ASU Soccer: Sun Devils starting to overcome injuries at right time

 

(Photo: Kristina Vicario/WCSN)

After seeing the strongest start to the season the team has seen since 2000, the Sun Devils suffered a string of injuries and fell into a seven-game losing streak.

The rut was finally broken with a tie against UCLA and a double overtime, penalty winner against Washington last week.

Now, Arizona State basically has to win out the rest of its season in order to make it to the NCAA Tournament

Senior defender McKenzie Berryhill and senior forward Cali Farquharson are arguably two of the best in the nation in their respective positions, while redshirt senior goalkeeper Chandler Morris is one clean sheet away from breaking the school’s all time record. Redshirt junior midfielder Lucy Lara is having one of the best seasons she has had playing college ball.

The rest of the team has also kept pace.

“We are willing to go deeper than we have been,” head coach Kevin Boyd said. “We’re asking people to just get out there and work as hard as they can, and give us their best.”

At the same time, the Sun Devils are still facing the aftermath of what seemed like a curse of chronic injuries.

Farquharson, who was out for five of the seven games lost, is still not at full potential.

The captain suffered a hamstring injury during a game back in September, and was on a day-to-day basis for the majority of the past couple of weeks.

Now that she is finally fit to play, Boyd said she has had a tremendous impact on the team , but that the captain still has room to heal.

“We’re just different with her, and she’s not even full yet,” Boyd said. “I can’t wait to see her full.”

The Sun Devils suffered another loss just two weeks later when senior midfielder Tommi Goodman suffered a foot injury during a hard tackle against Stanford. This time, the injury was season ending.

Goodman had not missed a single game up to that point this season and was a key player in the midfield, bringing in a tactical understanding that only a four-year starter can bring.

In the wake of her absence, the Sun Devils were forced to rise to the challenge. Something sophomore midfielder Madison Kmetko has done really well.

“The great thing about her is that she has one speed, and that’s ‘all out.’ She doesn’t have anything else than that.” Boyd said. “We know that when we put her in she’s going to give us every ounce of energy she has.”

“The players that have stepped in have stepped up, and I think they’re bringing in a new level of energy and a new level of creativity that we’ve never had before, and I think that’s making us more unique,” Lara said.

In the face of so many injuries, the Sun Devils have shown that they still have heart, and have managed to keep their spirits as high as they have ever been.

“Washington was an eye opener that if we believe that we can do it, we can honestly win any game we want to win,” Lara said. “If we control what we can control, and do what we have to do playoffs are in our reach.”

Arizona State will look keep their tournament dreams alive with a win over Oregon State this Friday at 7 p.m. at Sun Devil Stadium.

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