By Craig Morgan, thesundevils.com Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Kevin Boyd's first few seasons at the helm of Sun Devil women's soccer were spent improving the talent, fitness and profile of the program by adding top-tier recruits.
Nine seasons later, Boyd has become a more selective shopper.
"You're never going to turn down an amazing recruit regardless of position, but in general we are at a point now where we are targeting positions," Boyd said. "It doesn't necessarily mean we see a really good center mid(fielder) but we don't need a center mid so we don’t look at her. We'll see her and think maybe she'll be a great center back, but we're pretty good now so we've gotten to the point where we can be very methodical about needing this position or this kind of player in this position. It has definitely narrowed the field of what we're looking for in a good way."
ASU announced its most recent recruiting class on Wednesday with the addition of five players who signed National Letters of Intent. At least four fit specific needs, but the class also furthers the notion that Sun Devil soccer has taken major strides under Boyd.
"We saw a big change in our recruiting a couple years where we started getting the top players, specifically in Arizona, but also many of the top players in California," Boyd said. "That changed showed up with players like (seniors) Cali Farquharson and McKenzie Berryhill coming in and elevating our program, but when we beat Stanford away on national TV (in 2013), all of the sudden California kids were interested in us. Every year after that we've had a signature win and they've been on TV fortunately so it's allowed us to get more and more of those top players."
Defender-midfielder Devyn Kelsey may be the cream of this year's crop. The Los Osos High School (Rancho Cucamonga, California) product was selected for the U18 U.S. and U19 U.S. National Team Camps.
"She's exceptional in every possible way," Boyd said. "She's tough, she has great physical traits, she's excellent technically she and has a great head for the game.
"I actually think her upside is greater than the opportunity she's been given so far in the (national) youth pool. If I'm guessing immediately on any of these players who makes it to pros, she'd be the one."
The Sun Devils added three other field players: forward-midfielder Christina Edwards of Summit High in Bend, Oregon; defender-forward Hailey Zerbel of South Hills High School in West Covina, California; and forward Olivia Hernandez of Avondale Westview High.
Boyd sees Zerbel as a flank-style player who can use her speed and endurance at the outside back position. He called Edwards the "wild card" of the group.
"She is most likely an attacking player and she's very good in the air -- something we need right now," Boyd said. "She could make a mark early. It just depends on how quickly she can adapt."
Boyd said Hernandez was the best prep player in Arizona this season.
"All she thinks about is scoring goals," Boyd said, laughing. "The rest of her game needs maybe a little bit of smoothing but I love her mentality. That's what you want from a forward. I think she will play right away. How much is up to her."
Goalkeeper Emma Malsy of Ocean View High School (Huntington Beach, California) has her work cut out for her with three goalkeepers already on the roster at a position that traditionally takes longer to develop. Unlike the previous incoming class, however, Boyd believes the four field players will have a chance to make an immediate impact on the program.
"Our current class came into a roster of 31 players with 11 seniors -- nine of whom will graduate," he said. "Five of those seniors are turning pro so this current freshman class came had to try and crack an incredibly experienced, older, wiser, very good soccer-playing lineup.
"This class comes into a group that just graduated nine players so their opportunities are much better. I also think this recruiting class has players that have the ability to make a big difference for our program. It's an excellent class that really shows how far we've come."