The women’s college soccer season recently kicked off, as many National League alumnae are looking to contribute to programs at all levels around the country. Take a look at some of the National League storylines surrounding the start of the women’s college soccer season.
Note: All players referenced in this article played in the national tier of the National League, now known as National League P.R.O.
National League alumnae making an immediate impact
The opening weekend of the Division I season saw three unranked teams knock off ranked teams — all by one-goal margins. All three game-winning goals came from former National League players, including two freshmen.
Anna Haddock scored twice, including a 68th-minute winning goal, in Auburn’s 2-1 win against No. 15 BYU. Haddock, a sophomore midfielder for the Tigers, played multiple National League seasons with Tennessee SC (TN).
Iowa secured a 1-0 win against No. 21 Saint Louis, with the lone goal coming from Kenzie Roling, who found the back of the net in the 10th minute. The freshman forward/midfielder played with Iowa Rush (IA) during the 2019-20 National League season prior to joining the Hawkeyes' program.
Another freshman, Sarah Schupansky, hit a half volley in overtime to score the winning goal in Pittsburgh’s 3-2 win against No. 16 Oklahoma State. Schupansky played in the National League with North United Rush (PA-W).
10 National League alumnae on MAC Hermann Trophy watch list
The Missouri Athletic Club announced the NCAA Women’s Division I players who are on the 2021 Hermann Trophy watch list. The Hermann Trophy, presented annually, is the nation’s highest individual honor recognizing the nation’s National Player of the Year as determined by the voting of Division I coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches.
The watch list features 10 players who competed in the National League during their youth careers.
Name – University
Murphy Agnew – Harvard
Ashley Barron – Cincinnati
Mikayla Colohan – BYU
Savanah DeMelo – USC
Channing Foster – Mississippi
Rachel Jones – North Carolina
Anna Podojil – Arkansas
Karlina Sample – Texas A&M
Cameron Tucker – BYU
Summer Yates – Washington
NL alum honors youth, college teammate
Prior to the season opener, Cincinnati senior Vanessa DiNardo switched her jersey to No. 3 in memory of her friend, Ally Sidloski — a teammate of DiNardo’s at Cincinnati and with Cleveland FC (OH) during their youth soccer days.
In her first game donning the No. 3 jersey, DiNardo netted the Bearcats’ first goal of the season in a storybook start to their campaign. The goal kickstarted an eventual 2-1 win for Cincinnati and contributed to DiNardo being named to the American Athletic Conference’s weekly honor roll.