Forward sophomore Cali Farquharson maneuvers around a member of the Colorado soccer team. The State Press named Farquharson offensive player of the year, because she scored 10 goals this semester. (Photo by Arianna Grainey)The ASU soccer team concluded its 2013 season with a 9-8-2 record. The State Press soccer beat writer names the team's most outstanding players.
Offensive Player of the Year: Sophomore forward Cali Farquharson
In 2013, Farquharson continued her strong play and was ASU’s most prolific goal-scorer.
During out-of-conference play, Farquharson dominated with nine goals in the first seven games.
Spanning two seasons, she scored in eight consecutive games. Against Illinois, an NCAA tournament team, she scored two goals, including the game-winner in double-overtime. Facing Utah in a must-win game, she knocked in the game-winner in double-overtime again.
Farquharson ended up leading the Sun Devils with 10 goals on the season, equaling her total last year.
For the first time since 2000-01, when Patrice Feulner accomplished the feat, a Sun Devil scored double-digit goals in consecutive seasons.
Farquharson is now on pace for 40 goals in her career, which would put her in second place all-time on ASU’s scoring list.
It wasn’t all great for Farquharson in 2013, though. She scored just one goal in ASU’s final 12 games, which spanned nearly two-thirds of the season. Coach Kevin Boyd said he believes she was just unlucky in the scoring drought, which saw a number of shots bounce off posts and crossbars.
Defensive Player of the Year: Sophomore defender McKenzie Berryhill
Berryhill took major strides in her sophomore season, and by the end, became the best Sun Devil defender.
The turning point came in ASU’s upset of then-No. 2 Stanford when the Sun Devils snapped Stanford’s 73-game home unbeaten streak, and 44-game conference winning streak.
After the game, ASU coach Kevin Boyd said Berryhill was “unbeatable.”
Berryhill, a center defender, played every minute of the 2013 season. She has a knack for finding the ball and is skilled at separating opposing attackers from the ball.
Outstanding Service Award: Senior forward Devin Marshall
This award goes to the graduating senior ASU will miss the most, and in her four seasons with the team, Marshall tallied 22 goals, including six this season.
In the Sun Devil Classic, Marshall scored four goals in two games, garnering tournament MVP honors.
Against USC, she scored the game-winning goal with 19 seconds remaining in regulation.
But it wasn’t the goals ASU will miss the most, it’s the passion and energy with which she plays.
That has been a double-edged sword throughout her career, though, as in 2011 and 2012, Marshall missed 12 games because of injuries.
Naturally, the question heading into the 2013 season was would Marshall alter her physical play to stay healthy?
Answer: She didn’t alter her play this season and picked up seven yellow cards because of it, but managed to stay relatively healthy and avoid any major injuries.
Marshall’s strength is the air, and her fearless approach on headers and air balls will surely be missed.
Newcomer of the Year: Freshman defender Larisa Staub
Only one starting position on the 2013 team came from a player in her first year with the team.
Freshman defenders Larisa Staub and Mckenzie Grossman split time at right defender this season, but ultimately Staub won the positional battle.
Where Staub will play next season remains to be seen as for a few minutes in 2013, Staub played forward. In her brief time there, she displayed a powerful shot.
Sophomore forward Sara Tosti moved from defender to forward between the 2012 and 2013 seasons, so that kind of switch isn’t uncommon; however, the Sun Devils might need Staub more on defense in 2014.
Next season, the Sun Devils will have to replace five starters, two on defense, two in the midfield and one forward.
Reach the reporter at justin.janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
