The anchor for Arizona State women’s soccer, junior goalkeeper Pauline Nelles, has been the standing theme of the season, even in losses such as Thursday’s 2-1 loss to West Virginia. The Sun Devil goalkeeper has been outstanding this year, widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the nation as she continues to put on defensive showcases game after game.
Nelles has allowed just eight goals in 11 games this season, and while her stats are boastful, they don’t come close to reflecting the impact she has had on this Arizona State team. With a save percentage of 0.852%, as well as 46 saves in only 11 games, Nelles has been nothing short of outstanding this season.
“She’s the best goalkeeper in the country,” said Sun Devil head coach Graham Winkworth. “She has the best feet, and she’s a great shot-stopper, as you saw tonight.”
Against a red-hot West Virginia team currently undefeated in league play, Nelles had six saves on eight shots on goal, four of which were fully extended dives. Almost every opportunity that seemed like a sure goal for the Mountaineers was shut down by incredible saves from Nelles.
While the Mountaineers did score twice, it is worth highlighting the impossibility of saving both shots, which rooted from bad defensive errors by the Arizona State backfield. ASU seemed unable to make any sort of adjustments throughout the game against a constant press from the West Virginia forwards, which led to a bombardment of shots on Nelles.
While the ASU defense continues to struggle with ball movement and physicality, especially against higher-ranked teams such as West Virginia, Nelles has been able to stay level-headed and continues to shine in all aspects of the game, both physical and mental.
“She’s an incredibly mature teammate as well, just a joy to coach and a joy to talk to,” Winkworth said. “She’ll respond to this performance like a pro. She’ll be very disappointed, but she’s got a wonderful head on her shoulders”
While Nelles has been fantastic, Arizona State should also look to tighten its defensive ball movement and strategies to relieve her of some of the pressure she has been having to face during league play. With a stronger defense and Nelles continuing to hold down the goal box, ASU will have much greater success in the future.
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