Volpe ties school record to lead soccer sweep over Nebraska

September 13, 2010

<a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/stats/2010-2011/asu10-06.h… Stats</a> <separator></separator><a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/volpe_karin00.html">Ka… Volpe</a> tied a school record with three goals as the Arizona State women's soccer team ran its unbeaten streak to start the season to six games (5-0-1) with a 5-0 win over Nebraska on Sunday as a part of the Sun Devil Desert Classic.<separator></separator>Combined with their four goals in the second half of Friday's 4-2 win over Tennessee, the Sun Devils have now scored nine goals in their last three halves of action.<separator></separator>"We have a very dangerous attacking team and it is starting to show up," ASU head coach <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/boyd_kevin00.html">Kev… Boyd</a> said following the game. "The system matchup [today] was an interesting one and the advantage to us was our center midfield. If our mids connected and ran at their backline then we would expose them constantly in a difficult, four-on-four position and that's what we did. We started creating chances coming at them out of that position and when we got our chances we stuck them away."<separator></separator>Sunday's game was a 180-degree turnaround from last season when ASU and Nebraska (5-2-0) played to a 1-1 tie in Lincoln, Neb. While the Sun Devils are a much-improved team from a year ago, Boyd also attributed the difference in the two games to the home-field environment.<separator></separator>"We are definitely a better team this year," Boyd said. "But you can't discount the home advantage and the advantage they had when we were at their place - they have a really small field, which suits their style and makes it difficult to play. We have a big field, it's hot out and that suits our style."<separator></separator>For Volpe, who was named the MVP of the Sun Devil Desert Classic, the three goals were a career high after scoring two goals in a single game on four prior occasions.<separator></separator>"I'm thrilled with her," Boyd said. "I knew she was going to have a good year this year. She had a tremendous spring and she has looked good for quite some time. She has found her scorer's touch. If she gets a ball in the box she is going to have an excellent chance of putting it away."<separator></separator>And put it away she did, beginning in the ninth minute when she took a pass from <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/elston_alexandra00.htm… Elston</a> and drilled a shot into the lower left corner to put ASU up 1-0.<separator></separator>The Sun Devils would extend their lead to 2-0 later in the first half after <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/marshall_devin00.html"… Marshall</a> made contact with a ball sent into the box, setting up Elston who got the ball through traffic and into the net.<separator></separator>ASU would go ahead 3-0 four minutes prior to the half when redshirt freshman <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/mollay_miah00.html">Mi… Mollay</a> put away a rebound of teammate <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/freeman_alyssa00.html"… Freeman's</a> shot<separator></separator>Volpe would add two more goals in the 65th and 69th minutes to make the final total 5-0.<separator></separator>For ASU, its current 5-0-1 record marks the second-longest unbeaten streak to start the season in school history. The only ASU team to have a longer streak was the 2000 squad, which began the season 9-0-0.<separator></separator>The Sun Devils return to action next week when they travel to Tucson, Ariz., to compete in a pair of games hosted by the University of Arizona. The Sun Devils will face Oho State on Friday at 5 p.m. PT and Central Florida on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. PT.<separator></separator>

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