Soccer hosts Cal in annual 'Pink Out' game

Coming off a split on the road at the Washington schools, the Arizona State women's soccer returns home this week when it hosts Cal (No. 22 Soccer America) at 1 p.m., Oct. 12.

The Sun Devils (6-7-1, 2-3 Pac-12) have won five of their last eight games with the only losses in that stretch coming to Stanford and UCLA, currently No. 2 and No. 3 in the country, respectively, and Washington, currently fourth in the Pac-12.  

ASU begins the fourth week of Pac-12 play tied with Utah for sixth place in the conference standings. From a national perspective, ASU started the week with an NCAA RPI of 41. Three of ASU's next four games are against teams that currently have a higher RPI than the Sun Devils -- vs. Cal (Oct. 12, RPI - 32), at Oregon State (Oct. 19, RPI - 37) and vs. Utah (Oct. 25, RPI - 38),

TELEVISION

Pac-12 Networks will broadcast the game live to a regional audience. JB Long (play by play) and Kyndra de St. Aubin (analysis) will be on hand to call the action

PINK OUT

Friday's game versus Cal will be Sun Devil Soccer's annual `Pink Out' game in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All fans wearing pink to Friday's game will receive discounted admission -- $5 for adults and $3 for youth/senior.

LAST WEEK

• Defeated Washington State 1-0 and lost to Washington 2-0.

• Courtney Tinnin scored her second goal of the season in the win over WSU while Chandler Morris made seven saves for her fifth shutout of the year.

• Against Washington, the Sun Devils fell behind after the Huskies scored on a penalty kick in the 35th minute. Washington, which outshot ASU 12-10, would score again in the 81st minute to clinch the win.

• Junior Devin Marshall, currently tied for the team lead in goals (6), played in the second half of the game at Washington after missing the prior three games due to injury.

SCOUTING CAL

California (11-3-0, 4-1-0 Pac-12) brings a five-game winning streak and an unblemished road record (6-0) into Friday's game. Ifeoma Onumonu, the current reigning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, leads Cal in goals (8) and scoring (19 points). Cal, which has scored at least one goal in its last 11 games, is currently No. 2 in the Pac-12 and 15th in the nation in scoring offense (2.5 goals per game).

Common opponent with ASU: Missouri L, 3-2

SERIES NOTES VERSUS CAL

• The Bears hold an 8-4-3 advantage in the all-time series vs. Arizona State and have not lost to ASU since 2006 (3-0-2 in last five matches).

• Seven of the last 11 meetings have been decided by a single goal (including Cal's 1-0 win last year in Berkeley), while three others have resulted in ties. Cal and ASU have gone to overtime three times in the last four years (2 ties, 1 Cal win).

• Prior to coming to ASU, current Sun Devil head coach Kevin Boyd spent 10 seasons as the head coach at Cal, where he led the Bears to NCAAs eight times.

SUN DEVILS BATTLE BACK FROM 1-4-1 START

After starting the season 1-4-1, the Sun Devils won three straight games to get back to the .500 mark at the start of conference play. ASU outscored the opposition 7-0 over that stretch.

"I think our team is doing a good job on focusing on what we are asking them to do and what we want to be like as a team," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said following the third win of that streak, a 3-0 triumph over FIU on Sept. 26. "I think they have latched on to that and we are starting to show consistency in that area. There are still a couple things we want to make better, but as a whole I'm happy with where we are at right now."

ASU has won five of its last eight games overall with the only losses in that stretch coming to Stanford and UCLA, currently No. 2 and No. 3 in the country, respectively, and Washington, currently fourth in the Pac-12.

MCCARTER MAKES IT HAPPEN

One of the key figures in ASU's success is senior midfielder Taylor McCarter, who has consistently provided ASU with outstanding play in the midfield since her freshman season in 2009.

"She's been our best player for the last two years," Boyd said. "We're hoping to get her a little further up the field [this season] and when we do that our game is better."

McCarter, who earned third-team All-Pac-12 and third-team NSCAA All-Region notice last season, has started every one of ASU's 73 games the last three-plus seasons.

McCarter was named to the Cats Classic All-Tournament Team after helping lead ASU to wins over Loyola Marymount (Sept. 14) and FIU (Sept. 16). McCarter scored her third career goal in the win over LMU. One week earlier she was named the MVP of the Sun Devil Desert Classic for her performance in ASU's games against Houston (Sept. 7) and in the Sun Devils' 1-0 upset of No. 10 Pepperdine (Sept. 9). She added her second assist of the season in ASU's 5-4 double overtime win over USC on Sept. 28.

MARSHALL AND FARQUHARSON LEAD THE WAY

Leading ASU's offensive attack this season has been the duo of junior Devin Marshall (six goals, one assist) and freshman Cali Farquharson (six goals, three assists), who have combined for 12 of ASU's 21 goals this season.

Marshall was third on the team in scoring (10 points) and tied for first in assists (4) in 2011 when she was limited by an ankle injury that caused her to miss seven games. Among returning members of the team, she was ASU's leader in goals (4) from last season.

Marshall was named to the Pac-10's All-Freshman Team in 2010 when she was third on the team in scoring. Last May, Marshall was one of 24 players called to participate in the U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team training camp.

"Devin had a terrific preseason and I think this could be a breakout year for her," Boyd said prior to the start of the 2012 season.

Marshall tied her single-game career high with two goals in ASU's win at NAU (Aug, 24). She scored her third goal of the season at Missouri (Aug. 31), a game in which she also sustained a head injury that caused her to miss ASU's next two games -- at Kansas (Sept. 2) and vs. Houston (Sept. 7). She returned for ASU's contest against No. 10 Pepperdine and scored the only goal of the game in ASU's 1-0 upset of the Waves. She was named the MVP of the Cats Classic hosted by the University of Arizona after scoring a goal in both of ASU's games -- vs. LMU (Sept. 14) and vs. FIU (Sept. 16). Marshall missed ASU's games vs. USC (Sept. 28), vs. UCLA (Oct. 1) and at Washington State (Oct. 5) before returning in the second half of ASU's 2-0 loss at Washington (Oct. 7). Marshall has scored at least one goal in five of the last seven games she has played in.

Currently leading ASU in points (15) and tied for the team lead in goals (6), Farquharson has proven to be one of the top freshmen in the Pac-12 this season. As of Oct. 9, Farquharson is tied for second among Pac-12 freshmen in points (1.15 ppg - tied for 7th in the Pac-12) and is tied for third among Pac-12 freshmen in goals (6 - tied for 8th in the Pac-12).

Farquharson tied Marshall with two goals in ASU's 4-0 win at NAU (Aug. 24). She added her third goal of the season in ASU's 2-2 tie at Kansas (Sept. 2). One week later she assisted on Marshall's game-winning goal in ASU's 1-0 upset of then-No. 10 Pepperdine (Sept. 9). After going scoreless in ASU's next three games, Farquharson would break out with a virtuoso performance in ASU's 5-4 double OT win over USC (Sept. 28). With Marshall out of the lineup, Farquharson provided the ASU offense with a spark -- and then some -- as she tied the school record with three goals and also added a pair of assists to set the single-game school record for points (8). She became the third Sun Devil in school history to accomplish the feat and the second one to do it as a freshman (former Sun Devil Patrice Feulner, who is currently an associate director in ASU's Office of Student-Athlete Development, scored three goals in back-to-back games as a freshman in 2000).

"[Cali is a special player] and she needs a mindset where she believes she is going to score every game," Boyd said following the USC game. "It's something she's capable of and she has that ability."

NEW CAST MEMBERS

Fourteen of the 31 players on ASU's roster are new members of the team in 2012. Of the 14 newcomers, 11 are freshmen to go along with three student-athletes who transferred into the program. Add redshirt freshman Chandler Morris to the mix and nearly half the team (15 of 31) is comprised of players who did not play in a game for ASU prior to this season.

The Sun Devils have had seven players who have made the first start of their respective ASU careers thus far, including six true freshman - McKenzie Berryhill, Nina Brueggemann, Cali Farquharson, Tommi Goodman, Christina Schedel and Sara Tosti.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

Among the incoming freshmen this year are Nina Brueggemann from Pinneberg, Germany and Christina Schedel who is from Rosenheim, Germany.

Brueggemann and Schedel are the first international players on ASU's roster team since Kylla Sjoman (Canada), who graduated in 2008.

Both Brueggemann (13 games/10 starts) and Schedel (12 games/12 starts) have been two primary contributors on the Sun Devils' backline in 2012. Schedel recorded her first career assist and goal in ASU's 2-2 tie at Kansas (Sept. 2).

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Currently with 13 career goals, junior Devin Marshall needs two more goals to move into a tie for 10th place with former Sun Devil Courtney Crane (2003-04, 06-07) on ASU's all-time list.

• Junior Holland Crook scored the first goal of her career (via PK) in ASU's 3-0 win over LMU (Sept. 14) at the Cats Classic in Tucson. She followed that with another goal in ASU's ensuing game against FIU (Sept. 16). For her performance in the two games, Crook, who also tallied an assist in both contests, was named to the Cats Classic All-Tournament Team.

• Senior Courtney Tinnin leads the team in assists with four. She recorded a single-game school-record-tying two assists in ASU's 3-0 win over FIU (Sept. 16). Tinnin, who tied for second on the team in points (14), was second in goals (4) and tied for first in assists (6) in 2009, did not play in 2010 due to a knee injury sustained in the spring of 2010. After missing the first eight games 2011 rehabbing the injury, Tinnin returned and ended up tying for the team lead in assists (3). She scored her first goal of the 2012 season in ASU's 5-4 double overtime win vs. USC (Sept. 28). She scored her second goal, which turned out to be the game winner, at Washington State (Oct. 5).

• Senior Taylor McCarter scored her third career goal in ASU's 3-0 win over LMU (Sept. 4). The shot on which McCarter scored against LMU was only the 27th of her career. "That's great [for Taylor]," Boyd said of McCarter's goal vs. LMU. "She does so much for our team. Her getting in the attack and scoring goals is really not the role she plays because she is so far from goal. She is more our playmaker, the one that connects and wins a lot of balls for us. Scoring goals is rare and I'm really happy when she gets them."

• Senior Miah Mollay scored her fourth career goal in ASU's 3-0 win over FIU (Sept. 16).

• ASU has registered double-digit shot totals in 11 of its 14 games, including 20 or more on four occasions.

• During their earlier three-game winning streak, the Sun Devils had a 31-8 advantage in shots on goal.

• Tommi Goodman's first career goal was a game winner (ASU's 5-4 2OT win vs. USC on Sept. 28).

• ASU has won all five of the contests in which it has scored first, collecting shutouts in each of those games. The only game it won in which it did not score first was in its 5-4 double OT win over USC (Sept. 28).

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• ASU's streak of three straight shutouts earlier this season was its longest such streak since the 2008 season.

• Currently with five shutouts in 2012, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Chandler Morris is tied for sixth on ASU's all-time list for most shutouts in a single season. Her next shutout will move her into a tie for third place. The single-season school record is 8.5 set by Erin Reinke in 2000.

• ASU's starting backline has included three freshmen in the majority of its games thus far -- McKenzie Berryhill (12 starts), Nina Brueggemann (10 starts), Christina Schedel (12 starts), Sara Tosti (seven starts).

• Junior defender Jasmine Roth has started 50 of 52 career games, including all 14 this season.

TOUGH ROAD

The Sun Devils started the 2012 season with five straight games on the road. ASU kicked off its slate with games at CSUN (Aug. 17) and San Diego State (Aug. 19) before traveling to Flagstaff, Ariz., to face in-state foe Northern Arizona (Aug. 24). ASU then traveled to the Midwest the following week for contests at Missouri (Aug. 31) and at Kansas (Sept. 2). Overall, ASU has played 10 of its first 14 games away from home. Friday's game against Cal begins a stretch that will see the Sun Devils play four of their final six contests at home.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

On the academic side, the Sun Devils have earned 59 Pac-10/12 All-Academic awards in Kevin Boyd's five seasons, including 16 first-team members and nine second-team members. ASU's 13 first-team commendations the last three seasons (2009-11) are the most of any school in the Pac-12 during that span. In addition, the Sun Devils have three student-athletes -- Kaitlyn Pavlovich, Jasmine Roth and Sarah Van Horn, who are currently enrolled in ASU's prestigious Barrett Honors College.

In June 2012, Sun Devil Soccer was among three ASU teams recognized by the NCAA for recording an Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the top 10 percent nationally.

LEPEILBET HELPS USA WIN GOLD AT OLYMPICS

Former Sun Devil soccer player Amy LePeilbet helped the U.S. capture the gold medal at the London Olympics this past August.

LePeilbet, a 2004 graduate of ASU (B.A. in Sociology, Magna Cum Laude), started in five of the team's six matches at the London Olympics, including the gold medal game against Japan.

A member of the national team since 2004, LePeilbet was one of the cornerstones of the Sun Devil Soccer program as ASU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament three times in her four years (2000-03).

A two-time All-American and three-time All-Pac-10 Conference first-team selection, LePeilbet did not miss a start in her four years at ASU, playing in 74 career games.

LePeilbet, who was also a two-time Academic All-American, is one of just four Sun Devils to earn a team sport gold medal, joining Justin Huish (archery in 1996), Joe Caldwell (men's basketball in 1964) and James Harden (men's basketball in 2012).