Somewhere between a sluggish start and a strong finish, the ASU men’s club soccer team overcame any lingering issues and bonded as a team.

It happened just in time, too, as the Sun Devils booked a ticket to the NCCS National Soccer Championships for the first time in three years.

The tournament, which will be held at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix from Thursday until Saturday, features 24 of the top teams in the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association from across the country.

“We’re really just looking to shake things up and surprise some people,” goalkeeper Jake Pfeiffer said. “Mentally, we are all just individually focusing on what we need to do, and how much winning a national championship would mean.”

This year marks the first time the tournament has been played in Arizona since 2006.

The team dominated in their only games of the regional championship, knocking off the UTEP 2-0 in the semifinals and New Mexico State 4-1 in the finals.

With the win, the Sun Devils clinched an automatic bid to the NIRSA NCCS National Soccer Championships.

For the Sun Devils, this year’s tournament holds more weight than usual.

While the team has a deep talent pool, the roster is laden with seniors.

For them especially, a tournament of such importance on home soil means so much more.

“I think we’ve got a good shot [at winning the tournament],” starting defender Tristan Colyar said. “I don’t think we would consider ourselves underdogs by any means.”

But the competition is sure to be fierce, and ASU is not taking other teams lightly.

In what looks to be a rough pairing, the club must play Penn State and Virginia in its two pool-play games.

“It’s going to be tough [because] Penn State is a very good team,” ASU coach Tim Marchisotto said. “Last year, they were undefeated going through regionals. They were 16-0-2. They’re a very good team this year.”

Still, the club has confidence heading into its matches, even when faced with the prospect of playing powerhouses like Weber State, UC Santa Barbara or other regional champions.

As a group, the Sun Devils believe their talent level is high enough to win the tournament, and their coach echoes such sentiments.

“There’s no question [we have the talent to compete],” Marchisotto said. “We played a very good tournament in San Diego against some of the better West Coast teams. Winning our region was not easy.”

Much of the Sun Devils’ success this year stems from solid defending and goalkeeping. While the team boasts a new explosive attacking threat, the defense has limited opponents to just 18 goals in 15 matches.

Pfeiffer has also proven invaluable this year, backing up a sturdy defense with strong play between the posts.