Sept. 26, 2012

Game Notes in PDF Format

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The Arizona State women's soccer team returns home this week when it hosts USC on Friday (2 p.m. PT) and UCLA on Monday (7 p.m. PT) at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.

The Sun Devils (4-5-1) have won three of their last four games with the only loss in that span coming to Stanford, currently the second-ranked team in the country.

TELEVISION

Both Friday's game against USC and Monday's game versus UCLA will be televised live by Pac-12 Networks. Anne Marie Anderson (play by play) and Kyndra de St. Aubin (analysis) will call Friday's game vs. USC. Mark Rogondino (play by play) will be joined by de St. Aubin on Monday.

THE LAST MEETING

Arizona State	1
USC	2	OT

October 21, 2011
Los Angeles, Calif.

Sun Devil Soccer Falls at USC in Overtime The Arizona State women's soccer team dropped its fourth one-goal decision of the season, losing to USC 2-1 in overtime on Friday.

Recap | Box Score

LAST WEEK

Third-ranked Stanford scored all three of its goals in the second half to defeat Arizona State 3-0 last Sunday in the Pac-12 opener for both teams.

After putting forth a strong effort in the first half, the Sun Devils were unable to sustain their play against the Cardinal in the second half. 

"It seemed like we had two different teams out there. We had one in the first half that played well and one in the second half that didn't," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said after the game. 

The first half was a stalemate as the Sun Devils went toe to toe with the defending national champions. While neither team was able to break through for a goal, it was the Sun Devils who appeared to have the momentum at the break as they outshot Stanford 6-5 and had recorded the only two shots on goal.

Stanford would outshoot ASU 14-2 in the second half, scoring goals in the 56th minute, 63rd minute (PK) and 84th minute to take the game.

"We didn't start the second half well at all," Boyd said. "We started out slow, we let them come at us and we didn't keep the ball when we got it. We were almost lax and timid out there. We got scored on and we didn't respond or improve what we were trying to do."

SCOUTING USC

USC (4-4-1, 1-0 Pac-12) is coming off a 1-0 overtime win over Washington, only the Huskies' second loss of the season. Six of USC's contests have been decided by one goal this season (3-3 record in those games), including five of its last six contests. Nine different players have scored at least one goal for USC this season (senior MF/F Samantha Johnson leads USC with four goals. Common opponents: CSUN (T, 1-1).

SCOUTING UCLA

UCLA (7-0-2, 0-0-1 Pac-12) will bring the third-ranked team in the country to Tempe on Monday. The Bruins have scored 21 goals this season while surrendering only two. Senior midfielder Zakiya Bywaters is tied for third in the Pac-12 with six goals. Common opponents: LMU (T, 1-1), Pepperdine (W, 3-0).

SERIES NOTES VS. USC AND UCLA

• USC leads the all-time series 12-4-0.

• ASU and USC have split their last four meetings with the home team winning all four games.

• USC won 2-1 (OT) last season in Los Angeles. Devin Marshall scored with 38 seconds left in regulation to force overtime before USC won it four minutes into the extra session.

• UCLA leads the all-time series 14-1. UCLA won 2-0 last year in Los Angeles and 3-0 in Tempe in 2010. In 2009 ASU took an early 1-0 lead and would eventually push the No. 3 Bruins to double overtime before losing 3-2.

• ASU's only win against UCLA came in 2000 when it won 1-0 in Tempe.

WINNING STREAK

After starting the season 1-4-1, the Sun Devils won three straight games to get back to the .500 mark at the start of conference play. ASU outscored the opposition 7-0 over that stretch. 

"I think our team is doing a good job on focusing on what we are asking them to do and what we want to be like as a team," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said following the third win of that streak, a 3-0 triumph over FIU. "I think they have latched on to that and we are starting to show consistency in that area. There are still a couple things we want to make better, but as a whole I'm happy with where we are at right now."

SHUTOUT STREAK

During its earlier three-game winning streak ASU shutout all three of its opponents, its longest such streak since the 2008 season. Overall, ASU gave up only one goal in four contests (coming via PK vs. Houston on Sept. 7) before Stanford's three goals in last Sunday's game.

"I'm very happy with the play of the backline," Boyd said after ASU defeated FIU 3-0 on Sept. 16 for its third straight win. "They are not giving away chances and they are making teams have to work for it. They are covering each other well and their one-on-one defending is much better. They now have three shutouts in a row and could have four if the penalty kick against Houston [on Sept. 7] didn't happen."

MCCARTER MAKES IT HAPPEN

One of the key figures in ASU's success is senior midfielder Taylor McCarter, who has consistently provided the Sun Devils with outstanding play in the midfield since her freshman season in 2009.

"She's been our best player for the last two years," Boyd said. "We're hoping to get her a little further up the field [this season] and when we do that our game is better." 

McCarter, who earned third-team All-Pac-12 and third-team NSCAA All-Region notice last season, has started every one of ASU's 69 games the last three-plus seasons.

Most recently, McCarter was named to the Cats Classic All-Tournament Team after helping lead the Sun Devils to wins over Loyola Marymount (Sept. 14) and FIU (Sept. 16). McCarter scored her third career goal in the win over LMU. One week earlier she was named the MVP of the Sun Devil Desert Classic for her performance in ASU's games against Houston and in the Sun Devils' 1-0 upset of No. 10 Pepperdine.

MARSHALL MARSHALL MARSHALL

Leading ASU's offensive attack this season has been junior Devin Marshall, who is currently pacing the Sun Devils in goals (6) and points (13).

Marshall was third on the team in scoring (10 points) and tied for first in assists (4) in 2011 when she was limited by an ankle injury that caused her to miss seven games. Among returning members of the team, she was ASU's leader in goals (4) from last season.

Marshall was named to the Pac-10's All-Freshman Team in 2010 when she was third on the team in scoring. Last May, Marshall was one of 24 players called to participate in the U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team training camp.

"Devin had a terrific preseason and I think this could be a breakout year for her," Boyd said prior to the start of the 2012 season.

Marshall tied her single-game career high with two goals in ASU's win at NAU (Aug, 24). She scored her third goal of the season at Missouri (Aug. 31), a game in which she also sustained a head injury that caused her to miss ASU's next two games -- at Kansas (Sept. 2) and vs. Houston (Sept. 7). She returned for ASU's contest against No. 10 Pepperdine and scored the only goal of the game in ASU's 1-0 upset of the Waves. She was named the MVP of the Cats Classic hosted by the University of Arizona after scoring a goal in both of ASU's games -- vs. LMU (Sept. 14) and vs. FIU (Sept. 16).

NEW CAST MEMBERS

Fourteen of the 31 players on ASU's roster are new members of the team in 2012. Of the 14 newcomers, 11 are freshmen to go along with three student-athletes who transferred into the program. Add redshirt freshman Chandler Morris to the mix and nearly half the team (15 of 31) is comprised of players who did not play in a game for ASU prior to this season. 

The Sun Devils have had seven players who have made the first start of their respective ASU careers thus far, including six true freshman - McKenzie Berryhill, Nina Brueggemann, Cali Farquharson, Tommi Goodman, Christina Schedel and Sara Tosti. 

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

Among the incoming freshmen this year are Nina Brueggemann from Pinneberg, Germany and Christina Schedel who is from Rosenheim, Germany. 

Brueggemann and Schedel are the first international players on ASU's roster team since Kylla Sjoman (Canada), who graduated in 2008.

Both Brueggemann (10 games/8 starts) and Schedel (8 games/8 starts) have been two of ASU's primary starters on the Sun Devils' backline. Schedel recorded her first career assist and goal in ASU's 2-2 tie at Kansas (Sept. 2).

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Currently with 13 career goals, junior Devin Marshall needs two more goals to move into a tie for 10th place with former Sun Devil Courtney Crane (2003-04, 06-07). 

• Junior Holland Crook scored the first goal of her career (via PK) in ASU's 3-0 win over LMU (Sept. 14) at the Cats Classic in Tucson. She would follow that with another goal in ASU's ensuing game against FIU (Sept. 16). For her performance in the two games, Crook, who also tallied an assist in each of the games, was named to the Cats Classic All-Tournament Team.

• Senior Courtney Tinnin leads the team in assists with three after notching a pair in ASU's 3-0 win over FIU (Sept. 16). Tinnin, who tied for second on the team in points (14), was second in goals (4) and tied for first in assists (6) in 2009, did not play in 2010 due to a knee injury sustained in the spring of 2010. After missing the first eight games of the 2011 season rehabbing the injury, Tinnin returned and ended up tying for the team lead in assists (3).

• Redshirt freshman Cali Farquharson scored two goals and led ASU with nine shots its win at NAU (Aug. 24). She scored her third goal of the season in ASU's 2-2 tie at Kansas (Sept. 2). She played a pivotal role in ASU's upset of No. 10 Pepperdine (Sept. 9), setting up Marshall for what eventually proved to be the game-winning goal.

• Senior Taylor McCarter scored her third career goal in ASU's 3-0 win over LMU (Sept. 4). The shot on which McCarter scored against LMU was only the 27th of her career. "That's great [for Taylor]," Boyd said of McCarter's goal vs. LMU. "She does so much for our team. Her getting in the attack and scoring goals is really not the role she plays because she is so far from goal. She is more our playmaker, the one that connects and wins a lot of balls for us. Scoring goals is rare and I'm really happy when she gets them."

• Senior Miah Mollay scored her fourth career goal in ASU's 3-0 win over FIU (Sept. 16).

• ASU has registered double-digit shot totals in seven of its 10 games.

• During their earlier three-game winning streak, the Sun Devils have had a 31-8 advantage in shots on goal.

• ASU is one of three schools (Penn State, Boston College) to have outshot Stanford in a half this season. ASU outshot Stanford 6-5 in the first half of its eventual 3-0 loss to the Cardinal. The Sun Devils nearly took a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the first half.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• ASU's streak of three straight shutouts earlier this season was its longest such streak since the 2008 season. 

• Currently with four shutouts in 2012, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Chandler Morris needs one more shutout to move into ASU's top 10 list for most shutouts in a season.

• ASU's starting backline has included three freshmen for the majority of its games thus far -- McKenzie Berryhill, Nina Brueggemann and Christina Schedel. 

• Junior defender Jasmine Roth has started 46 of 48 career games, including all 10 this season.

TOUGH ROAD

The Sun Devils started the 2012 season with five straight games on the road. ASU kicked off its slate with games at CSUN (Aug. 17) and San Diego State (Aug. 19) before traveling to Flagstaff, Ariz., to face in-state foe Northern Arizona (Aug. 24).  ASU then traveled to the Midwest the following week for contests at Missouri (Aug. 31) and at Kansas (Sept. 2). Overall, ASU played eight of its first 10 games away from home. 

Three of ASU's next four games are against teams that finished their non-conference slate among the top 5 in the Pac-12 - vs. UCLA (Oct. 1 - first,, at Washington State (Oct. 5 - third) and at Washington (Oct. 7 - fourth).

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

On the academic side, the Sun Devils have earned 59 Pac-10/12 All-Academic awards in Boyd's five seasons, including 16 first-team members and nine second-team members. ASU's 13 first-team commendations the last three seasons (2009-11) are the most of any school in the Pac-12 during that span. In addition, the Sun Devils have three student-athletes -- Kaitlyn Pavlovich, Jasmine Roth and Sarah Van Horn, who are currently enrolled in ASU's prestigious Barrett Honors College.

In June 2012, Sun Devil Soccer was among three ASU teams recognized by the NCAA for recording an Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the top 10 percent nationally.

LEPEILBET HELPS USA WIN GOLD AT OLYMPICS

Former Sun Devil soccer player Amy LePeilbet helped the U.S. capture the gold medal at the London Olympics this past August.

LePeilbet, a 2004 graduate of ASU (B.A. in Sociology, Magna Cum Laude), started in five of the team's six matches at the London Olympics, including the gold medal game against Japan.

A member of the national team since 2004, LePeilbet was one of the cornerstones of the Sun Devil Soccer program as ASU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament three times in her four years (2000-03).

A two-time All-American and three-time All-Pac-10 Conference first-team selection, LePeilbet did not miss a start in her four years at ASU, playing in 74 career games.

LePeilbet, who was also a two-time Academic All-American, is one of just four Sun Devils to earn a team sport gold medal, joining Justin Huish (archery in 1996), Joe Caldwell (men's basketball in 1964) and James Harden (men's basketball in 2012).