After a successful summer season that saw the Vancouver Whitecaps FC women place third in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) W-League, the student-athletes have now returned back to their respective universities for another year of intense studying, early morning exams, and weekend soccer fixtures. But just because the ‘Caps women’s season is over, that certainly doesn’t mean the players have been forgotten.
Welcome to ‘Women’s Weekly,’ a new segment on whitecapsfc.com that will track and update ‘Caps women’s players in college in regards to the major headlines, match reports, and achievements that highlight their journeys. Without further ado, let’s begin:
Down in North Carolina, former ‘Caps and current Tar Heel’s midfielders Amber Brooks and Ranee Premji downed Houston Cougars 6-1 on Sunday evening after UNC outshot their opponents 33-7. Brooks added two assists in the victory while Premji’s ferocious play helped secure the victory. “Our job is to get our forwards the ball and allow them to get their shots off,” Brooks said. “Compared to Friday, we did a much better job of that, especially in the goal differential” (Chris Moore – The Daily Tar Heel).
It was a good week for UCLA forward Sydney Leroux. The Bruins top star earned ‘Pac-12 Women’s Player of the Week’ from August 22-29. “The senior was named the tournament MVP of the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic this past weekend after helping the Bruins defeat Tennessee and Florida in Knoxville, Tenn. On Friday, Leroux scored the game-winning goal in the 58th minute in a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over host Tennessee” (UCLABruins.com).
Staying in the Pac-12, Oregon Ducks junior Julie Armstrong was busy in her match against UNLV, as her side defeated the Rebels 1-0 last Sunday evening. Curtis Anderson writes, “Armstrong scored an unassisted goal five minutes into the match on a rebound shot from about 10 yards out. Armstrong now has two goals and two assists for the season.” With the win, the Ducks tied a school record with their third clean sheet victory in a row (Curtis Anderson – The Register Guard).
Staying on the Oregon trail, unfortunately for Jenna Richardson and Erin Uchacz, their Oregon State Beavers dropped a 1-0 match to #5 Florida State University Seminoles. Richardson nearly helped her side earn a result but, “Off an errant pass by the Seminole backline which resulted in a nearside throw-in for the Beavers in their offensive third, Jenna Richardson took the throw-in and fired a shot from about 22 yards, but Wys was there to stymie the attack” (Florida State Athletics).
Gearing up for action, Monica Lam-Feist was previewed as a part of the Wisconsin Badgers midfield that is expected to wreak havoc across the NCAA this season. "Monica has really good vision and is a good distributor of the ball in the midfield," head coach Wilkins said. "She's able to connect a lot of parts and is dangerous in the front half of the field. Scoring the last two goals of the season against Marquette, she's coming on stronger and stronger offensively” (Karl Anderson – UWBadgers.com).
Remember how Lexi Marton dominated on the backline for Whitecaps FC this past season? Well, she is now the co-captain of the Penn State University Nittany Lions women’s soccer team as she prepares to lead her team into another NCAA Division I season. “Obviously, it’s a big honour,” said Marton, 21.“I’ve always played a leadership role on any of the teams I’ve played on, but to be recognized is great.“I don’t take it for granted and want to help this team be a success. It’s a fit because of my role on the team and Emma and I have worked well together in the past” (John Cudmore – Yorkregion.com).
Finishing things up for this week, Syracuse Orange junior Tina Romagnuolo earned a spot on the ‘Embassy Suites Kick Off Classic All-Tournament Team’. “Romagnuolo anchored the Orange’s midfield and recorded seven shots. It was Romagnuolo’s pass to Kinmond in the box that led to the penalty kick in Syracuse’s win against Florida Gulf Coast” (Syracuse Orange).
