Oct. 27, 2011

THIS WEEK
The Arizona State women's soccer team (6-10, 2-6 Pac-12) closes out the home portion of its schedule this weekend when it hosts Washington State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Washington on Sunday at 1 p.m.

This week's matches will be the final at home for Sun Devil seniors Nicole Acosta, Sierra Cook, Courtney Giovanni, Kate Sangster, and Kari Shane.

RECAP OF LAST WEEK
Last week the Sun Devils dropped matches at USC and No. 7 UCLA. On Friday it took a goal by Devin Marshall in the 90th minute to send the Devils into overtime for the first time this year. Despite the momentum of scoring in the final seconds of regulation it was not enough to pick up the win as USC scored just four minutes into extra time.

On Sunday at UCLA the Sun Devils were able to keep the Bruins off the scoreboard in the second half but were unable to makeup a two-goal deficit they had going into halftime.

SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE AND WASHINGTON
Washington State (10-6-3, 4-3-1 Pac-12) comes into Friday's match in fifth place in the Pac-12. Before last weekend the Cougars were on a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1) and had posted four consecutive shutouts. Their unbeaten streak came to a halt last week after dropping back-to-back contests at the Oregon schools (2-1 at Oregon State and 1-0 at Oregon).

Washington (6-7-4, 2-4-2 Pac-12) has had several close games with six overtime games this season. During the Pac-12 season only two of Washington's games have been decided by more than one goal. The Huskies have taken four ranked opponents to overtime and have a 0-1-3 record in those games with the only lose being against top-ranked Stanford.

SERIES NOTES VERSUS WASHINGTON STATE AND WASHINGTON
• The Sun Devils hold an 11-5 record over Washington State. Last season the Sun Devils won 1-0 in Pullman to snap a two-game losing streak to the Cougars. Since 2000, all but one match between the two teams has been decided by a single goal.
• Washington holds a 7-4-3 advantage over the Sun Devils yet it has been a back-and-forth battle between the teams as the last time either team was able to put together back-to-back wins against the other was in 2002 and 2003 when ASU accomplished the feat. Since then the all-time series record has been split 2-2-3 and games played in Tempe also have been split 2-2-2.

2011 UPDATE
Coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, ASU was looking to make it three NCAA bids in a row for the first time in school history. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, a spate of injuries combined with several tough losses has kept them from realizing that goal.

 Entering the 2011 season, one of the biggest challenges facing the team was overcoming the loss of its top two scorers from last season (and two of the top 10 scorers in school history) - Karin Volpe (No. 6 all time - 65 points, 28 goals) and Alexandra Elston (No. 9 all time - 48 points, 18 goals) - to graduation.

One player who figured to help the Sun Devils fill the aforementioned offensive void is sophomore forward Devin Marshall, who was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team last season after finishing third on the team in scoring (10 points) and tied for first in assists (4). Marshall scored in ASU's season opening win over Northern Arizona (Aug. 19), but sustained an ankle injury two weeks later while assisting on teammate Alexandra Doller's goal in the first half of ASU's 3-1 loss at Old Dominion (Sept. 4). Marshall missed ASU's next seven contests before returning to the lineup against Oregon State (Oct. 7). Marshall's return gave ASU's attack an immediate boost as she netted a pair of goals in her second game back against Oregon on Oct. 9. Most recently, Marshall was responsible for helping ASU push USC to overtime as she scored with 38 seconds left in ASU's eventual 2-1 loss to the Trojans (Oct. 21).

Other returners who have shown the ability to find the back of the net on multiple occasions include senior forward Sierra Cook (10 career goals - 5 in 2011) and redshirt junior forward Courtney Tinnin (4 career goals).

Cook currently leads the Sun Devils in scoring after tying her single-game career-high with a pair of goals in ASU's 4-0 win over Oregon (Oct. 9). It was Cook's second two-goal outing of the season as she accomplished the same feat in ASU's season-opening 7-0 win over Northern Arizona (Aug. 19).

Tinnin, who led ASU in assists in 2009 with six, did not play in 2010 due to a knee injury sustained in the spring of 2010. After missing the first eight games of this season rehabbing the injury, Tinnin made her 2011 debut in ASU's Pac-12 opener at Cal (Sept. 23). It did not taken long for her to make an impact as she recorded her first assist of the season one week after returning to action (assisted on teammate Miah Mollay's goal in 2-1 loss at Utah on Sept. 30).

Doller, a freshman forward, was ASU's top offensive performer and was proving to be one of the Pac-12's top newcomers (her five goals are still tied for the team lead) through the first eight games before suffering a season ending knee injury during the week of preparations leading up to ASU's game at Cal (Sept. 23).

Another player who was expected to have an impact on the offensive end is redshirt sophomore forward Nicki Stone, who has spent the better part of the last two seasons recovering from knee injuries. Stone began the 2011 season as a starter on ASU's front line and scored the game-winning goal in ASU's win over South Carolina on Aug. 28. However Stone would miss ASU's next seven games because of injury. She returned to action on Sept. 23 and quickly proved to be a difference maker as she drew (and made) a penalty kick in ASU's 1-0 win at Colorado (Oct. 2). Stone would make it two-for-two on penalty kicks when she scored in the 88th minute of ASU's 3-1 loss to top-ranked Stanford (Oct. 14).

The ASU midfield figured to be a strength of the team as it returned 2010 All-Pac-10 Second-Team performer Taylor McCarter (has started all 56 career games) and sophomore Holland Crook, who started 14 of 20 contests last season and had a strong offseason according to Sun Devil head coach Kevin Boyd.

The Sun Devils returned the majority of their starting back line from last season in addition to junior goalkeeper Alyssa Gillmore, who came into the season with 30 consecutive starts. Last season Gillmore posted five shutouts, including one of eventual College Cup participant Ohio State.

Gillmore split time with sophomore keeper Vittoria Arnold in the season's first three contests before Arnold was injured in the first half of ASU's loss at Virginia (Sept. 2). Gillmore has played every minute of ASU's last 13 contests as Arnold remains sidelined. Gillmore earned her fourth shutout of the season in ASU's win over Oregon (Oct. 9).

The injury bug would make its way into ASU's back line in mid-September as sophomore defender Kaitlyn Pavlovich (had started all 27 games in her career) sustained a back injury against Texas Tech and is currently sidelined indefinitely.

SUN DEVIL SOCCER TIES SCHOOL RECORD IN SEASON OPENING WIN
The seven goals ASU scored in its shutout win over Northern Arizona on August 19 tied the single-game school record for most goals.  The original record was set and then equaled in consecutive weeks by the 2000 squad, which defeated Pittsburgh 7-0 on Sept. 10, 2000 and then followed that up with a 7-0 win over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 17.

Both Sierra Cook and Alexandra Doller scored a pair of goals against NAU. Also finding the back of the net for the Sun Devils were Jasmine Roth, Devin Marshall and Sarah Van Horn. Holland Crook assisted on a pair of ASU's goals.

TOUGH SLATE
As has been the case in recent years, the Sun Devils will play one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Sun Devils will face seven teams in 2011 who were ranked in the NSCAA Preseason Top 25 (five of those seven squads reside in the Pac-12 Conference).
Aug. 28 - vs. South Carolina (#21 preseason)
Sept. 2 - at Virginia (#10 preseason)
Oct. 7 - vs. Oregon State (#19 preseason)
Oct. 14 - vs. Stanford (#2 preseason)
Oct. 21 - at USC (#25 preseason)
Oct. 23 - at UCLA (#16 preseason)
Oct. 30 - vs. Washington (#20 preseason)

HOME SWEET HOME
The Sun Devils have made the most of their opportunities to play in front of their home crowd the last two-plus seasons as they are a combined 16-6-3 at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium since 2009. In addition, the Sun Devils are 15-1-2 in their last 18 non-conference games at home, a stretch which goes back to the 2008 season.

ASU's seven home wins in 2009 tied the second-highest number of home wins in program history. Last season the Sun Devils established a new single-game attendance record when 1,513 fans poured into Sun Devil Soccer Stadium for ASU's 2-1 State Farm Territorial Cup Series win over Arizona on October 15. The old record was 1,505 which came against Notre Dame in 2004.

DOLLER TIES FRESHMAN RECORD
Alexandra Doller's two goals vs. Northern Arizona tied the school record for the most goals by a freshman in a season opener. Also accomplishing the feat was former Sun Devil Brittney Doty, who scored a pair of goals in ASU's season opening win at UC Irvine in 2006.

Doller (out for the season with a knee injury) is still tied for the team lead in goals (5).

TULLOCK BECOMES FIRST SUN DEVIL SOCCER HALL OF FAMER
On August 9, former Sun Devil Soccer player Stacey Tullock became the first soccer player to be named to the ASU Sports Hall of Fame. Tullock is Arizona State's all-time leader in goals (50), game-winning goals (25), assists (19) and total points (125). In 1998, she became the school's first All-American selection, awarded by Soccer Buzz. Tullock was officially inducted into the ASU Sports Hall of Fame during halftime of the ASU-Oregon State football game on Oct. 1. Her jersey was retired prior to ASU's match against top-ranked Stanford on Oct. 14.