For a team so reliant on its core players to score last season, ASU soccer has been able to share its load much more evenly this year due to a deeper, more balanced roster.
Over 70% of ASU's goals last year came from three players: senior midfielder Enasia Colon, who transferred to Florida State, sophomore forward Kierra Blundell and senior midfielder Cameron Valladares. So far this season, 11 Sun Devils have taken a slice of the scoring pie.
Despite the scoring diversification, head coach Graham Winkworth still builds his game plans around the way his stars get defended.
For example, Winkworth mentioned how Oklahoma State closely marked senior forward Tatum Thomason during a 0-0 tie on Sept. 25 and how that created opportunities for the rest of the squad.
"(If they're) going to man-mark her, then there's a space somewhere else, and so we've got to do a good job in the next player stepping up and finding moments in that space," Winkworth said. "Or we can move Tatum to other areas where, if she's getting man-marked, we can create that space where we want it."
ASU is primarily reliant on its upperclassmen; the top five Sun Devils in minutes played are all juniors or seniors, but the options around them that Winkworth has at his disposal have allowed him to make changes depending on the situation.
Sophomore midfielder Sierra Bergen has made the most out of her role, starting all 12 games she's been a part of. During her freshman season at Mississippi State, Bergen didn't start in any match, and her only point contribution was a single assist. This year, she's tied for second on the team in goals with three.
READ MORE: Sierra Bergen brings new firepower to Sun Devil Soccer attack
With Blundell missing nine games of the season, several freshmen have also received chances to showcase their talent. Freshman Addison Baltodano has started seven of ASU's last eight matches, contributing two goals and three assists within that timeframe.
Her performance during a 4-1 win over UTEP, where she had a goal and an assist, earned her the Big 12 Freshman of the Week award, the first time a Sun Devil won that honor since Blundell did in September 2024.
Freshmen Adrielle Mibe, Norah Bell and Tano Uzezi-Itesa have all seen valuable minutes on the pitch, and the coaching staff believes this early experience could pay dividends down the road.
"We might be giving some more minutes than we intended to give to some certain players at this part of the season, but I think that might help us later into the season, when they're thrown into those sort of moments when we're picking up injuries," Winkworth said. "It will certainly help them this time next year when they're more experienced."
Four of ASU's final six regular-season matches are in enemy territory, and expecting youngsters to perform the same on the road can be a tough task. College environments can be difficult to play in, and pressure can mount quickly, especially with ranked opponents like No. 18 Texas Tech and No. 7 TCU on the schedule.
Youthful energy can also swing a game in the Sun Devils' favor, and bringing that exuberance onto the pitch is where the underclassmen could be key.
"If anything, it brings more creativity because we've got fresh legs, and that depth is so important on the road, because maybe people are more tired, they don't sleep well," junior defender Lucy Fazackerley said. "We need to make sure that everyone's fresh and ready, and we have the players to do that."
Blundell's conditioning continues to be a huge wild card for Winkworth. The sophomore is still ramping up to full speed with a season-high of 45 minutes at West Virginia, but ASU was unable to create a single shot attempt in the first half of an eventual 2-0 loss.
Her presence not only increases the team's overall ceiling but also redirects attention away from Thomason and Valladares on the wings.
If ASU continues to struggle putting the ball in the net, perhaps Winkworth will turn to one of his young freshmen to shift the momentum.
"After (Uzezi-Itesa) and (Gositang Motshegwe) coming on and bringing a spark back to the game, it's important to have energy as we come on the field," Bergen said. "I think everyone (who's) come on has done a great job, and it's really important, especially as we go further into the season, we're going to need more depth."
Falling at West Virginia may just be a bump in the road for this Sun Devils squad, but the going only gets more difficult from here in the Big 12. However, depth is valuable for a reason, and if Winkworth can play his cards right, it could tip the scales in his favor.
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.
