ASU Soccer: Goal frenzy drives win over FUSC

The Arizona State Sun Devils goal frenzy helped secure a win in their final exhibition match over the Federation of University Sports of China.

The final score was ASU 10-0 FUSC. Nine different Sun Devils scored with six of the goals coming from freshmen. Six freshmen also started for the Sun Devils.

However, junior midfielder Christina Edwards said that the team doesn’t really see the classes. Everybody on the team has been playing soccer for a long time and the whole team has chemistry.

“I think that [the chemistry] shows on the field because we actually enjoy each other’s company on and off the field,” she added.

ASU had 25 of their 33 players rostered play today.

“We got a lot of depth in the squad,” coach Graham Winkworth said. “We are about six days away from the first day of the season, but I am like six months away from picking the starting 11.”

ASU started the scoring off quickly. Off a free kick just outside the 18-yard box by freshman forward Marleen Schimmer just 5:28 minutes into the game.

At 9:26 freshman midfielder Olivia Nguyen dribbled around FUSC goalkeeper Xiaotong Li and scored just inside the six-yard box. Nguyen increased the lead to 2-0.

Senior defender Jemma Purfield passed the ball in the box to freshman midfielder Julia Koharko who scored at 14:35, growing the Sun Devils lead to 3-0.

After a long run starting at midfield, freshman forward Nicole Douglas cut the ball back to her right foot avoiding Li and sliced the ball into the back of the net at 30:34.

Just before half at 43:16 a corner taken by freshman midfielder Hikaru Minami lead to a header into the back of the net by Edwards, who finished the game with two goals. Ending with a halftime score of 5-0 in favor of the Sun Devils.

Only 3 minutes into the second half, freshman forward Cori Sullivan placed the ball underneath FUSC’s goalkeeper to the near post. The lead stretched to six.

Winkworth kept the Sun Devils refreshed and subbed out nine of the eleven players at 69:12. Just seconds later (69:22) freshman midfielder Jen Fortner headed the ball into the back of the net off a corner kick taken by Purfield.

Purfield added a goal for herself and had a total of three assists.

“I’m always going to be putting pressure on myself to do well and be the best that I can be. And I really just want to help the team win,” she said. “So, when I can do that in anyway, I will, but it’s great to have such talented players around me.”

Sophomore midfielder Lara Barbieri would add the ninth goal for the Sun Devils off a chip from senior forward Casey Martinez in the 76^th minute.

Arizona State controlled the ball for almost all of the game, leaving both senior goalkeeper Sydney Day and freshman goalkeeper Amanda Green without any saves on the day as the two keepers split time. The Sun Devils out shot their opponents 20:1 with 11 of those shots on goal.

The Sun Devils have a lot to take away from their win over FUSC, but will have less than a week to prepare for their first game of the season at the University of Hawai’i on Saturday, August 24^th 2018 at 10:00 PM MST.