WHAT: Arizona State (4-6, 0-3 Pac-12) at USC (7-4-1, 2-1-0 Pac-12) and UCLA (5-6, 1-2 Pac-12)
WHEN: at USC on Friday at 3 p.m. PT and at UCLA on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT.
WHERE: Los Angeles
TELEVISION: Pac-12 Networks
UP NEXT
The Arizona State women’s soccer team (4-6, 0-3 Pac-12) begins a three-game road trip this week when it travels to Los Angeles for games at USC (Friday at 3 p.m.) and UCLA (Sunday at 1 p.m.). Both games will be aired live on the Pac-12 Networks.
NOTES FROM LAST WEEK
• The Sun Devils fell to No. 5 Stanford (2-0) and No. 23 Cal (1-0) last week. Both games followed a similar script as ASU put forth a pair of solid defensive efforts, but in each case was unable to consistently put pressure on the opposition with its offense. All three goals the Sun Devils gave up came after the 70th minute as Stanford scored in the 74th minute and the 79th minute and Cal scored in the 78th minute.
• GK Chandler Morris had eight saves on the weekend (four in each game).
• ASU was without leading scorer Cali Farquharson in both contests (has missed ASU’s last four contests due to injury) and without senior midfielder Tommi Goodman vs. Cal. Goodman suffered a season ending injury in the first half of ASU’s game vs. Stanford.
SUN DEVIL STORYLINES
• The 2015 season is the 20th in the history of Sun Devil Soccer.
• ASU won its first four games for the first time since 2000. During that stretch, which included a 5-0 win over then-No. 14 Pepperdine on Sept. 11, ASU outscored its opponents 16-0 and averaged one goal for every six shots it had taken. The Sun Devils have since dropped their last six games. Included in those setbacks are four one-goal decisions – vs. Texas Tech (1-0 on Sept. 13 in Tucson), at Oklahoma State (3-2 on Sept. 18) vs. Washington State (2-1 on Sept. 27) and vs. Cal (1-0 on Oct. 4). ASU also lost at Oklahoma 2-0 on Sept. 20. In four of the six losses the Sun Devils were without senior forward Cali Farquharson, who is No. 11 among active NCAA D1 players with 39 career goals.
• ASU returned 12 players in 2015 who started 10 or more games last season, including Farquharson and senior D McKenzie Berryhill, who both earned All-Pac-12 and NSCAA All-Region honors in 2014; R-Sr. goalkeeper Chandler Morris, who is now tied for the top spot on ASU’s all-time list for career shutouts (23) and sophomore F Aly Moon, who was named to the Pac-12’s All-Freshman Team in 2014.
• ASU is coming off a campaign in which it advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and recorded its most wins (12) since 2003. This season ASU will be seeking its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last seven seasons.
• Head coach Kevin Boyd earned his 200th career victory with ASU’s 3-0 season opening win vs. Portland State on Aug. 21 (now has 203 career wins – 124 at Cal/79 at ASU). Boyd is the all-time leader in wins at both ASU and Cal.
• ASU’s 2015 schedule includes 11 teams that made it to the NCAA Tournament last year, including five schools that were among the final 16: Stanford (NCAA National Semifinals), UCLA (NCAA Fourth Round), Pepperdine (NCAA Third Round), Texas Tech (NCAA Third Round) and Washington (NCAA Third Round).
• In contrast to last season in which it played seven of its first nine games away from home, in 2015 ASU played six of its first 10 contests at home. This weekend begins a stretch in which ASU will play six of its final eight regular season contests on the road.
• ASU’s home game vs. San Diego State that was scheduled for Aug. 31 was cancelled after more than an hour of rainfall made the field unplayable.
• ASU was picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 by the league’s coaches.
• Currently second on ASU’s all-time list and 11th among NCAA D1’s active career leaders with 39 career goals, senior F Cali Farquharson needs 11 goals to tie all-time leader Stacey Tullock (50/1998-2001). Farquharson is also second in program history (and 14th among NCAA Division I active players) with 91 points in her career. Tullock is also ASU’s all-time leader in points with 125.
• GK Chandler Morris currently is tied for first on ASU’s career combined shutouts list with 23.0. Erin Reinke (1996-2000) shares the record with Morris.
SCOUTING USC
USC (7-4-1, 2-1-0 Pac-12) is coming off a 1-0 loss at Washington, its first lost in Pac-12 play. Prior to the setback USC had started out 2-0 in the Pac-12 with wins over Oregon State and Washington State and was on a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1). Although USC has won 12 of the 19 meetings, the Sun Devils have had the advantage of late having won five of the last seven, including the last three in a row. Last year’s 2-0 win at USC was ASU’s first road win over USC since 1997. Cali Farquharson scored both goals in last year’s win. As a freshman in 2012, Farquharson tied the single-game school record for goals (3) and set the single-game school record for points (8) in ASU’s 5-4, double-overtime win over USC. Current Sun Devil senior Tommi Goodman’s first career goal was the game winner in the second overtime.
SCOUTING UCLA
UCLA (5-6, 1-2 Pac-12) split its eight non-conference games before winning its Pac-12 opener at Oregon 1-0. Last week the Bruins fell below .500 for the season and in the Pac-12 after dropping contests at Washington (2-1) and at Washington State (4-2). Four of UCLA’s six losses have been by a single goal and the Bruins have scored at least one goal in every game since losing their opener at Long Beach State 1-0. UCLA has won 16 of the 18 all-time meetings. ASU’s only win in the series came in 2000, a 1-0 upset of No. 5 UCLA in double overtime. ASU Hall of Famer Stacey Tullock scored the game-winning goal with 32 seconds remaining in the second overtime. Last season Cali Farquharson’s goal in the 49th minute gave ASU a 1-0 lead over top-ranked the Bruins before UCLA tied the game in the 67th minute of a game that ended in a 1-1 tie.
FEAR THE FARQ
ASU’s most dangerous scoring threat since her freshman season in 2012, senior Cali Farquharson joined Sun Devil Hall of Famer Stacey Tullock as the only other Sun Devil to score double-digits in goals three straight seasons after recording scoring a single-season, career-high 14 last season (had 10 each of her first two seasons).
Last season Farquharson earned First-Team NSCAA All-Regional and First-Team All-Pac-12 recognition in addition to being named a Second-Team Scholar All-America by the NSCAA. She concluded her junior season as ASU’s leader in goals (14) and points (32) for the third consecutive season and finished tied for first in the Pac-12 in goals per game (0.67) and third in points per game (1.52).
A Valley native (Shadow Mountain HS/Phoenix, Ariz), Farquharson, who has a pair of career hat tricks to her credit, was named the Pac-12’s Offensive Player of the Week twice last season.
Farquharson has continued to be ASU’s offensive spark plug in 2015 as she currently leads the team in goals (5) and points (13) despite missing ASU’s last four contests due to injury.
Currently with 39 career goals Farquharson is in second place on ASU’s all-time list. She needs 11 more goals to tie all-time program leader Stacey Tullock (50/1998-2001). Farquharson, who owns the school record for most consecutive games scoring a goal (8 - last three games in 2012 and first five games of 2013), is also tied for third on ASU’s all-time list in game-winning goals with 12.
Most recently, Farquharson was listed No. 34 on topdrawersoccer.com’s top 100 players to watch.
FARQUHARSON NAMED A CANDIDATE FOR 2015 SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Cali Farquharson was one of 30 student-athletes named as candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate soccer, according to an announcement by the nominating committee on Sept. 3.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
BERRYHILL LEADS SUN DEVIL BACK LINE
A starter in 60 of 68 career contests, senior McKenzie Berryhill distinguished herself as one of the Pac-12’s top defenders in 2013 and followed that up with a 2014 campaign that saw her earn First-Team All-Pac-12 and First-Team NSCAA Pacific All-Regional honors. Berryhill’s experience was especially critical last season following the loss of two mainstays for the better part of the previous four years, Jasmine Roth and Kaitlyn Pavlovich. Berryhill played every minute of ASU’s 19 games in 2013 and started 17 of the 20 matches she played in 2014 (missed two games & did not start three others due to injury).
Berryhill played a big role last season in the Sun Devils’ final GAA of 1.05, which was the team’s lowest since 2007 (0.83).
Topdrawersoccer.com has ranked Berryhill No. 21 on its Top 100 players to watch this year. Most recently, Berryhill was named to CS360’s Week-4 National Primetime Performers Honor Roll after helping anchor a defense that gave up only eight shots in consecutive games vs. No. 14 Pepperdine and No. 18 Texas Tech.
Berryhill scored the fourth goal of her career in ASU’s 6-0 win over UNLV on Aug. 28.
BACK FOR MORE
Sophomore Aly Moon earned Pac-12 All-Freshman honors following a 2014 campaign in which she teamed with Cali Farquharson to give the Sun Devils two double-digit goal scorers – Farquharson (14) and Moon (10) – for only the second time in school history. Moon earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors the first weekend of the 2014 regular season following her outstanding debut weekend in ASU’s contests at the Outrigger Resort Shootout (Aug. 22 & 24 in Honolulu, Hawaii). Moon tied a single-game school record with three goals and was one point shy (7) of tying the single-game school record for scoring (currently held by junior Cali Farquharson, who had 8 points vs. USC in 2012) in ASU’s 5-2 win at Hawaii on Aug. 24. In addition to being recognized by the Pac-12, Moon was also named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s team of the week.
Moon, who led the team in assists last season (6), is currently second on the team in goals (4) and tied for second in points (9).
MORRIS PROVIDES SUN DEVILS WITH STEADY PRESENCE IN GOAL
One of the most important contributors in ASU’s success over the last three-plus seasons is senior GK Chandler Morris. Since a quicker-than-anticipated ascension into the starter’s role in 2012, Morris has provided the Sun Devils with steady play and has come up big in some of ASU’s biggest games, most notably the Sun Devils’ 1-0 upset of then-No. 2 Stanford in 2013 which ended the Cardinal’s 73-game unbeaten streak at home and its 44-game conference streak. In 2014, Morris had a career-high 11 saves in ASU’s 1-1 tie vs. top-ranked UCLA. Morris recorded a shutout in ASU’s 0-0 tie vs. Washington State, giving her 17.0 shutouts for her career and moving her into second place on ASU’s all-time list. Morris was named the Pac-12’s Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 20, 2014, after posting 10 saves (one short of tying her career high) in ASU’s 2-0 win at USC (Oct. 17). She earned the honor again following ASU’s 1-0 win over Arizona (Nov. 7, 2014). Morris’ 7.5 shutouts last season were the second-best, single-season total in school history. After recording shutouts in each of ASU’s first four games this season, Morris is now tied with former Sun Devil Erin Reinke (1996-2000) for the most career shutouts in school history (23).
TOSTI GIVES SUN DEVILS VALUABLE VERSATILITY
Prior to ASU, senior Sara Tosti, who has started 59 of her 71 career games, spent most of her career up top in the attacking position. That changed in 2012 when the coaching staff recognized Tosti’s skills would allow her to transition to the back line where she could be most effective given the team’s personnel at the time. She would go on to play all 21 games as a freshman, including starting assignments in 14 contests.
In 2013 Tosti returned to her natural position up top and proved to be just as effective as she started all but one game. She had a remarkable stretch during the early portion of the Pac-12 season as her critical contributions helped pave the way for ASU’s first three conference wins. She assisted on Devin Marshall’s game-winning goal with 19 seconds left in ASU’s 1-0 win over USC (Sept. 29). One week later (Oct. 6) Tosti was named the Pac-12’s Offensive Player of the Week after she scored the only goal of the game in ASU’s 1-0 upset of (then) second-ranked Stanford. One week after that, Tosti was responsible for the game-winning goal in ASU’s 1-0 win at Oregon (Oct. 11).
Last season Tosti once again returned to defending where her experience helped to make up for the combination of losing two starters from 2013 in addition to the team’s relative lack of experience in that part of the field. She played in 21 games (18 starts) on the back line in 2014 (also saw occasional time up top). She was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s National Team of the Week following ASU’s wins over Oklahoma State (Sept. 5) and Texas A&M (Sept. 7).
In 2015 Tosti has been part of a back line that posted shutouts in four of ASU’s first five games. She scored her fifth career goal (third GW goal) in ASU’s 2-0 win over Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 4.
2015 NOTES
• ASU’s six goals in its 6-0 win over UNLV on Aug. 28, tied the second-highest, single-game mark in school history.
• Larisa Staub, who started her ASU career on the back line and has since transitioned to forward, scored the first goal of her career in ASU’s 3-0 win over Portland State (Aug. 21). She added her second in ASU’s 2-1 loss to Washington State (Sept. 27).
• Senior Tommi Goodman played in 71 straight contests for ASU (59 starts) going back to the first game of the 2012 season. Her senior season was cut short after suffering a season ending injury in the first of ASU’s contest vs. No. 5 Stanford on Oct. 2.
• Going back to 2012, ASU has won 30 of the 33 contests in which it has scored first (30-1-2). ASU’s 2-1 loss at Washington on Oct. 10, 2014 ended a 24 game-unbeaten streak in games in which it had scored first (22-0-2). The other games ASU has not won in that stretch are a 1-1 tie at Oregon State (Oct. 19, 2012) and a 1-1 tie vs. top-ranked UCLA (Sept. 26, 2014).
• Lucy Lara had three assists in ASU’s win over No. 14 Pepperdine on Sept. 11. She currently leads the team in assists (5), is tied for second in scoring (9 points) and is tied for third in goals (2). She scored her third career goal in ASU’s 3-2 loss to Oklahoma State. Two of Lara’s three career goals have come against Oklahoma State as she also scored one in last year’s win over the Cowgirls. Her other goal came vs. UNLV (Aug. 28).
• Jazmarie Mader scored a single-game, career-high two goals in ASU’s 5-0 win over No. 14 Pepperdine (Sept. 11).
2014 NOTES
• ASU’s nine-game unbeaten streak (7-0-2) in 2014 was its longest such streak since 2000. The unbeaten streak included a 1-0 win over No. 6 Texas A&M (Sept. 7) and a 1-1 tie vs. top-ranked UCLA (Sept. 26). Prior to their tie with UCLA, the Sun Devils had won six straight games, which was their longest winning streak since 2002.
• In the summer of 2014, Cali Farquharson and McKenzie Berryhill were both participants in the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team’s training camp. Also getting national team experience was Lucy Lara, who participated in Mexico’s women’s national team’s training camp. Lara made her Sun Devil debut in 2013 after being sidelined with a knee injury incurred prior to the 2012 campaign.
• Cali Farquharson (0.67) and Aly Moon (0.48) were the top combination in the Pac-12 in combined goals per game (1.15) in 2014. Both players tied the single-game school record for goals (3) – Moon at Hawaii (Aug. 24) and Farquharson vs. Nevada (Sept. 14 in Tucson), the second hat-trick of her career. Moon also had seven points in the game vs. Hawaii, coming one point short of tying Farquharson’s single-game school record of eight points set in 2012.
• ASU’s GAA of 1.05 in 2014 was its lowest since 2007 (0.83) while its scoring average of 1.86 goals per game was its highest since 2003 (1.90).
• Aly Moon scored five goals in ASU’s first five games of 2014. The only Sun Devil freshman to have a better start to her career was Patrice Feulner, who scored seven goals her first five games and 10 in her first six games in 2000. Feulner had back-to-back hat tricks in the fifth and sixth games of her career (consecutive 7-0 home wins by ASU over Pittsburgh on Sept. 10 and vs. Eastern Michigan on Sept. 15).
• Madison Stark was the only Sun Devil to start every game in 2014. She also logged more minutes on the field than any other Sun Devil. She scored her first career goal in the 21st minute of ASU’s 1-0 win over Arizona on Nov. 7.
• After not scoring any goals the first two seasons of her Sun Devil career, Rachel Ometer scored three in 2014. The biggest of those goals helped ASU tie then-No. 6 Texas A&M at the half in the Sun Devils’ eventual 2-1 win upset of the Aggies.
• Mackenzie Semerad’s first goal as a Sun Devil was the game-winner in ASU’s 2-1 upset of then-No. 6 Texas A&M on Sept. 7, 2014.
• Thirteen different Sun Devils scored in 2014. Seven of those players scored multiple goals
• ASU scored its 27th goal of the season in the ninth game of the 2014 season. The significance? They surpassed their 2013 total of 26 goals (19 games).
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
On the academic side, the Sun Devils have earned Pac-10/12 All-Academic notice 92 times in Boyd’s eight seasons, including 25 first-team members and 10 second-team members. In addition, soccer student-athletes have combined for 10 Academic All-America awards since 2007, most recently Cali Farquharson (NSCAA Second-Team Scholar All-America) in 2014 and former Sun Devils Jasmine Roth (second team) and Kaitlyn Pavlovich (third team) in 2013 Roth was also named the Pac-12’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2013.
LEPEILBET, TULLOCK NAMED TO PAC-12 ALL-CENTURY WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM
Former Arizona State University soccer players Amy LePeilbet and Stacey Tullock were among 24 players named to the Pac-12 All-Century Women’s Soccer Team as announced by Pac-12 Networks Oct. 3.
The 24 players were chosen from a field of 63 players nominated by Pac-12 institutions. Voting was conducted by a panel of 37, comprised of former and current coaches, former players and members of the media. Notable voting participants include Jill Ellis, former UCLA head coach and current United States Women’s National Team Coach; espnW contributor Michelle Smith; former ‘Soccer America’ writer Scott French; and Associated Press sportswriter Janie McCauley.
LePeilbet and Tullock, who are both members of the Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame, both left indelible marks on the Sun Devil soccer program, which is currently celebrating its 20th season.
Named one of four starting defenders on the All-Century Team, LePeilbet (2000-03) was one of the cornerstones of the Sun Devil Soccer program as ASU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament three times during her four years. A two-time All-American and three-time All-Pac-10 Conference first-team selection, LePeilbet would go on to win a gold medal with the 2012 U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2012 Olympics in London. While at ASU, LePeilbet never missed a start in her four years at ASU, playing in 74 career games. Excelling off the field as well, LePeilbet was a two-time Academic All-American as well as a Maroon and Gold Scholar-Athlete. LePeilbet was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team that finished second to Japan in the 2011 Word Cup. LePeilbet is also a member of FC Kansas City, which last week won the National Women’s Soccer League Championship for the second consecutive season.
Tullock (1998-2001), who was named one of three reserve midfielders on the All-Century Team, is Arizona State’s all-time career leader in every major offensive statistical category including goals (50), points (125), assists (25) and game-winning goals (16). Tullock is also the owner of ASU’s single-season marks for goals (17 in 1999), points (41 in 1999) and is tied for the program’s top single-season mark with seven game-winning goals in 2000. Tullock became the first player in school history to score to account for a double-digit goal total three consecutive years (1998-2000), an achievement matched only by current Sun Devil senior Cali Farquharson. In 1998, Tullock became the school’s first All-America selection, awarded by Soccer Buzz. In 2000, Tullock was a U21 National Team member. She earned second-team All-America honors from the NSCAA, Soccer America and Soccer Buzz.
SUN DEVIL SOCCER IN SPAIN
On May 9, 2015 the Sun Devil soccer team departed for a 10-day tour of Spain as part of an offseason international tour. The trip, which was privately funded, served as a one-of-a-kind experience in which the team learned about culture and international travel, had the chance to play soccer on an international level and provided all the players with a unique bonding opportunity.
“It was an incredible experience. We are incredibly lucky that we have some very supportive people around us,” said ASU head coach Kevin Boyd. “Through the generosity of the Sontag family we were able to do this. The trip was fully funded through private donations and also money raised by the team.“
The team started its tour in Barcelona and then and then moved up into the Basque country and into the San Sebastian and Bilbao area. The team played four games during its stay (vs. C.E. Europa, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and RCD Espanyol).
SIX LOCAL PLAYERS HIGHLIGHT SUN DEVIL SOCCER’S 2015 SIGNING CLASS
Earlier this year, Arizona State University head women’s soccer coach Kevin Boyd announced that Sydney Day, Melinda Gutierrez, Kylie Miniefield, Adriana Orozco, Jaimie Salas, Kayla Satterfield, Natalie Stephens and Madison Wolf signed to study and play soccer at ASU.
Of the eight new players who will be joining the Sun Devils for the 2015 season, six – Gutierrez, Miniefield, Orozco, Salas, Stephens and Wolf – hail from the Valley of the Sun, something that Boyd said makes this class special.
“We think we put together a very good class once again,” Boyd said. “We’re thrilled that the majority of it is coming out of Arizona. We have wanted to get deeper into the state of Arizona and have our team better represent the state and this is a great step in that direction.”