Photo courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics
TEMPE – When a new season begins, there tends to be some type of jitters. Freshmen making their first collegiate starts, along with seniors facing the weight of their last collegiate season, combine to create a sense of nervousness.
However, by the time Arizona State finished its opening exhibition match, the nerves seemed to be gone. As “Sweet Caroline” blasted through the speakers at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium, the players and supporters alike sang with excitement.
The chorus didn’t only signal the good times but that Sun Devil soccer was back.
The ASU celebrations stemmed from early preseason success as the Sun Devils (0-0) defeated Cal Baptist (0-0) 2-0 in a game meant to make final tweaks before the regular season kicks off next week.
“We came through the game healthy,” Winkworth said. “We’ve got a few players injured, but we are no more injured than we were before the game. That was the number one thing for me. Everybody played at least half an hour, so there’s minutes in the legs.”
While the Sun Devils’ enthusiasm was displayed postgame, many of them started the game tense, including freshman defender Mya Angus, who made her first unofficial collegiate appearance Wednesday night.
Angus misplaced her first two passes, both leading to chances for Cal Baptist. Following that, she grew into the game, both in the back and going forward. The Canada native was involved in both ASU goals, scoring the first and playing a corner that led to the second. Defensively, the 5’ 11” freshman utilized her size to make a last-ditch tackle, preventing a Lancers chance and blocking numerous shots.
“Mya’s been wonderful during preseason,” Winkworth said. “She’s a great player. She and everybody else were a bit nervous at the beginning of the game. Once they settled, Mya did a great job.”
In addition to Angus’ performance, Winkworth expressed his pleasure with his team’s consistency in the game, given that every healthy Sun Devil saw the field. Throughout the match, the Sun Devils controlle a majority of the ball and consistently operated in the attacking half.
“I’m really happy that there was no drop-off when I made a significant number of changes,” Winkworth said. “I felt like the group that went in the second period was as impactful as the first group. That’s a good headache to have.”
Although ASU spent much of its time with the ball, it struggled to create many chances from open play. Both of the Sun Devils’ goals came from set-pieces—without those, they never threatened any of the Cal Baptist goalkeepers.
“What we lacked was getting numbers in the box,” junior midfielder Ella Kettles said. “There were so many times in the wing where the ball would be crossed in, and no one would be there. Those crosses are how you get goals. So, I do think just making sure we have the numbers up.
“Then, having that second line for the second balls to bring it back in. But I think the first problem we need to solve is actually getting those numbers in the box.”
As the Sun Devils look ahead to their non-conference slate, Winkworth will hope for his side’s consistency to continue to shine, as they may be short-handed for multiple games due to the U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup in September.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Winkworth said. “There are going to be moments we are going to be a little light-handed because of [the U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup]. We are waiting on some international decisions that could affect our lineup. I’m just excited.”
Players such as Angus, Kettles and sophomore forward Bela Puccinelli have all appeared for their youth national sides.
Despite that, ASU may still be able to add another player to its roster following the Colorado Judge’s decision to allow Class of 2022 players an extra year of eligibility. Winkworth hinted that the Sun Devils are working to bring one back, but declined to state who.
“If that decision ends up being final, it would have been nice to have happened six months ago,” Winkworth said. “We had the likes of [Paulline Nelles, Cameron Valladares, Tatum Thomason, etc.] who wanted to come back. There is still potentially one available, who we are having a conversation with.”
With the preseason hype and question marks still lurking, the Sun Devils will soon get their answers, as they open the regular season on Wednesday on the road against New Mexico State at 6 p.m. MST.
“Overall, just exciting,” Winkworth said. “This is a really great group of girls to be around. I like coming to practice. The body language, the effort is great, and they’re just a fun group to be around. So I guess just hanging out with the girls as much as anything. I miss this time of year, so I’m excited it’s back.”
