Earlier this week, ASU women’s soccer coach Kevin Boyd decided to cancel practice on Tuesday in favor of a late Monday practice after the team’s 5-0 loss to Central Florida on Sunday.
“We needed to address Sunday’s issue,” Boyd said. “We did some running and tried to drive home the point that that’s not who we are, and we should never be like that.”
Redshirt sophomore forward Sierra Cook said the team worked on defense at every position.
“We worked on a lot of high pressure, closing down the ball,and not letting the back line switch the field,” Cook said. “Once you close on them on one side, it’s easier to keep them there, and it will direct the team so you know where they’re going. If you let them switch it, it’s chaos again,” she said.
Boyd said that after practice was over, they cleared the air and began to focus on the upcoming weekend, another two game series against Long Beach State and Pepperdine.
A first collegiate goal
Sophomore forward Alyssa Freeman notched her first career goal for ASU on Friday against Ohio State. It was the only goal of the game.
“It was really, really cool,” Freeman said. “It made me feel really good that it was the only goal scored.”
Freeman came to ASU as a forward, but was soon moved to defense for most of last season. She was moved back to forward this year, and has already started to make an impact there, Boyd said.
“She’s playing very well off the bench,” Boyd said. “[The goal] has been a long time coming. I felt like she should get one, and I’m really happy for her.”
Happy return(s)
Last weekend also saw the return of senior midfielder/forward Jill Shoquist, who came off the bench for the Sun Devils. Shoquist had been out since Aug. 29, when she suffered a leg injury in the second half against Baylor.
“It’s always nice when you get to come back,” Shoquist said. “Sitting out is the worst. It sucks watching practice and not being a part of it.”
She also said she feels pretty close to being 100 percent.
“It’s more getting your touch back, spending more time after practice, doing moves and just the basic stuff to get your touch back,” Shoquist said.
Boyd said he saw an immediate impact when she came on as a substitute, and that her leadership on the field will be important as the team moves deeper into the season.
Nationally ranked
After the split weekend, the Sun Devils dropped two spots, from No. 19 to No. 21, and remained in the top 25 for the third straight week. But while it’s nice to be ranked this far into the season, junior defender Kari Shane said there’s still plenty for the team to do.
“It’s a nice pat on the back that we are ranked, and it makes us have confidence,” Shane said. “But at the same time, it still means that we need to work just as hard and keep winning games.”
ASU is one of five ranked Pac-10 teams, along with UCLA, California, Southern California and Stanford, which should make for interesting conference matchups in the next few weeks.
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu
