TEMPE – Sun Devil Soccer returns to action on Sunday when they face UCF to close out a three-game road stretch to start Big 12 play. The action begins at 9 a.m. AZT at the UCF Soccer Complex.
Arizona State sits at 6-1-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play as they enter the game in Orlando. They have gone 2-1 in road games, with just three road contests remaining on the schedule. The Sun Devils have scored multiple goals in a game six times and they rank 42nd in the country with an average of 2.33 goals per game. They are taking 17.33 shots per outing and put 45.5 percent of them on goal. Defensively, ASU has conceded just five goals while posting five shutouts. The opposition is taking 9.8 shots per game.
Kierra Blundell leads ASU with seven goals and 17 points. Enasia Colon and Cameron Valladares have four goals and 11 points apiece. Keri Matthews has scored three times and each of these four players has tallied three assists.
Pauline Nelles holds a 0.56 goals-against-average and .875 save percentage in goal.
In their last outing on Thursday, the Sun Devils used a pair of goals from Blundell to claim a 2-0 win at Houston. The win was the first in Big 12 play for an ASU program in any sport.
WATCH: Sunday's game and every Big 12 road game ASU plays will be available on ESPN+ on the ESPN App, ESPN.com or plus.espn.com. Subscribers can watch it via most mobile and connected TV platforms, including iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, Android devices, Roku, and Chromecast.
SERIES NOTES: UCF holds a 3-1 edge in the all-time series with ASU. The Knights won the only previous meeting in Orlando, 4-1 in 2019. That was the last time the teams played each other.
ABOUT UCF: The Knights are 3-1-2 overall and 1-0 in Big 12 games after their game against Iowa State was declared a no-contest on Thursday due to weather delays. They are 2-0-1 at home this season.
Chloe Netzel has scored eight goals and totaled 17 points to sit second in the Big 12 in each category. Sami Lipcon has the majority of minutes in goal with a 0.909 GAA and .844 save percentage.
DOMINANT START: The Sun Devils went unbeaten in non-conference play for just the second time in program history (2022; 3-0-2). During the 5-0-2 performance, ASU outscored the opposition 19-4 with five multi-goal games and four shutouts.
Only the 2021 (.889) and 2000 (.864) teams had better winning percentages against non-conference opponents than the .857 posted this season.
TWICE IS NICE: Behind a 6-0 record this season when scoring at least two goals, ASU is now 206-13-12 (.918) in program history when scoring multiple goals in a game. In addition, the team is 128-1-1 (.988) when scoring three-plus and 71-0 when scoring at least four goals.
BRACE FOR SUCCESS: ASU has already set the program record with five different players posting a multi-goal game this season. Kierra Blundell had the team's first hat trick since 2022, while Enasia Colon has twice scored two goals in a game. Megan Sofield, Cameron Valladares, and Keri Matthews each have also recorded a brace this season.
FRESHMAN PHENOM: Kierra Blundell scored a pair of goals in the Houston win and leads the team with seven goals and 17 points this season. She sits second in the NCAA among freshmen in goals and points.
Blundell was named Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Week on Sept. 4 after recording the 14th hat trick in ASU history, and the fourth by a freshman, in a 3-0 win over Penn.
COLON CLIMBS: Enasia Colon has posted four goals and three assists for 11 points. She leads ASU with 32 shots, which is good for sixth in the Big 12.
Colon is up to 15th in team history with 42 career points and 16th with 15 career goals. She also ranks in the ASU top 20 in shots, shots on goal, shot percentage, and average goals, assists, and points per game.
CLUTCH CAM: Cameron Valladares has been a nice addition to the Sun Devil attack, scoring four goals and adding three assists. Her 11 points this season are more than her first two collegiate seasons combined.
Three of the four goals scored by Valladares have been game-winners. That includes her goal with 25 seconds remaining to defeat Utah Tech on Sept. 8. She is tied for the Big 12 lead in GWG and is one of 21 players in the country with at least three winners this season.
NELLES NOTES: Following her program record of nine shutouts last season, Pauline Nelles has posted five clean sheets. She is second in program history with 17 career shutouts and fourth with 25 career wins. Nelles has made 44 consecutive starts in goal and played 3,420 consecutive minutes in goal dating back to the 2022 season.
Top Drawer Soccer ranked Nelles No. 21 in their Preseason Top 100 Players list. She was the highest-ranked player from the Big 12 and was also named to the TDS Preseason Best XI Second Team.
LOOKING AHEAD: ASU will host West Virginia on Thursday at 7 p.m. AZT in the first Big 12 home game for any team in school history. It's the first of three straight games for the Sun Devils in Tempe.
Arizona State sits at 6-1-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play as they enter the game in Orlando. They have gone 2-1 in road games, with just three road contests remaining on the schedule. The Sun Devils have scored multiple goals in a game six times and they rank 42nd in the country with an average of 2.33 goals per game. They are taking 17.33 shots per outing and put 45.5 percent of them on goal. Defensively, ASU has conceded just five goals while posting five shutouts. The opposition is taking 9.8 shots per game.
Kierra Blundell leads ASU with seven goals and 17 points. Enasia Colon and Cameron Valladares have four goals and 11 points apiece. Keri Matthews has scored three times and each of these four players has tallied three assists.
Pauline Nelles holds a 0.56 goals-against-average and .875 save percentage in goal.
In their last outing on Thursday, the Sun Devils used a pair of goals from Blundell to claim a 2-0 win at Houston. The win was the first in Big 12 play for an ASU program in any sport.
WATCH: Sunday's game and every Big 12 road game ASU plays will be available on ESPN+ on the ESPN App, ESPN.com or plus.espn.com. Subscribers can watch it via most mobile and connected TV platforms, including iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, Android devices, Roku, and Chromecast.
SERIES NOTES: UCF holds a 3-1 edge in the all-time series with ASU. The Knights won the only previous meeting in Orlando, 4-1 in 2019. That was the last time the teams played each other.
ABOUT UCF: The Knights are 3-1-2 overall and 1-0 in Big 12 games after their game against Iowa State was declared a no-contest on Thursday due to weather delays. They are 2-0-1 at home this season.
Chloe Netzel has scored eight goals and totaled 17 points to sit second in the Big 12 in each category. Sami Lipcon has the majority of minutes in goal with a 0.909 GAA and .844 save percentage.
DOMINANT START: The Sun Devils went unbeaten in non-conference play for just the second time in program history (2022; 3-0-2). During the 5-0-2 performance, ASU outscored the opposition 19-4 with five multi-goal games and four shutouts.
Only the 2021 (.889) and 2000 (.864) teams had better winning percentages against non-conference opponents than the .857 posted this season.
TWICE IS NICE: Behind a 6-0 record this season when scoring at least two goals, ASU is now 206-13-12 (.918) in program history when scoring multiple goals in a game. In addition, the team is 128-1-1 (.988) when scoring three-plus and 71-0 when scoring at least four goals.
BRACE FOR SUCCESS: ASU has already set the program record with five different players posting a multi-goal game this season. Kierra Blundell had the team's first hat trick since 2022, while Enasia Colon has twice scored two goals in a game. Megan Sofield, Cameron Valladares, and Keri Matthews each have also recorded a brace this season.
FRESHMAN PHENOM: Kierra Blundell scored a pair of goals in the Houston win and leads the team with seven goals and 17 points this season. She sits second in the NCAA among freshmen in goals and points.
Blundell was named Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Week on Sept. 4 after recording the 14th hat trick in ASU history, and the fourth by a freshman, in a 3-0 win over Penn.
COLON CLIMBS: Enasia Colon has posted four goals and three assists for 11 points. She leads ASU with 32 shots, which is good for sixth in the Big 12.
Colon is up to 15th in team history with 42 career points and 16th with 15 career goals. She also ranks in the ASU top 20 in shots, shots on goal, shot percentage, and average goals, assists, and points per game.
CLUTCH CAM: Cameron Valladares has been a nice addition to the Sun Devil attack, scoring four goals and adding three assists. Her 11 points this season are more than her first two collegiate seasons combined.
Three of the four goals scored by Valladares have been game-winners. That includes her goal with 25 seconds remaining to defeat Utah Tech on Sept. 8. She is tied for the Big 12 lead in GWG and is one of 21 players in the country with at least three winners this season.
NELLES NOTES: Following her program record of nine shutouts last season, Pauline Nelles has posted five clean sheets. She is second in program history with 17 career shutouts and fourth with 25 career wins. Nelles has made 44 consecutive starts in goal and played 3,420 consecutive minutes in goal dating back to the 2022 season.
Top Drawer Soccer ranked Nelles No. 21 in their Preseason Top 100 Players list. She was the highest-ranked player from the Big 12 and was also named to the TDS Preseason Best XI Second Team.
LOOKING AHEAD: ASU will host West Virginia on Thursday at 7 p.m. AZT in the first Big 12 home game for any team in school history. It's the first of three straight games for the Sun Devils in Tempe.