Boise State has a new coach and a new identity.
New Boise State soccer coach Jim Thomas spent five seasons as an assistant at Washington, helping the Huskies to a 50-28-11 record in his time there.
Thomas was then hired at Boise State, where the contract of its previous coach was not renewed, according to a school release. He attempts to build a program that has made the NCAA tournament once in its program history (2009).
The ASU soccer team (5-2) wraps up non-conference play with a home duel against Boise State, and ASU coach Kevin Boyd said the team is expecting a stiff challenge.
“They’ve got a new coach, so I’m sure they have a ton of energy right now and are well-organized," Boyd said. "We’re going to have a battle."
Boise State (4-2-2) has gone toe-to-toe with schools from the Pac-12 during the 2013 season.
The Broncos defeated Washington (3-4), Thomas’s former school, on the road and played a scoreless draw against Washington State (5-0-2). The win over the Huskies was their first against the Pac-12, after failing to win in their previous 12 games against the conference.
“They’re going to be good,” Boyd said. “They’ve beaten University of Washington and tied Washington State, so those are two really good results right there. We know we’re going to be in for a battle. We know they’re going to be a good team. I know what they were like a year ago, and they were good.”
Boise State’s offense hasn’t lit up the scoreboard in 2013, but all of its games were close. Boise State scores 1.1 goals per game (nine goals overall) and its eight regular season games were decided by seven goals.
For comparison’s sake, ASU sophomore forward Cali Farquharson scored nine goals in ASU’s first seven games (1.29 per game). As a team, the Sun Devils average 2.57 goals per game.
Boyd said he did not know what formation the Broncos run because of the new coach, but he’ll figure that out during the week. ASU operates out of a 4-3-3 formation, with an attacking midfielder and two defensive, holding midfielders.
Notes
-The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. It is the first of six ASU games currently scheduled to air on the network.-Sophomore midfielder Brooke Heidemann leads the Broncos with four goals on the season.
-ASU has not played Boise State in an official game, but it traveled to Boise for an exhibition before the 2011 season began.
Reach the reporter at justin.janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
