Coming off an undefeated weekend in the Sun Devil Classic, the ASU soccer team is getting ready for the Cats Classic in Tucson.
Having back-to-back tournaments in the state has allowed the team to rest up at home and get healthy.
Junior defender McKenzie Berryhill is coming off an injury which did not allow her to play in the Sun Devil Classic, although she was seen participating in warmups with the team.
“Berryhill is a special player, so we need her back,” Boyd said. “We are just waiting to see how she progresses. She feels good. It’s just waiting for a couple of the other things to come back.”
Sophomore defender Mckenzie Grossman took Berryhill’s place in the starting lineup over the weekend, and would go on to be named Pac-12 Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week.
Grossman was also named Defensive Player of the Week by College Sports Madness for her performance in wins over Oklahoma State and Texas A&M; last weekend.
The spotlight didn't all shine on Grossman, though, as junior defender Sara Tosti was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s National Team of the Week for her performance in the tournament
Boyd said he is much happier with the way his back line is performing. After starting off the season a little shaky, the Sun Devil defense has improved greatly.
“(Our defense is) miles better,” Boyd said. “Some of the things that we’ve been paying attention to I think we are doing.”
The Sun Devils were supposed to have practice on Monday at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium, but the harsh weather conditions that plagued Tempe that day, practice was cancelled.
ASU plays New Mexico State at 4:30 p.m. on Friday Sept. 12 in Tucson, Arizona.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
