The Sun Devils added 11 true freshmen and one redshirt freshman to their roster after losing four seniors, including star defender Liz Harkin and goalkeeper Briana Silvestri, the program’s all time leader in goals against average.
“I think we’re going to look very different from last year.” coach Kevin Boyd said. “It’s not just losing four seniors, it’s adding 12 new players.”
Senior midfielder Alexandra Elston is one of only four seniors on the team this year. Midfielder Lindsey Johns, midfielder/forward Jill Shoquist, and forward Karin Volpe are the others.
“The seniors last year were a big part of leadership and a big part of communication,” Elston said. “It’s crazy, but we’re all trying to get on the same page, and hopefully we’ll come together as a team.”
ASU finished 9-7-1 last season and hit a rough stretch in Pac-10 play.
The Sun Devils lost four games in extra time during conference play, including three in double overtime, posting a 2-6-1 conference mark.
Boyd said ASU has struggled with team depth in the past due to a combination of injuries and a small starting roster.
Last year Silvestri went down with a knee injury with nine games left in the season, and ASU went into conference play with its backup goalkeeper.
“Now we have a bigger roster, so we can stand a few injuries,” Boyd said. “And we’re still getting people back, so that helps.”
This is Boyd’s fourth season at ASU after spending 10 seasons as head coach at California.
ASU is ranked eighth in the preseason Pac-10 coaches poll. Stanford, who fell to North Carolina in the national championship game last year, is ranked first in the conference.
While the underdog status may have some effect on the team’s mentality, Boyd believes the team is better then eighth.
“The Pac-10 was incredibly good last year [and] I think the Pac-10 is very, very good again,” Boyd said. “Whether or not the conference will be as tough as last year remains to be seen.”
Last season, ASU finished eighth in conference play and was the last team from the conference to make the NCAA tournament. The only other conference to send eight teams to the 64-team tournament was the Atlantic Coast Conference.
It was the Sun Devils’ first tournament appearance since 2003.
“Our team goal is always to get to the playoffs, first and foremost” Elston said. “We got a taste of that last year, making the first round. Hopefully this year we can get a little bit further.”
Elston finished with seven goals and six assists last year to lead the team in scoring.
The Sun Devils opened their season last Friday with a win in an exhibition match at Loyola-Marymount.
“Our back line did better than expectations,” Boyd said. “I was pleased with their organization and their adjustments and how well they stayed to task. We’ve always been a team that is well organized defensively and doesn’t give anything easy away. We want to be that team again.”
Boyd was also pleased with the team’s set pieces, one of which resulted in a goal for the Sun Devils.
Freshman midfielder Holland Crook said she is anxious for the season to finally get going.
“We’ve been through the recruiting process,” Crook said, “But you get so excited, coming here and meeting the girls, and everything is so new.”
ASU’s first game of the season is away at Northern Arizona University on Friday.
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu
