(Photo: Sammy Nute/WCSN)
An imbalance has been the tale of the tape for ASU Women’s Soccer (10-6-4, 5-5-1) in 2023 following the close of their regular season in a 2-1 loss at rival Arizona. It’s been a story of two completely different functioning units, in terms of their national statistical rankings, on the field for the Sun Devils. For most of the season, head coach Graham Winkworth produced a just-below-average to bad offensive group by numerical comparison, with just as many categories ranking north of the top 100 (three) as south of the 200 mark.
Despite the offensive shortcomings, ASU has been selected for NCAA Tournament play, slated for an away date against two-time national champion Santa Clara, who is ranked No. 28 in the RPI.
Just two weeks before tournament selection day, the Sun Devils seemed primed and secured for a postseason berth. ASU seemingly had to get a win or draw in two of its three remaining matches — all against schools that were, at the time, ranked below them in the RPI and conference standings — and they’d be shoo-ins to host a first-round matchup as opposed to going on the road. Despite losing all three matches by a combined score of 8-1, the Sun Devils still had a strong consideration to be selected for tournament play due to their above-average, borderline-elite defensive unit that ranks top-50 in the nation in nearly all statistical categories.
As the focus narrows to the Broncos, here are the numbers that defined ASU’s regular season.
Offense
Total Goals – 30 (T-108th)
Goals Per Game – 1.50 (T-126th)
Total Assists – 31 (T-71st)
Assists Per Game – 1.55 (87th)
Total Points – 91.00 (T-96th)
Points Per Game – 4.55 (T-110th)
Shots Per Game – 10.80 (T-233rd)
Shots on Goal Per Game – 4.85 (T-242nd)
Shot Accuracy – 0.449 (207th)
Corner Kicks Per Game – 4.40 (T-165th)
Synopsis
ASU’s calling card through the regular season was never its offense. During this past offseason, the Sun Devils lost their all-time program leading scorer Nicole Douglas, their all-time leading assister Eva Van Deursen, and their captain and leading creative midfielder Alexia Delgado. Much of this season’s offensive load was often disproportionally shouldered by Sophmore forward Enasia Colon. The U-20 Dominican Republic national team player’s nine goals on the season were tied for fourth most in the Pac-12.
The next closest scoring contributors were junior forward Keri Matthews, freshman midfielder Ella Opkvitne, and senior forward Gabi Renne, all with 3 and tied for 31st in the conference. Colon also paced her team in total shots and shots on target with 46 and 22 respectively. Matthews ranked second in both categories with 29 and 13 respectively. It should be noted that Colon was rarely deployed as an out-and-out striker tasked with finishing chances in the box, but more as a free-roaming inverted winger, given the license to occupy various spaces in the hunt for offensive production.
The true strikers on the team both showed flashes of quality in their different ways. Fifth-year senior Suzuka Yosue displayed an innate ability to drop into the midfield to get in possession and create assists for her teammates. She tied with Matthews for the team lead in assists at six, tied for fourth in the Pac-12. While only managing two goals this season, freshman striker Savannah Maley showcased a willingness to sit high and use her considerable strength to bring the ball down and fight off defenders as a hold-up forward, thus allowing her teammates to run to spaces around her. In order to secure a win in the Bay Area and keep their season alive, more of a wholesale effort will be needed to create scoring chances against a top-20 defense in the nation.
Defense
Goals Against – 17 (T-12th)
Goals Against Average – 0.850 (T-61st)
Fouls Per Game – 7.00 (20th)
Saves – 82 (23rd)
Save Percentage – 0.828 (48th)
Shutouts – 9 (T-5th)
Shutout Percentage – 0.45 (T-68th)
Synopsis
On the contrary, the defense has been the calling card for the success of this ASU team during the regular season. It ranks in the top-100 in all major categories and the top-25 in four. Had it not been for the late-season slide, those rankings would likely be even higher. Entering the final three games of the season, the Sun Devils had only allowed nine goals through 17 contests. They then allowed eight in their final three matches alone. Much of that drastic change can be attributed to the loss of graduate defender and captain Lieske Carleer to injury. Her vocal leadership and fearlessness in the back helped anchor one of the country’s most oppressive defensive units.
Much should also be said of the performances of sophomore goalie Pauline Nelles. The Germany native’s nine shutouts in 2023 — a program single-season record — is tied for the fifth-most in the country. Nelles opened the season looking virtually unassailable, collecting seven clean sheets in ASU’s first 10 matches, only allowing three goals during that span. The back half proved more difficult, as Nelles surrendered 14 goals in the final 10 matches.
Outside of the stars, it was a fairly fluid back line with a total of 10 players collecting four or more starts in the lineup. What was, most often a three-back system, adapted to a four-back at times against elite attacking teams such as UCLA and USC. The defense will have to right the ship to slow down Santa Clara’s top-50 attacking unit.
Team Success
Winning Percentage – 0.600 (T-107th)
Total Wins – 10 (T-8th)
Total Losses – 6 (T-7th)
Total Draws – 4 (T-5th)
Synopsis
2023 could have easily been a rebuilding year in Tempe considering all the talent that was lost to professional ranks. Instead, it was Winkworth’s fourth consecutive winning season and the first 10-win campaign since 2021. Despite the notion that it could have been even more than 10 following a hot start, the Sun Devils will not lament the past and focus on a rebalancing of quality in all phases of the team before beginning the postseason gauntlet in Santa Clara.
