TEMPE – Sun Devil Soccer opens a three-game homestand on Thursday when it hosts West Virginia in the first home Big 12 game in Arizona State school history. The game will start at 7 p.m. at the Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
The Sun Devils return home with a 6-1-3 overall record and at 1-1-1 in Big 12 play. They have won three straight at home and are 4-0-2 overall in Tempe this season. ASU is scoring 2.20 goals per game where they rank 50th in the country. Those goals come on an average of 16.40 shots per game while putting 45.7 percent of those attempts on goal. ASU has surrendered six goals and recorded five shutouts, with the opposition taking 10.6 shots per outing.
Kierra Blundell leads the team with seven goals and 17 points. Enasia Colon has added five goals while taking a team-best 34 shots. Blundell, Colon, Keri Matthews, and Cameron Valladares share the team lead with three assists.
Pauline Nelles holds a 0.60 goals-against-average and .872 save percentage in goal.
The Sun Devils are coming off a 1-1 draw at UCF on Sunday, which capped a three-game road trip in three different time zones. Colon scored the equalizer for ASU in the 25th minute to earn the road point.
Watch
ESPN+ will carry 11 Sun Devil home games and every Big 12 road game. ESPN+ is available via 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
Thursday's game is the first meeting between the Sun Devils and Mountaineers. West Virginia becomes the fifth opponent ASU will play for the first time this season.
About West Virginia
The Mountaineers make the voyage to Tempe at 7-2-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12. They are unbeaten in their last six games while going 1-2 on the road.
Ajanae Respass has five goals and four assists for 14 points. Taylor White and AJ Rodriguez have added four goals apiece. Mackenzie Smith, who has played the majority of minutes in goal, has a 1.323 GAA and .667 save percentage.
Dominant Start
The Sun Devils went unbeaten in non-conference play for 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 five goals and three assists for 13 points. She is one of four Sun Devils with three assists while leading the team with 34 shots.
Colon is up to 15th in team history with 44 career points and 14th with 16 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 47 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 3,510 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 continues its home stand on Sunday when it hosts Cincinnati. The action begins at 6 p.m., with the Bearcats making their first trip to Tempe.
The Sun Devils return home with a 6-1-3 overall record and at 1-1-1 in Big 12 play. They have won three straight at home and are 4-0-2 overall in Tempe this season. ASU is scoring 2.20 goals per game where they rank 50th in the country. Those goals come on an average of 16.40 shots per game while putting 45.7 percent of those attempts on goal. ASU has surrendered six goals and recorded five shutouts, with the opposition taking 10.6 shots per outing.
Kierra Blundell leads the team with seven goals and 17 points. Enasia Colon has added five goals while taking a team-best 34 shots. Blundell, Colon, Keri Matthews, and Cameron Valladares share the team lead with three assists.
Pauline Nelles holds a 0.60 goals-against-average and .872 save percentage in goal.
The Sun Devils are coming off a 1-1 draw at UCF on Sunday, which capped a three-game road trip in three different time zones. Colon scored the equalizer for ASU in the 25th minute to earn the road point.
Watch
ESPN+ will carry 11 Sun Devil home games and every Big 12 road game. ESPN+ is available via 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
Thursday's game is the first meeting between the Sun Devils and Mountaineers. West Virginia becomes the fifth opponent ASU will play for the first time this season.
About West Virginia
The Mountaineers make the voyage to Tempe at 7-2-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12. They are unbeaten in their last six games while going 1-2 on the road.
Ajanae Respass has five goals and four assists for 14 points. Taylor White and AJ Rodriguez have added four goals apiece. Mackenzie Smith, who has played the majority of minutes in goal, has a 1.323 GAA and .667 save percentage.
Dominant Start
The Sun Devils went unbeaten in non-conference play for 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 five goals and three assists for 13 points. She is one of four Sun Devils with three assists while leading the team with 34 shots.
Colon is up to 15th in team history with 44 career points and 14th with 16 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 47 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 3,510 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 continues its home stand on Sunday when it hosts Cincinnati. The action begins at 6 p.m., with the Bearcats making their first trip to Tempe.