It may have been a tough roller-coaster season for the Sun Devil soccer team, but one can't take anything away from a group of youngsters who poured their heart onto the field for three months.
After bowing out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 17 to Santa Clara 5-1, the Sun Devils have nothing to feel shameful about.
A team comprised of 10 freshmen, seven sophomores, four juniors and only one senior provided a powerful punch to a season that looked to be a growing experience from the beginning, not a year bound for the tournament.
Yet the Sun Devils put together a string of seven consecutive victories together, while also battling ranked opponents Pepperdine and Denver to end in ties. ASU played tough against other nationally ranked teams California, Stanford and Santa Clara, the defending national champions who are once again in the Final Four.
Despite a sub-par Pac-10 showing (4-5), which included the heartbreak of two one-goal losses in the final seconds of each game, the Sun Devils still managed a 12-win season and vaulted into the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history. Head coach Ray Leone attributes the tournament berth to a rigorous schedule, something they will face again next season.
"We have quite a challenging schedule, playing teams like Notre Dame and Kentucky," Leone said. "It's good because it helps prepare us and this year it got us into the tournament ... we probably had one of the top 20 toughest schedules, and you want to play that type of schedule. Any real player wants to play the hard teams."
Leading this year's team on offense were three freshman roommates who knew exactly where to find each other on the field.
Forward Elizabeth Bogus led the team with 23 points, netting 10 goals including seven game-winners to tie a school record. Bogus' efforts garnered her Pac-10 freshman of the year honors.
Midfielder Manya Makoski added a spark with her outstanding passing ability, breaking a school record with nine assists on the year. She also added six goals for 21 points. Her counterpart, midfielder Brittany Cooper, contributed a steady diet of goals and assists as well, six and five respectively, to finish third on the team in scoring with 17 points.
"Bogey has speed, Manya can dribble and Coop has a great left foot, so they all bring something different to the table," Leone said. "Our challenge is to make them all great-rounded players because they have room to grow. They're just freshmen."
Even though the trio contributed most of the offense on the stat sheet, it was a combined team effort from the Sun Devils that led to their success. With all but one player returning to the mix next year, one can bet the Sun Devils will be ready to go with more team leaders rising to the forefront.
"It's a growing process for leadership roles," Leone said. "Team chemistry changes a little bit and our leaders need more experience at doing it. They did a very good job and will do better next year."
Some of this year's leaders like midfielders Patrice Feulner and Haley van Bloomestein and defender Amy LePeilbet will be asked for even more next year in the leadership role, as they take on their senior season with the Sun Devils.
"Urgency changes when you are a senior," Leone said. "You will not settle for anything less. This team all works very hard."
The 2003 season will undoubtedly be another challenge, but for a program that is bringing back its entire starting lineup to opening day, Leone's troops will be ready to take on Pac-10 foes with open arms.
"We know the program is going upward," Leone said. "We've come across a lot of really experienced teams like Santa Clara. It shows when you have a team back for multiple years what you can do. Now it's our chance."
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
