SALT LAKE CITY – It was only a matter of when – not if – Pauline Nelles would set the Arizona State Soccer record for most career clean sheets. When it occurred on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, the fourth-year Sun Devil kept Utah out of the back of the net for 90 minutes to give ASU a 1-0 victory.
Nelles (2022-P) broke a tie with Chandler Morris (2011-15) for the top spot on the program’s career clean sheet list. The two goalkeepers are the only student-athletes in program history to be credited with 20-or-more career clean sheets: Nelles (25), Morris (24).
Nelles, who became the only goalkeeper in Arizona State women’s soccer history to have multiple seasons with seven or more clean sheets, turned in eight saves on the evening, which is the second most by the German native this season after having 10 at Colorado on Oct. 10.
Throughout the course of the night, Utah was credited with 22 shot attempts, but only eight were on goal, all of which Nelles saved. Seven of those saves, though, came during the second 45-minute segment of the match as the Utes were credited with 16 second-half shot attempts after having only six to ASU’s four during the entire first half.
Quotables
From head coach Graham Winkworth
"I am absolutely delighted with the result tonight. The girls really battled hard at both ends of the pitch against a really well-coached and talented Utah team. We were able to create some massive chances, and I was concerned that those opportunities were going to haunt us once again. It was lovely to score a well-worked winner, though, and hold on with some resolute defending.
And I must say a huge congratulations to Pauline. She is one of the greatest keepers I have come across in the game, and I am so happy that she now holds such a prestigious part of school history. This record is a credit to her and all the players who have played with her who have taken pride in the clean sheets over the years."
Match notes
- By earning a starting assignment for Thursday’s match, Grace Gillard started her 70th career collegiate soccer match, joining Pauline Nelles (74) as the only active Sun Devil women’s soccer student-athletes to reach the milestone. Of Gillard’s 70 career starts, 34 came as a member of the Arizona State program, while 36 came during a two-year stint at Syracuse to begin her collegiate soccer career.
- By stopping Utah’s Ali Swensen’s shot in the bottom left of the net at the 70:18 mark of the second half, Arizona State goalkeeper Pauline Nelles was credited with her fifth save on the night, which moves her past Chandler Morris (290; 2011-15) for second place on the program’s career saves list. Nelles finished Thursday’s match with eight saves, moving her career total to 294.
- Thursday night marked the first time Arizona State has beaten Utah in Salt Lake City since Nov. 2, 2014, when the Sun Devils won 2-1.
- Arizona State’s Pauline Nelles registered her second career clean sheet against Utah after playing to a 0-0, 90-minute tie in Tempe on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.
- With the win, Arizona State has now won 10 matches in each of the three odd-numbered seasons: 10 – 2021, 10 – 2023, 10 – 2025. It’s the 13th time in program history the Sun Devils have won 10 or more matches in a single season, and the first time since 2023.
- Sierra Bergen’s 83rd-minute goal marked the second game-winning goal after the 80th minute for Arizona State this season, after Grace Gillard scored at the 88:24 mark of the second half in the Sun Devils’ 1-0 win at Cincinnati on Oct. 2.
Up Next
- Arizona State (10-4-3, 3-4-2) will now close out the home portion of its 2025 regular season when it hosts No. 9 TCU (13-2-1, 7-1-1) at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 26, with kickoff slated from 1 p.m. MST. The Horned Frogs are coming off a 1-0 result in Tucson, Ariz., against the Wildcats and sit in second place in the Big 12 Conference standings.
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