TEMPE, Ariz.-- First year head coach Graham Winkworth, and the Sun Devil soccer program, have announced the 2017 non-conference slate this week, that includes six teams that finished the 2016 season at or above .500 on the season.
"This is a very exciting schedule for us," Winkworth said. "To have so many top programs from across the nation to play against will be a challenge that we really look forward to."
The Sun Devils will play eight of their 10 non-conference matches in the state of Arizona, including six matches at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. The loaded schedule includes three teams that participated in the NCAA tournament in 2016, and four teams who competed in their respective Conference Championship Final a season ago.
ASU, who finished the 2016 season with a 6-11-2 record last season, will begin the 2017 campaign on Aug. 12 with an exhibition match at CSUN before hosting Ohio State on Aug. 18 (4:30 p.m.) for their first official match of the season. The Buckeyes recorded an impressive 11-7-3 record in 2016, en rout to hosting a NCAA first round matchup against Dayton. Following the Friday test, the Sun Devils will cap their home opening weekend with a match against the Beijing University All Star team on Sunday, Aug. 20 (11 a.m.).
The Sun Devils will hit the road again on Aug. 25, to take on San Diego State. The Aztecs put together their sixth-straight 10-win season in 2016, en rout to competing in the Mountain West Conference Championship match. SDSU just missed qualifying for the NCAA tournament, falling to UNLV in PK's following a 3-3 draw.
Sun Devil soccer will return to Tempe a week later to host the 2017 Sun Devil Classic which will feature four games in three days. The event will kick off Friday night with a pair of matches starting with Arizona and UCF. The night will conclude with Arizona State against yet another team who played for a conference title a year ago in Boston University.
The Sun Devils will be back on the pitch on Sunday Sept. 3 when ASU will take on UCF to close out the Classic at 2 p.m.
The following weekend, the Sun Devils will travel to Tucson to compete in the U of A Tournament where the team will face a tough slate of games starting with a matchup against Texas Tech, a team who has earned an NCAA berth for five consecutive seasons entering the 2017 season. The Sun Devils will cap the weekend with yet another tough matchup against Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday, Sept. 10.
ASU will close the 2017 non-conference slate with a pair of home games the weekend of Sept. 15, when will welcome Hawaii and Weber State, before opening Pac-12 play on Friday Sept. 22.
"The girls are spending the summer working hard and getting their fitness levels right," Winkorth added. "Preseason will be a time to tactically prepare with so many new faces. The Non-conference segment to this schedule will be a real challenge. This is exactly what we need as we work toward moving up the Pac-12 ladder. I know we have some very excited players in this squad who cannot wait to put the work in and be ready for August. The same for my staff and I. August 18, and the visit of Ohio State cannot get here fast enough for us all."
Fans can follow the team all season long by following @ASUSoccer on Twitter. Fans are also invited to join the team for the numerous camps to be held on campus. Fans can find all camp information here.
ARIZONA STATE
2017 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
* Home games in bold
* All Times Subject to change
"This is a very exciting schedule for us," Winkworth said. "To have so many top programs from across the nation to play against will be a challenge that we really look forward to."
The Sun Devils will play eight of their 10 non-conference matches in the state of Arizona, including six matches at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. The loaded schedule includes three teams that participated in the NCAA tournament in 2016, and four teams who competed in their respective Conference Championship Final a season ago.
ASU, who finished the 2016 season with a 6-11-2 record last season, will begin the 2017 campaign on Aug. 12 with an exhibition match at CSUN before hosting Ohio State on Aug. 18 (4:30 p.m.) for their first official match of the season. The Buckeyes recorded an impressive 11-7-3 record in 2016, en rout to hosting a NCAA first round matchup against Dayton. Following the Friday test, the Sun Devils will cap their home opening weekend with a match against the Beijing University All Star team on Sunday, Aug. 20 (11 a.m.).
The Sun Devils will hit the road again on Aug. 25, to take on San Diego State. The Aztecs put together their sixth-straight 10-win season in 2016, en rout to competing in the Mountain West Conference Championship match. SDSU just missed qualifying for the NCAA tournament, falling to UNLV in PK's following a 3-3 draw.
Sun Devil soccer will return to Tempe a week later to host the 2017 Sun Devil Classic which will feature four games in three days. The event will kick off Friday night with a pair of matches starting with Arizona and UCF. The night will conclude with Arizona State against yet another team who played for a conference title a year ago in Boston University.
The Sun Devils will be back on the pitch on Sunday Sept. 3 when ASU will take on UCF to close out the Classic at 2 p.m.
The following weekend, the Sun Devils will travel to Tucson to compete in the U of A Tournament where the team will face a tough slate of games starting with a matchup against Texas Tech, a team who has earned an NCAA berth for five consecutive seasons entering the 2017 season. The Sun Devils will cap the weekend with yet another tough matchup against Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday, Sept. 10.
ASU will close the 2017 non-conference slate with a pair of home games the weekend of Sept. 15, when will welcome Hawaii and Weber State, before opening Pac-12 play on Friday Sept. 22.
"The girls are spending the summer working hard and getting their fitness levels right," Winkorth added. "Preseason will be a time to tactically prepare with so many new faces. The Non-conference segment to this schedule will be a real challenge. This is exactly what we need as we work toward moving up the Pac-12 ladder. I know we have some very excited players in this squad who cannot wait to put the work in and be ready for August. The same for my staff and I. August 18, and the visit of Ohio State cannot get here fast enough for us all."
Fans can follow the team all season long by following @ASUSoccer on Twitter. Fans are also invited to join the team for the numerous camps to be held on campus. Fans can find all camp information here.
ARIZONA STATE
2017 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
| Saturday | Aug. 12 | at CSUN | 2 p.m. |
| Friday | Aug. 18 | Ohio State | 4:30 p.m. |
| Sunday | Aug. 20 | Beijing All Stars | 11 a.m. |
| Friday | Aug. 25 | at San Diego State | 7 p.m. |
| Friday | Sep. 1 | Boston University | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday | Sep. 3 | UCF | 2 p.m. |
| Friday | Sep. 8 | vs. Texas Tech (U of A Tournament) | TBA |
| Sunday | Sep. 10 | vs. Florida Gulf Coast (U of A Tournament) | TBA |
| Friday | Sep. 15 | Hawaii | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday | Sep. 17 | Weber State | 1 p.m. |
* Home games in bold
* All Times Subject to change