"It has been a very good spring," third-year head coach Graham Winkworth said of the team's preparations leading into week one. "We were able to put in a lot of new ideas this season. Last year it was difficult because a lot of our players were out on international duty. The soccer preseason is short, only about two weeks, so it was very difficult to gel on the field. This year we have had a good spring and an even better summer with our trip to Mexico. Getting some games in and some quality extra practice was great for us leading into what has been a great preseason. That has been huge for us."
The Sun Devils will hit the pitch this season with a lot of confidence following a 2018 campaign that saw the squad tally double-digit wins for the first time since winning 12 matches in 2014. ASU finished tied for seventh in the league with five wins in conference play, the most wins for an ASU team since 2015, including a win over then-No. 22 Washington State on Oct. 18.
Returning 19 players from his 2018 roster, including the team's top two goal scorers, Winkworth hopes to continue the growth of the program that finished with 16 total points in the Pac-12 standings and just narrowly missed an opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament. The hunt for what has been an illusive berth into the 64-team NCAA Tournament field will begin with a pair of important tests this weekend.
"I expect this group to improve again this year," Winkworth said of his retuning players. "This group is very professional. A lot of them aspire to play beyond the university level, and that makes them very easy to motivate. I can't take all the credit for them being focused because it is a very very self-motivated group. Having student-athletes like that makes my job very easy and allows us to focus more on the tactical areas and develop them as players."
Things will get started for the Sun Devils with a road match at Cal State Fullerton. Head coach Demian Brown returns for his 13th season as the Titans head coach, looking to guide his squad to their fifth Big West regular season championships having claimed the title in 2007, 2012, 2014 and 2015. He has also claimed five Big West Tournament championships earning that distinction in 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 leading to four NCAA Tournament appearances in the last six seasons.
"Cal State Fullerton has had a great preseason," Winkworth said of the talented Titans. "Last year they had a few injuries that impacted their results, but you can't read into their record from last season because they are an extremely talented team with a lot of very good returning players. They are well coached and we are expecting a very difficult game on Thursday night."
Senior forward Atlanta Primus will return to the field having already been selected to the preseason All-Big West team. The selection adds to a long list of accolades for the London, England native, as she has also earned 2016 Big West Conference All-Freshmen Team, 2018 Big West All-Conference First Team and 2018 All-Region Honors. In her 2018 season, Primus scored a team-high six goals in 18 games she appeared in. She will be aided by redshirt-senior Alba Berrios who makes her way back to the field after being sidelined a year ago due to injury. Berrios was a significant contributor in her first three seasons for Fullerton, appearing in 51 games and was a part of back-to-back NCAA tournament runs (2014, 2015).
"Cal State Fullerton has had a great preseason," Winkworth said of the Titans. "Last year they had a few injuries that impacted their results, but you can't read into their record from last season because they are an extremely talented team with a lot of very good returning players. They are well coached and we are expecting a very difficult game on Thursday night."
Following Thursday's game at Cal State Fullerton, ASU will return to Sun Devil Soccer Stadium for the first time in 2019, hosting Central Arkansas in an evening tilt in Tempe. A familiar foe to Winkworth, who served as an assistant coach at UCA for two seasons beginning in 2001. The Bears boast five players who were named to the preseason All-Southland Conference Team, including Connie Awuku-Darkoh and Hadley Dickinson who both earned first-team nods. Awuku-Darkoh returns as a staple to the Bears' offensive attack as the midfielder tallied 13 goals and three assists in her junior campaign in 2018. Her 13 goals helped lead the Bears to a program best 16 wins in 2018, an SLC title and an undefeated 9-0-1 home record.
"Central Arkansas was a team that I wanted to play because they had 16 wins last year," Winkworth said of the opportunity to face the scrappy Central Arkansas squad. "You always want to play teams that win because it helps from an RPI standpoint, but it also challenges you as a team. They picked up 16 wins and competed for their conference championship last year. Coming from a mid-major background myself, I know how hard it is to get that many wins, no matter the size of the school. It's always nice to play against one of your former institutions, now coached by a couple of your friends. We are extremely excited to host them on Sunday and looking forward to a second very difficult game."
Fans can follow all of the action from the weekend slate, as well as the rest of the 2019 season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter and Instagram. Tickets, including season and single-game, are still available by visiting TicketMaster.com.