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Video: Sun Devil Soccer Update
Oct. 8, 2009
The 20th-ranked Arizona State women’s soccer team begins the Pac-10 portion of its schedule this week when it travels to Los Angeles to take on No. 23 USC (Friday at 3 p.m. PT) and third-ranked UCLA (Sunday at 1 p.m. PT). After posting the second-best 10-game record (7-2-1) in program history during the non-conference portion of their schedule, the Sun Devils were off last week, giving them some extra time to prepare for conference play. For the first time since 2004, the Arizona State women’s soccer team is ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25 poll. The Sun Devils were ranked No. 19 in the Sept. 29 poll (have since moved one spot down to 20th after bye week). After a rash of injuries caused it to barely miss the postseason last year, ASU has come out in 2009 and established itself as a program to keep a close eye on, not only within the Pac-10, but also around the country. At the season’s midway point the Sun Devils are 7-1-2, a record that was achieved against a tough non-conference schedule. The seven victories tie the second-highest number of wins after 10 games in program history. “We put ourselves in a very good position going into conference play,” ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said. “We know we need to find some results in the conference to make sure we get into the playoffs but we feel good about what we have done in the non-conference. We had a very touch non-conference schedule and to come out 7-1-2 is outstanding and shows the character of this team.”
The Sun Devils’ success thus far has been a product of outstanding team work as 10 different players have scored goals this season led by junior forward Karin Volpe who leads the team in both goals (4) and points (11). Also contributing on the offensive end have been junior midfielder Alexandra Elston, who is second on the team in points with eight (3 goals, 2 assists) and redshirt freshman forward Courtney Tinnin who leads the team with five assists. Scouting USC USC has won seven consecutive games since starting the season 1-3. The Trojans have outscored their opponents 15-3 during their winning streak. USC is led by junior forward Alyssa Dávila, who is ranked eighth in the Pac-10 in points (13 - five goals, three assists), and senior goalkeeper Kristin Olsen, who last month became the third player ever to win consecutive Pac-10 Player of the Week honors. The Trojans have won 10 of the 13 all-time meetings, however the Sun Devils were victorious in the most recent meeting, a 1-0 decision in Tempe last October. The Sun Devils were able to make Karin Volpe’s early goal stand up for the entire game as Briana Silvestri made nine saves in the win. The Bruins have not lost (9-0) since starting the season with a 7-2 loss at defending national champion North Carolina and a 1-1 tie at No. 15 San Diego. UCLA has outscored the opposition 29-3 in that span. UCLA sophomore forward Sidney Leroux is tied for second in the nation in goals per game (1.1) and tied for ninth in the nation in points per game (2.3). ASU’s only win in the all-time series against UCLA came when the Sun Devils upset then-fifth-ranked UCLA 1-0 in a double-overtime contest in 2000. ASU’s 1-1 overtime tie versus Nebraska on Sept. 27 represented the fourth time the Sun Devils have been involved in an overtime contest. While the concept of going to overtime is nothing new to the Sun Devils (played in seven overtime games in 2008), having success in extra time is. Last season ASU was unable to break into the win column as it went 0-4-3 in seven overtime contests. This season however ASU has managed to reverse the trend as it is 2-0-2 in its four overtime games. In its season opener at Tennessee, ASU ended its overtime winless streak when junior Karin Volpe scored the game winner in double overtime. One of the biggest factors in ASU’s success during Kevin Boyd’s first two seasons as head coach has been the Sun Devils’ ability to hold the opposition’s attack in check. While goalkeeper Briana Silvestri has risen to the challenge when opponents have gotten within scoring range, senior defender Liz Harkin has made a habit of preventing opposing players from getting clear shots on Silvestri. “When you have a player like Liz Harkin on the back line your defense automatically becomes one of the strengths of your team,” said ASU head coach Kevin Boyd. “She’s one of the best if not the best defender in the country. She doesn’t get beat and she has added more knowledge and more technique to what she does and she is much more vocal this year.” Last season Harkin earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors and following the season joined the U.S. U-20 Team which captured the gold at the U-20 in World Cup in Chile. Now with international experience under her belt, Boyd feels that Harkin is poised for an outstanding senior year. Thus far in 2009 Harkin has continued to distinguished herself as one of the nation’s best. Earlier this season Harkin was named to both the Lady Vol Classic and Sun Devil Dessert Classic All-Tournament Teams. She was named the Defensive MVP of the Sun Devil Dessert Classic after helping the Sun Devil shutout Old Dominion 1-0 (Sept. 4) and tie eighth-ranked Virginia 1-1 (Sept. 6). Harkin has had a big hand in helping the Sun Devils ascend to the top of the Pac-10 in fewest goals allowed (7). While Liz Harkin has been ASU’s anchor in the back, junior Karin Volpe has paced the Sun Devils’ attack on the offensive end as she has led the Sun Devils in goals, points and shots each of the last two seasons and is currently leads the team in goals (4), game-winning goals (2), points (11) and shots (29) and is second on the team in assists (3). In early September Volpe was named the Pac-10’s Player of the Week after being the driving force behind the Sun Devils’ 3-2 come-from-behind, double-overtime win over the Tennessee Lady Vols in Knoxville. After scoring the tying goal with 13 seconds left in regulation, Volpe would give the Sun Devils the win after scoring again in the 107th minute. Against Northern Arizona (Sept. 27), turned in one of the best single-game efforts in program history as she scored two goals and assists on two others in ASU’s 4-0 win. The six points in a single game are a career best for Volpe and represent the second-highest single-game point total in program annals. Volpe is currently in fourth place on ASU’s all-time list in career game winning goals (8) and is eighth in both career goals (18) and career points (43) One storyline head coach Kevin Boyd was excited about heading into 2009 was the potential of this year’s freshman class, which currently accounts for three players - forward Bianca Doller, defender Sierra Joseph and midfielder Taylor McCarter - in ASU’s starting lineup. A little more than 12 minutes into ASU’s season opening win over UC Irvine (Aug. 21), Boyd’s excitement was quickly validated as McCarter (assist) and Doller (goal) teamed up for ASU’s first goal of the season. Last month Doller, who is currently tied for fourth on the team in points (4), came up big in the second half of ASU’s win over Tennessee as she assisted on both Volpe’s game-tying goal with 13 seconds left and her game winner in double overtime. Later, it was another freshman who would provide the Sun Devils with offensive heroics as Kiara Williams came off the bench to score both of ASU’s goals (and the first two of her career) in ASU’s 1-0 win over Old Dominion and 1-1 tie against Virginia. Williams, who made the first start of her career against San Diego State on Sept. 11, was named to the Sun Devil Classic All-Tournament Team and was recognized by CollegeSoccer360.com in being named one of its “Primetime Performers of the Week.” Against San Diego State (Sept. 11), freshman defender Sierra Joseph made her presence felt on the offensive end as her free kick set up the game-winning goal by Alexandra Elston in ASU’s 2-1 overtime win. At Nebraska (Sept. 20), McCarter helped send the contest into overtime with the first goal of her career. Another player who has consistently provided the Sun Devils with a spark on the offensive end has been forward Courtney Tinnin. Although she is in her second year in the program, Tinnin, who was the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of New Mexico in 2008, still has four years of eligibility after being forced to miss last season because of a knee injury she suffered in the season’s second game. Tinnin is currently first on the team in assists (5), second in shots (19) and third in points (7). In ASU’s most recent contest against Northern Arizona (Sept. 27), Tinnin notched the first goal of her career in ASU’s 4-0 win. Last month junior midfielder Alexandra Elston helped carry the Sun Devils to victory as she notched both goals in ASU’s 2-1 overtime win over San Diego State. In addition to tying her single-game career high for goals, Elston also tallied the fifth game-winning goal of her career which moved her into a tie for eighth place on ASU’s all-time list. For her effort against the Aztecs, Elston was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week for Women’s Soccer. Elston is currently second on the team in both points (8) and goals (3) while her 16 shots are third on the team. Was named the third coach in the history of the ASU women’s soccer program on March 30, 2007... Prior to coming to Arizona State spent 10 seasons as the head coach at California where he complied 124-63-20 record and led the Golden Bears to the NCAA Tournament eight times... Last season the Sun Devils nearly qualified for the NCAA Tournament despite losing six players to season ending injuries. ASU’s 8-8-4 record included a win against seventh-ranked and defending national champion USC, ASU’s first win over a Top-10 squad since 2001. In 2008 the Sun Devils also defeated No. 20 UC Santa Barbara and recorded ties at seventh-ranked Texas and at No. 22 California... In 2007, Boyd’s first season at ASU, the Sun Devils produced a double-digit win total (10-9-1) for the first time since 2003... On the academic side, the Sun Devils have earned 21 Pac-10 All-Academic citations in Boyd’s two seasons, including six first-team members and one second-team member. ASU has also had three student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors. In 2007-08 the Sun Devils’ 3.55 cumulative GPA was among the top 15 in the country according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America... Under Boyd the, California produced 28 first or second-team All-Pac-10 Conference selections while also garnering 21 selections to the Academic All-Pac-10 first or second teams. Additionally, Boyd’s teams carried a stellar overall GPA, leading all Cal teams during the 2003-04 season (3.34)... In his final season at California he led the Golden Bears to the third round, their deepest run in the tournament in nearly 20 years... Attended Tri-State University in Angola, Ind., where he was a four-year letter winner. An honorable mention All-American in 1989, Boyd was a three-time team captain for the Trojans while earning three all-district selections, three all-area selections and three all-MICL selections as a sweeper. For his efforts, he was inducted into the Tri-State Hall of Fame. Record at ASU: 25-18-7 |
 
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