And then there were nine.
Sunday’s 4-0 win against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, and the 1-0 win claimed on Friday night against Pepperdine, showcased a Sun Devil soccer team ready for the Pac-10 regular season.
This season, points are coming from all over the field and goals are coming from more players.
Sunday, in the fourth multi-goal game of her career, junior forward Karin Volpe scored two goals, later joined by redshirt freshman Courtney Tinnin and freshman Amy Dougher, the eighth and ninth players to record a goal this season.
Their 7-1-2 record is the second-best nonconference mark the soccer program has ever recorded, but the wins haven’t been the result of a single player.
“We’re a better team than we were last year — that’s the difference,” ASU coach Kevin Boyd said. “We also have something special in our character that’s driving us forward right now.”
It was that character that lifted the team to its sixth victory on Friday night against the Waves (6-3), who were held scoreless for the first time in 10 games.
“We all thought [the Pepperdine win] was a great win for us,” Boyd said. “I’ve never not tied that coach (Pepperdine coach Tim Ward) so that was the first time either one of us have won a game. His style is the same as ours, so it was two dead even teams, so for us to find a way in that second half to get a win in that second half is a credit to our team.”
The same was true in Sunday’s game against the Lumberjacks (5-5-1).
NAU had just knocked off an undefeated New Mexico on Friday night, and the Sun Devils knew the Lumberjacks couldn’t be taken lightly. Still, the players found a way to win, and for Tinnen and Volpe, it was a way to gain some confidence in the process.
“It’s a relief, finally,” Volpe said. “I’ve been kind of in a little slump. It feels good to help my team win and to score some goals myself, and also to help other people score some goals. It will help my confidence level for Pac-10.”
Volpe’s two goals on Sunday were complimented by two assists, one of which enabled Tinnen to score her first goal after tearing her ACL last season.
“I’ve been waiting for this goal all season,” Tinnen said. “It gives me confidence going into the next game, but I couldn’t have done it without that easy ball Karin played in.”
Still, the team knows that the Pac-10 promises even tougher competition.
“The Pac-10 is going to be hard,” Boyd said. “It’s the best it’s ever been and we’re just going to have to go in and keep doing what we’ve been doing in terms of our battle and our grit.”
Reach the reporter at emiley.darling@asu.edu.
