to add five goals to the eight they put past USF in their last meeting in 2017. Beattie Goad was solid in a more central role than she usually plays, distributing the ball well and tallying four shots, including a cannon that ricocheted off the near post with the goalkeeper left stranded.

Teagan Micah and UCLA travelled to fellow title contenders Penn State, and now have bragging rights and the wood on the Nittany Lions should they meet again in the NCAA Tournament after securing a 2-1 victory. Teagan Micah made five saves, with a penalty for Penn State’s equaliser shortly after UCLA’s opener the only way the hosts could get past the Australian goalkeeper who was in simply outstanding form. UCLA outshot Penn State 13-9, and eventually that attacking dominance paid dividends as a 70th minute goal from Delanie Sheehan proved to be the winner.

Finally, we saw another Australian make their debut this week as Freyja Murray saw the first minutes of her college career. In a week that saw Akron go down to Charlotte but defeat Wofford on their trip the Carolinas, Murray saw a total of 51 minutes split evenly between the two games, easing her way into college soccer.

Complete Results:

Akron (Freyja Murray)

This week: lost 1-0 to Charlotte; defeated Wofford 3-0

Freyja Murray came off the bench against Charlotte to play 26 minutes on her college debut, before again making a substitute appearance in the win over Wofford, playing 25 minutes.

Albany (Claire Urquhart) 

This week: lost 5-0 to Boston College; lost 2-0 to Colgate

Claire Urquhart did not feature against Boston College, but came off the bench to play the entire second half in the loss to Colgate.

Chicago State (Sarah Clark)

This week: lost 3-0 to South Dakota

Sarah Clark did not feature for Chicago State in the loss to South Dakota.

Colorado (Isobel Dalton)

This week: defeated Missouri 6-0

Isobel Dalton played 14 minutes off the bench in the win over Missouri, registering a single shot on target.

Drexel (Emma Heckenberg)

This week: drew 1-1 with Columbia

Emma Heckenberg came off the bench to play 67 minutes in Drexel’s draw with Columbia. 

East Tennessee State (Isabel Hodgson)

This week: lost 2-1 to Tennessee Tech

Isabel Hodgson started and played 84 minutes in the loss to Tennessee Tech, tallying a single shot which was on target. 

Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff)

This week: lost 1-0 to Lehigh

Sam Roff played the full 90 minutes for Fairleigh Dickinson in the loss to Lehigh, her third consecutive full-game effort to start the season.

Georgia Southern (Hannah Allen) 

This week: defeated Jacksonville State 1-0; lost 3-0 to Gardner-Webb

Hannah Allen did not feature for Georgia Southern in either game this week.

Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)

This week: defeated Houston Baptist 1-0; lost 1-0 to Northern Arizona (2OT)

Sandra Hill did not feature for Grand Canyon in either game this week.

Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson-Carr)

This week: defeated Boston University 2-1 (2OT)

Monique Iannella played all 101 minutes in the win over Boston College, delivering the corner for the game-tying goal with 20 seconds to play before the Pride grabbed victory in overtime. Grace Watson-Carr did not feature for Hofstra this week. 

Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre)

This week: lost 3-1 to DePaul; defeated Northern Illinois 8-0

Ashleigh Lefevre came off the bench in both games this week, playing 24 minutes in the loss to DePaul and 22 minutes in the win over Northern Illinois.

La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck)

This week: defeated Manhattan 1-0

Claudia Jenkins played the full 90 minutes in the win over Manhattan, saving the one on-target shot she faced. Alyssa Van Heurck came off the bench for the Explorers, attempting one shot in her ten minutes on the pitch.

LSU (Caitlin Cantrill) 

This week: defeated Liberty 1-0; defeated Texas State 2-0

Caitlin Cantrill did not feature for LSU in either game this week.

Marshall (Laura Farrelly) 

This week: lost 3-1 to Tennessee-Martin

Laura Farrelly did not feature for Marshall in the loss to Tennessee-Martin.

Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Tenille Harberger, Kristy Helmers) 

This week: lost 3-1 to Mississippi Valley State; lost 1-0 to Prairie View A&M (OT)

Kristy Helmers came off the bench in both games, playing 74 minutes against Mississippi Valley State and 42 minutes against Prairie View A&M, registering 3 shots in each game. Tessa Calabria came off the bench to play 65 minutes against Mississippi Valley State and 27 minutes against Prairie View A&M, tallying 2 shots against Prairie View A&M. Tenille Harberger did not feature in either game for the Colonels this week.

North Dakota State (Lauren Featherstone)

This week: match abandoned v Weber State due to weather conditions.

Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley)

This week: defeated Towson 4-0; drew 0-0 with Appalachian State

Gaby Bentley came off the bench in both games this week, scoring with her only shot against Towson. 

Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore)

This week: defeated Illinois-Springfield 3-0

Siena Senatore did not feature for Southeast Missouri State in the win over Illinois-Springfield. 

St. Francis University (Shelby Milton)

This week: defeated UMBC 4-0; lost 1-0 to Loyola Maryland

Shelby Milton came off the bench in both games this week, playing 20 minutes in the win over UMBC and 12 minutes in the loss to Loyola Maryland. 

Stanford (Beattie Goad) 

This week: defeated San Francisco 5-1

Beattie Goad got the start for Stanford and played all 90 minutes in their dominant win, registering four shots, including two on target and one which cannoned back off the near post after beating the keeper all ends up.

Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis)

This week: defeated San Diego State 2-1; defeated Abilene Christian 1-0

Demi Koulizakis saw just six minutes off the bench against San Diego State, but registered a pair of shots with one on target in 31 minutes of playing time in the win over Abilene Christian. 

Towson (Jodie Burchell)

This week: lost 4-0 to Old Dominion; drew 1-1 with Longwood

Jodie Burchell made her collegiate debut off the bench with 27 minutes of playing time against Old Dominion before playing 20 minutes off the bench in the draw with Longwood. 

UCLA (Teagan Micah) 

This week: defeated Penn State 2-1

Teagan Micah played all 90 minutes in UCLA’s win over Penn State, making five saves in the process. 

Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout)

This week: drew 1-1 with Elon; defeated Belmont 1-0

Kate Swartwout started against Elon and registered a pair of shots with one on target before coming off the bench to pick up an assist on the game’s only goal in the win over Belmont.

William & Mary (Lorena Bugden)

This week: lost 3-0 to Virginia; defeated Coastal Carolina 2-0

Lorena Bugden did not feature for William & Mary in either game this week.

Wyoming (Indianna Asimus, Annika Clayton, Jessie Gentle, Caitlin Pickett)

This week: drew 0-0 with Northern Iowa

All four Australians started for Wyoming in the draw with Northern Iowa. Jessie Gentle and Annika Clayton each played 100 minutes and registered two shots apiece. Caitlin Pickett played 94 minutes and tallied two shots of her own, whilst Indianna Asimus had four shots in her 67 minutes on the pitch.

 

Player of the Year Points:

3: Monique Iannella (Hofstra)
2: Beattie Goad (Stanford)
1: Teagan Micah (UCLA)

2018 Week 2 Preview

With a number of Aussies coming up with match-winning performances last week, there are plenty of teams looking to keep perfect records alive or build on momentum generated from an upset result. La Salle and Wyoming in particular will once again be looking for their Aussies to fire after outstanding starts to the season.

(Featured Image Credit: Rand Bleimeister)

Wyoming got their season off to a flyer last week courtesy of some well-timed goals from Australian pair Annika Clayton and Caitlin Pickett, and the Cowgirls will be looking to extend their perfect start to the season in their only game of the week as they host Northern Iowa. Like Wyoming, Northern Iowa played South Dakota last week, but could only manage a 0-0 draw whereas Wyoming stormed home to a 4-2 comeback victory courtesy of Clayton’s second-half brace. With fellow Aussies Indiana Asimus and Jessie Gentle also playing solid minutes, the Cowgirls are once again looking to be a sure bet if you’re searching for Aussies to watch even in the post-Georgia Rowntree and Alisha Bass era.

Ashleigh Lefevre and Illinois travelled to North Carolina last week and put the entire nation on notice after running the Tar Heels close before knocking off Duke in a 2-1 victory, and the Illini will look to build off that momentum as they play a couple of games closer to home. Making the short drive to Chicago to play DePaul in their first game of the week, Illinois will face a Blue Demons team that may have lost its opener to Southern Methodist, but flexed its offensive muscle in a 7-0 win over lowly UMass-Lowell to round out the weekend. The Illini then round out their week by hosting Northern Illinois, a side looking to bounce back from a 3-0 loss in their opener against Milwaukee. If Lefevre and Illinois can put together performances like the ones they did in the opening weekend, they’ll certainly be a better than even-money chance to end the weekend on a 3-game unbeaten run.

Claudia Jenkins and Alyssa Van Heurck both made solid impacts last week as La Salle opened their 2018 campaign with a pair of wins, but this weekend’s opponent is a bit of an unknown entity as Manhattan are yet to play a game in 2018. The Jaspers did pick up 10 wins in 2017, but eight of those victories came in league play, where they play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, a far weaker league than the Atlantic 10 which La Salle won last season. The Explorers will still have to play to their potential to get the win, but come into this game as prohibitive favourites, particularly with Jenkins in good form between the sticks and the La Salle defence unlikely to give up a high number of shots.

Claire Urquhart and Albany came up with a pair of wins last week on their cross-country trip to Arizona, but play far closer to home this week with road games at comparatively nearby Boston College and Colgate. Both teams will provide a significant challenge to the Great Danes, with Boston College coming off a pair of wins over Quinnipiac and Northeastern, with the latter a perennial challenger for the Colonial Athletic Association. Meanwhile, Colgate fell 2-1 in a tight one against #8 Virginia last week, showing that they will by no means roll over. It will also be interesting to see how many minutes Claire Urquhart sees this week, having only played in one of the two games last week, playing 46 minutes against New Mexico State.

Beattie Goad and Stanford opened up their season with a dominant 5-0 win over UC Davis, and the Cardinal are poised to bang in the goals once again as they take on one of their local rivals in San Francisco. Stanford won last year’s encounter 8-0 as part of a four-game in run in which they scored 26 goals without conceding, and this year’s Cardinal side hardly looks less potent on offence. Beattie Goad snagged an assist last week in the win over UC Davis, and if the Stanford offence continues to fire on all cylinders, expect to see the junior have plenty of chances to tee up teammates from out wide not only in this game, but throughout the season.

Stanford’s title rivals UCLA face a far tougher challenge this week, making the cross-country trip to play fellow championship contenders Penn State. The Bruins may have picked up the win over Long Beach State last week with a final minute goal, but will need a far more polished performance to get by the #3 team in the nation, who defeated the always-strong West Virginia 1-0 and demolised Duquesne 6-0 in the opening week of the season. However, with Teagan Micah already showing her penchant for coming up with big saves at vital times, Penn State’s offence won’t have things all their own way in this one in what could be one of the games of the regular season.

We also have the potential for a couple of Aussie v Aussie matchups this week, as Jodie Burchell has the chance to make her debut against Gaby Bentley and Old Dominion. These two sides have plenty of history as former conference rivals prior to Old Dominion’s move from the Colonial Athletic Association to Conference-USA, and if Burchell was to make an impact on debut in a game like this it certainly would be a memorable one. We could also see Shelby Milton take the field for St. Francis University against a UMBC side coached by Australian first-year head coach Vanessa Mann, and whilst the pair obviously wouldn’t face each other on the field, it certainly provides another little point of interest in an early-season game. 

Full Schedule:

Akron (Freyja Murray)

This week: @ Charlotte – 9am, Saturday August 25; @ Wofford – 4am, Monday August 27

Albany (Claire Urquhart)

This week: v Boston College – 7am, Friday August 24; @ Colgate – 3am, Monday August 27

Chicago State (Sarah Clark)

This week: @ South Dakota – 4am, Monday August 27

Colorado (Isobel Dalton)

This week: v Missouri – 5am, Sunday August 26

Drexel (Emma Heckenberg)

This week: v Columbia – 7am, Saturday August 25

East Tennessee State (Isabel Hodgson)

This week: @ Tennessee Tech – 9am, Saturday August 25

Fairleigh Dickinson (Sam Roff)

This week: @ Lehigh – 2am, Friday August 24

Georgia Southern (Hannah Allen)

This week: v Jacksonville State – 9am, Saturday August 25; @ Gardner-Webb – 3am, Monday August 27 

Grand Canyon (Sandra Hill)

This week: v Houston Baptist – 9am, Saturday August 25; v Northern Arizona – 12pm, Monday August 27

Hofstra (Monique Iannella, Grace Watson-Carr)

This week: v Boston University – 9am, Friday August 24

Illinois (Ashleigh Lefevre) 

This week: @ DePaul – 7am, Friday August 24; v Northern Illinois – 5am, Monday August 27

La Salle (Claudia Jenkins, Alyssa Van Heurck)

This week: v Manhattan – 8am, Friday August 24

LSU (Caitlin Cantrill)

This week: @ Liberty – 8am, Friday August 24; v Texas State – 4am, Monday August 27

Marshall (Laura Farrelly)

This week: v Tennessee-Martin – 6am, Saturday August 25

Nicholls State (Tessa Calabria, Tenille Harberger, Kristy Helmers)

This week: at Mississippi Valley State – 9am, Saturday August 25; v Prairie View A&M – 4am, Monday August 27

North Dakota State (Lauren Featherstone)

This week: v Weber State – 4am, Monday August 27 

Old Dominion (Gaby Bentley)

This week: v Towson – 9am, Friday August 24; v Old Dominion – 8am, Monday August 27

Southeast Missouri State (Siena Senatore)

This week: v Illinois-Springfield – 9:30am, Saturday August 25 

St. Francis University (Shelby Milton)

This week: v UMBC – 6am, Friday August 24; at Loyola Maryland – 6am, Monday August 27

Stanford (Beattie Goad) 

This week: v San Francisco – 1pm, Saturday August 25

Texas Tech (Demi Koulizakis)

This week: @ San Diego State – 12pm, Saturday August 25; v Abilene Christian – 10am, Monday August 27

Towson (Jodie Burchell)

This week: @ Old Dominion – 9am, Friday August 24; v Longwood – 3am, Monday August 27

UCLA (Teagan Micah)

This week: @ Penn State – 6am, Sunday August 26

Western Carolina (Kate Swartwout)

This week: v Elon – 9am, Friday August 24; v Belmont – 3am, Monday August 27

William & Mary (Lorena Bugden)

This week: v Virginia – 9am, Friday August 24; v Coastal Carolina – 4am, Monday August 27 

Wyoming (Indianna Asimus, Annika Clayton, Jessie Gentle, Caitlin Pickett)

This week: v Northern Iowa – 8:30am, Saturday August 25