At 7-0-1 in non-conference play, ASU soccer has gotten off to a flying start, its best beginning to a season since 2000. Head coach Graham Winkworth's squad has looked sharp on both sides of the field, with senior goalkeeper Pauline Nelles anchoring the defense and senior midfielder Cameron Valladares taking charge of the offense in the absence of sophomore forward Kierra Blundell.
One of the most notable aspects of the team's success so far has been their chemistry, given a heavily modified roster as the Sun Devils lost four of their top seven scorers from last season.
Winkworth filled these slots aggressively by adding four seniors and recruiting seven freshmen to bridge the gap between youth and experience. With Blundell sidelined due to injury, opportunities have opened up for these newcomers to make an immediate impact.
ASU has 17 players who have played at least five games and 10 players who have scored this season. In 2024, only seven players found the back of the net all year, and Blundell, Colon, and Valladares combined for over 70% of the goals. ASU's senior transfers have solidified their top-end level, while the freshmen have injected youth and depth into a side that somewhat lacked reliable offensive weapons.
"We've done a great job sharing the load of goals this season," Winkworth said. "Obviously, KB (Kierra Blundell) scored a bunch of goals for us last season, and hopefully by the end of the season, she'll be back doing the same thing, but right now ... the girls are doing a wonderful job stepping up in her absence."
Chemistry can be built through practice and preparation, but it's the confidence that the players have in each other that is truly uncanny.
"The team just trusts each other at this point, which is crazy because we don't know each other that well, or for that long," Valladares said. "But I feel like there's just that sense of 'Things will be okay. We'll figure it out together.' Last year felt a bit frantic at times, and I haven't felt that stress on the field yet this year."
Through the first eight games, Valladares and senior midfielder Tatum Thomason have led the team, with Valladares' six assists being second in the Big 12, and Thomason's five goals having her in joint fourth.
Pressuring the goal and creating constant chances have been huge areas of improvement for the Sun Devils, and it showed against the University of Texas at El Paso. Valladares was a constant threat down the right side, and her ability to get downhill opened up opportunities for everyone else.
One surge led to a corner kick, where junior defender Lucy Fazackerley headed in ASU's third goal of the night, and freshman Addison Baltodano ended the night by burying an easy goal off a crosser by Valladares.
"We just have lots of confidence in our attacking ability and also just our defense," Thomason said. "We have the confidence as attackers to go super hard, because we know that the defense is going to be there waiting for them to win it and us go right again."
That defense has held stout for the majority of non-conference play, and Nelles' play has been the main reason. The senior from Germany has allowed only one goal in open play this year, and her 27 saves are the second-most in the Big 12.
Nelles, who has 22 shutouts in her career, is only three clean sheets away from breaking the all-time program record of 24 held by Chandler Morris.
"(She's) not only the best goalkeeper in the country, but one of the best people I've been genuinely blessed to coach," Winkworth said. "Just lucky when you're around somebody that's thoughtful and kind."
Thriving early is always a good sign, but ASU began last year 5-0-2 in non-conference play before going 3-7-1 in Big 12 play. The conference poses much more challenging problems for the Sun Devils to decipher, and it remains to be seen if they can maintain this momentum against elevated competition.
Blundell's return will inevitably add a new dimension to the ASU attack; the sophomore led the Sun Devils in goals last year and was selected to the Big 12 Preseason Team. But while she recovers, her teammates have held down the fort.
"I love the girls on the team and we're really close with, I feel like, every class, and so they're easy to lead and to be around," Valladares said. "It doesn't feel like a job at all. It feels like you're leading your little sisters."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Henry Smardo and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at pvallur2@asu.edu and follow @PrathamValluri on X.
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Pratham Valluri is a sports reporter at The State Press. He is a junior majoring in sports journalism with a business minor. He’s in his 5th semester with The State Press working previously as an opinion writer.
