(Photo: Steve Rodriguez/ ASU athletics)
For her four goals and one assist in this weekend’s Sun Devil Classic tournament, the Pac-12 has named senior forward Devin Marshall its offensive player of the week.
It is Marshall’s first time receiving the award.
“She better have won it,” head coach Kevin Boyd said. “She scored four goals in two games against top competition. She was, to me, a hands-down candidate so I’m really glad that she got the award and honor … I think it’s great.”
Marshall has scored her five goals this season, in the past three games. She is currently eighth on Arizona State’s all-time scoring list with 21 career goals.
Boyd said that Marshall’s hard work and dedication makes her a dangerous forward.
“Her drive to win and her competitiveness makes her such a great player. She absolutely plays on edge,” Boyd said. “She’s a good athlete, she has an incredible work ethic, and she has a nose for the goal. You put all those things into an extremely competitive person, who wants to win and do the most for her team, and you get Devin.”
ASU on the cusp of top-25 ranking
The NSCAA poll, which ranks teams based on a poll of national soccer coaches, came out on Tuesday, but the Sun Devils were unable to crack the top 25. The team is fourth among others receiving votes for the top 25, with 44 votes.
“I was disappointed. We can’t control it, so it is what it is,” Boyd said. “I feel like the body of our work should have us in the top 25 for sure. We are just getting overlooked.”
The team will take on N0. 24 Texas Tech on Friday, but Boyd said that his team is not worried about the ranking.
“I don’t know that our team is paying that much attention to it,” he said. “It would have been a nice compliment, but it’s not really part of our goals. We’re more focused on what we’re trying to do in our non-conference schedule, improving everyday, and those sort of things. While it would have been a compliment, I don’t think it’s deterring us at all.”
