TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State soccer team will return home to complete the non-conference portion of the 2019 schedule with a Friday afternoon meeting with CSUN at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
Entering the matchup with a 6-2 record to start the season, ASU has an opportunity to cap their non-conference slate with the team's seventh win of the season and claim the best non-conference record for an ASU team since 2014.
Friday's game against CSUN will stand as the seventh meeting between the two sides, and the second match under third-year head coach Graham Winkworth. The Sun Devils enter the meeting with a 5-0-1 record against the Matadors, with ASU winning the last meeting, 1-0, in an exhibition match to start the 2017 season.
In their last outing, ASU snapped a two-game slide that started with a 2-1 loss to Oklahoma on Sept. 8. After suffering a tough loss at UCF last Thursday, the Sun Devils rebounded nicely to top 2018 SEC Champion LSU, 1-0, in Baton Rouge.
"It was excellent to get the result, particularly after a difficult one on Thursday night," Winkworth said of the team's bounce-back win. "What was equally as pleasing to me was the energy and the high level of performance, particularly in the second half, for us against LSU. It was a very good performance, a very solid performance defensively. We did not allow them any shots on goal in what was very hot and humid conditions. That goes understated sometimes because it was toasty. The ladies worked extremely hard and very much deserved to get the result."
Entering the fifth weekend of the 2019 season, the Sun Devils have combined to outscore their opponents, 25-17, including a 14-5 advantage in goals scored following the halftime break. In total, ASU is averaging 3.43 goals per game, making the Sun Devils the ninth-highest scoring offense in the nation. Production has come from nearly every player on the roster, including a handful of players who have made an incredible impact for the team, while not always appearing in the starting 11.
"Dai Williams is one who has been in and out of the starting lineup and has been earning her starts lately," Winkworth said. "She actually made a bigger impact in Sunday's game when she reentered the match, but she is a player that can cause problems and has been working hard. One of our more understated players this year has been Makenzie Harvey. She has been working extremely hard. She is one of the best transitional defenders in how hard she works when we lose possession of the ball. That is something that is very very important. She is very creative and her movement off the ball against LSU was fantastic, and she caused all sorts of problems for them. She was one pass away from scoring or assisting a couple of goals herself on Sunday. She is another player who has come in and had an impact for us."
"Then at the back, I want to put a word in for Taylor Culver and the work she has put in," Winkowrth added. "She came to us as a player who hadn't had much playing time in the last two years with Santa Clara. When she transferred here she found that the competition was high and she earned her start against LSU this past week and was very solid. I am sure she will get more opportunities as the season continues because she is working hard and improving certain areas of her game. She is one of the best one-v-one defenders we have on the roster. I am really happy for those players in particular. It just goes to show that if you work hard and show your quality in training that your opportunity will eventually come."
CSUN, the Big West Conference front-runners entering the fifth week of the season, have jump-started their 2019 campaign with a 5-1-2 record, including a current seven-game unbeaten streak. A hard-fought battle against No. 14 Texas A&M in their season opener resulted in the Matadors' lone loss of the year. The Matadors have been excellent on both ends of the field, holding opponents to only six goals in eight games, while tallying five shutouts in the process. The offensive end has seen six different players get into the scoring column, with sophomore forward Alexis White leading the team with three. Head coach Keith West, now in his 14th season as head coach, welcoming back 18 familiar faces from a year ago, including six who started half of the team's games in 2018.
"CSUN is very fast and athletic," Winkworth said of Friday's matchup. "They are an extremely hardworking and well-coached team that has a lot of dangerous weapons. They have got an excellent record and they are very dangerous. They are very good, and one of the hardest working teams I have seen on film so far this season. We are expecting a real challenge on Friday night."
Friday's match will mark the third 942 Crew Game of the Week, and the organization will be handing out 'ASU Innovation Dynasty' shirts to students in attendance at Friday's game.
As if you needed another reason to come out and watch @SunDevilSoccer, but we thought we'd add to the list ??
— 942 Crew (@942Crew) September 18, 2019
Come out and support our Sun Devils this Friday at our Game of the Week at 6:30 pm and grab an Innovation Dynasty shirt AND floor passes to Infernofest right after! ?? pic.twitter.com/O0gkF5jF84
"It is like playing with a 12th player when you have got the 942 Crew and the rest of our fans in the stands," Winkworth said of the tremendous support at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium this season. "It has given our players a lift. The fact that this game is at a more appealing time, with regards to kickoff, we really hope that everyone can come out in big numbers and make a lot of noise. We are very excited to be playing in front of the cameras again, but also even more excited to play in front of what should be a great crowd on Friday."
Following the Friday matchup against CSUN, Arizona State will begin Pac-12 play with a home match against Utah, Friday, Sept. 20. That game will also be broadcast by the Pac-12 Network. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2019 season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.