TEMPE – Sun Devil Soccer returns to the pitch this weekend as the program opens up the 2023-24 athletic season with a pair of home games hosting Wright State on Thursday, August 17 and Mississippi State on Sunday, August 20 with both matches beginning at 7 p.m. MST at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
Since 2013, the Sun Devils have gone 7-1-2 in season openers, and have been unbeaten in nine of the last ten season openers. Thursday's match can be seen on ASU Live Stream and Sunday's match will be aired on Pac-12 Network. Both matches can be tracked through StatBroadcast.
The Maroon and Gold are led by Graham Winkworth who enters his seventh year as Sun Devil head coach after leading the team into the 2022 NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons.
"Game week is finally here. We have so many new faces, so we have been trying to put them together to see what we have to work with but we can't wait to get back onto the pitch to play against somebody else." Winkworth said. "We don't know much about Wright State other than they've played two games already, so we have to be sure we're ready for that, but look forward to the weekend! I hope to see a big crowd Thursday night and then back out on Sunday for another game."
ABOUT THE RAIDERS:
Thursday night will be the first meeting between the Raiders and the Sun Devils. Wright State went (8-7-3) last season and fell to Youngstown State in the quarterfinal of the Horizon League tournament. The Raiders boast 19 returners to their roster and fifth-year starter Marcella Sizer returns to the team after a team-leading six goals and three assists. Sizer also earned Horizon League's Offensive Player of the year honors.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS:
Mississippi State and the Sun Devils have met once before in 2021 where the Maroon & Gold came out victorious with a scrappy 1-0 result in Starkville, MS. The Bulldogs are coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance where they were defeated in the second round against Memphis after going 12-6-4 on the year. The team features five players that were selected on the SEC'S preseason watch list entering the season.
STARTING STRONG:
Throughout Coach Winkworth's entire tenure, he's 4-1-1 in season openers, after a hard-fought, 2-1 overtime match in 2017 was the only time ASU didn't come away as a victor. Since then, the Sun Devils have outscored their last five opponents by a 17-5 margin and going 4-0-1, with a tie to 2021 NCAA Tournament participant South Dakota State last year.
KERI ONWARD:
Keri Matthews enters her junior season leading the returners with three goals and two assists last season, appearing in 18 games and being an essential contributor to ASU's front line. She's appeared in 29 games for the Maroon and Gold entering 2023.
ENASIA THE GREAT
Coming off a successful freshman season, Enasia Colon appeared in all 18 matches. Starting in seven of them for the Sun Devils in the midfield making a difference offensively for the team, being one of six players who scored multiple goals. She finished tied for second on the team with five assists and competed for Puerto Rico in the U20 CONCACAF Championship.
TRANSFERS
Joining the Sun Devils are a trio of transfers, Suzuka Yosue, Florence Vaillancourt and Hannah Lapeire brings experience in the midfield and the final third. Suzuka comes from The Citadel after playing 72 games and netting 26 goals, while setting school records with 34 assists and totaling 86 points with the Bulldogs.
Vailancourt comes from Syracuse and is looking to make an impact, she netted a game-winning goal last season and spent three seasons prior with Niagara University appearing in 36 games, earning 13 goals and 10 assists alone in the 2021 season to earn MAAC Offensive Player of the year honors.
Lapeire joins the Sun Devils after three seasons with Purdue, playing in 32 matches over the three seasons bringing more depth and experience to the midfield.
DEFENSIVE DUO
Lieske Carleer returns to the back line for the Sun Devils as a fifth-year after starting in 63 of 64 matches in her career and brings veteran leadership with Lucy Johnson who started in 12 of 13 matches last season, and a force with Carleer last season. She managed to score the season's most important goal against Arizona with a game-winner in the 79th minute. Johnson was versatile on the offensive end with a team-leading eight assists last season while being a strong 1v1 defender throughout her career.
LOOKING AHEAD:
After the Sun Devils host the Raiders and the Bulldogs, they'll go on their first road trip of the season to play New Mexico State on Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. MST, and then travel to El Paso to play UTEP on Aug. 27 at 12 p.m. MST. Then returning home to play a morning match-up on Aug. 31 against Boise State at 10 A.M MST.
Since 2013, the Sun Devils have gone 7-1-2 in season openers, and have been unbeaten in nine of the last ten season openers. Thursday's match can be seen on ASU Live Stream and Sunday's match will be aired on Pac-12 Network. Both matches can be tracked through StatBroadcast.
The Maroon and Gold are led by Graham Winkworth who enters his seventh year as Sun Devil head coach after leading the team into the 2022 NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons.
"Game week is finally here. We have so many new faces, so we have been trying to put them together to see what we have to work with but we can't wait to get back onto the pitch to play against somebody else." Winkworth said. "We don't know much about Wright State other than they've played two games already, so we have to be sure we're ready for that, but look forward to the weekend! I hope to see a big crowd Thursday night and then back out on Sunday for another game."
ABOUT THE RAIDERS:
Thursday night will be the first meeting between the Raiders and the Sun Devils. Wright State went (8-7-3) last season and fell to Youngstown State in the quarterfinal of the Horizon League tournament. The Raiders boast 19 returners to their roster and fifth-year starter Marcella Sizer returns to the team after a team-leading six goals and three assists. Sizer also earned Horizon League's Offensive Player of the year honors.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS:
Mississippi State and the Sun Devils have met once before in 2021 where the Maroon & Gold came out victorious with a scrappy 1-0 result in Starkville, MS. The Bulldogs are coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance where they were defeated in the second round against Memphis after going 12-6-4 on the year. The team features five players that were selected on the SEC'S preseason watch list entering the season.
STARTING STRONG:
Throughout Coach Winkworth's entire tenure, he's 4-1-1 in season openers, after a hard-fought, 2-1 overtime match in 2017 was the only time ASU didn't come away as a victor. Since then, the Sun Devils have outscored their last five opponents by a 17-5 margin and going 4-0-1, with a tie to 2021 NCAA Tournament participant South Dakota State last year.
KERI ONWARD:
Keri Matthews enters her junior season leading the returners with three goals and two assists last season, appearing in 18 games and being an essential contributor to ASU's front line. She's appeared in 29 games for the Maroon and Gold entering 2023.
ENASIA THE GREAT
Coming off a successful freshman season, Enasia Colon appeared in all 18 matches. Starting in seven of them for the Sun Devils in the midfield making a difference offensively for the team, being one of six players who scored multiple goals. She finished tied for second on the team with five assists and competed for Puerto Rico in the U20 CONCACAF Championship.
TRANSFERS
Joining the Sun Devils are a trio of transfers, Suzuka Yosue, Florence Vaillancourt and Hannah Lapeire brings experience in the midfield and the final third. Suzuka comes from The Citadel after playing 72 games and netting 26 goals, while setting school records with 34 assists and totaling 86 points with the Bulldogs.
Vailancourt comes from Syracuse and is looking to make an impact, she netted a game-winning goal last season and spent three seasons prior with Niagara University appearing in 36 games, earning 13 goals and 10 assists alone in the 2021 season to earn MAAC Offensive Player of the year honors.
Lapeire joins the Sun Devils after three seasons with Purdue, playing in 32 matches over the three seasons bringing more depth and experience to the midfield.
DEFENSIVE DUO
Lieske Carleer returns to the back line for the Sun Devils as a fifth-year after starting in 63 of 64 matches in her career and brings veteran leadership with Lucy Johnson who started in 12 of 13 matches last season, and a force with Carleer last season. She managed to score the season's most important goal against Arizona with a game-winner in the 79th minute. Johnson was versatile on the offensive end with a team-leading eight assists last season while being a strong 1v1 defender throughout her career.
LOOKING AHEAD:
After the Sun Devils host the Raiders and the Bulldogs, they'll go on their first road trip of the season to play New Mexico State on Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. MST, and then travel to El Paso to play UTEP on Aug. 27 at 12 p.m. MST. Then returning home to play a morning match-up on Aug. 31 against Boise State at 10 A.M MST.