(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Despite a last minute goal from Colorado College in Arizona State’s previous exhibition game that ended in a tie, the Arizona State soccer team came out with bang against the Federation of University Sports of China with a 10-0 win.
The heat did not stop eight different Sun Devils, including six freshmen, from scoring goals today.
“It’s nice to see goals, not just coming from different players, but from coming in different parts of the field as well,” head coach Graham Winkworth said. “We’ve got goals from attacking players, we’ve got goals from further back as well and our midfield, it’s nice to see our midfielders making runs to the channels and getting on the score sheet.”
German freshman Marleen Schimmer began the 10 goal run only five and a half minutes into the game with a set piece slightly outside the 18-yard box. Less than five minutes later Corona del Sol alum Olivia Nguyen had a break away.
Nguyen beat the opposing goalie with a low finish into the net for her first collegiate goal and to put the Sun Devils up 2-0.
Senior Jemma Purfield pressed heavily into the offense with the amount of room FUSC allowed her to work with. In one of her runs, she slid a ball into the gap between two defenders to Julia Koharko, who finished it into the far post.
“I think you should expect a high tempo team and a lot of pace, we tried to bring that today and we set our own challenges and our own goals in this game,” Purfield said.
The half didn’t end there.
Fellow English woman Nicole Douglas tallied her first goal of her career after having a breakaway in the midfield to then beating her defender with a cut and outside of the foot finish to make the game 4-0.
It wasn’t until the final two minutes of the half that a returner scored. Junior Christina Edwards finalized a ASU corner, taken by Hikaru Minami, with a header past the goalie to head into the locker room with a 5-0 lead.
“Tina is the epitome of having the team chemistry,” said Winkworth. “She didn’t play all that many minutes today, but when she went in there, every time she goes in whether she’s played nine minutes or ninety minutes, she goes in with the same level of energy, the same smile and she puts in her shift.”
The Sun Devils were not challenged defensively by FUSC throughout the game, however with the glimpses of defense that was shown the team looked solid compared to their run against Colorado College.
“I know they didn’t really create too many chances, but the number one thing is we didn’t (allow) any goals,” Winkworth said. “When you are dominating a game as much as that game, sometimes it can be difficult to keep your concentration and I think only once or twice we lost our concentration in the back.”
In a huge transition for the program with 18 new faces around the pitch, the team lookeed as if they have been playing together for longer than their few weeks together.
“Our older players have welcomed and shown such quality leadership welcoming this younger group in that it feels like this group has known each other for two years not two weeks,” Winkworth said.
Senior goalie Sydney Day earned herself time in two exhibition games for ASU. Day started in the net against FUSC with only facing one shot.
She was then relieved in the second half by freshman Arizona native Amanda Green. Like Day, Green only faced one shot.
It was only a matter of time before the Sun Devils struck again. Prescott, Arizona native Cori Sullivan took a big touch to separate herself from the defender, to score a near post goal to make it 6-0.
Jen Fortner concluded the run of goals by the freshmen in the game. Off another ASU corner from Purfield, Fortner placed the ball in the back of the net with ease.
Minutes later, with a cross in front of the net, Purfield beat her defender and poked the ball in between the legs of the FUSC goalie to make the lead 8-0.
Graduate transfer Casey Martinez had attractive offensive runs throughout the game to help out her teammates. One of her runs finally worked after being a defender on the goal line, Martinez crossed the ball into sophomore Lara Barbieri’s head to make contact before entering the goal.
In the final nine minutes of the game, Edwards completed the 10-0 win with the concluding goal. With a cross from Purfield into the box, Edwards redirected the cross into the net for her second goal of the game.
“Everyone’s fighting for a spot, coach has said it a lot he has a very deep roster and that’s a good thing,” Edwards said. “I don’t want to necessarily say I am okay with that, but I’m glad that I have so much competition for my spot because each practice I am fighting for my spot which increases my teammates work ethic and vice versa so if we are all increasing together I can only see more results coming out of myself and out of everyone else.”
After going 2-0-1 in preseason, the Sun Devils begin the 2018 season this Friday, August 24 in Hawaii where they will face University of Hawaii and then University of Montana on Sunday, August 26.
