Senior night isn’t just a special time for those whose college careers are coming to a close; it’s also a special night for the team as a whole. For Arizona State Graduate midfielder Peyton Marcisz, there was no better time than the present to leave her mark on the historic night.
The senior-to-freshman connection between Marcisz and freshman defender Mya Angus encapsulates the impact she’s had on the Sun Devils. Angus assisted Marcisz on both goals she scored as the senior savored the roar of the crowd after she extended the Sun Devils’ lead from 2-0 to 3-0.
ASU defeated Grambling State 8-0 on Friday, Sept. 11 at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. While Marcisz garnered her first brace, ASU coach Graham Winkworth acknowledged what this group in particular has meant to the program.
“There is a wonderful group,” Winkworth said. “Some of them have been here for four years. Some of them have been here. We are grateful for them all. You can see the culture and the spirit that we have amongst the group, and that’s led by this senior class.”
Against North Carolina, the Sun Devils struggled to find space to produce shots. On Friday night, the Sun Devils had 40 total shots, 20 of them being on target. ASU continued to drive in long shots and, in turn, scored the most goals it has in program history. It was the most amount of total points — 26 — that ASU has ever produced in a game and it was the largest margin of victory in program history.
The Sun Devils’ offense struggles against No. 9 North Carolina on date proved to be non-existent against the Lady Tigers. The Maroon and Gold generated heavy pressure in the offensive third. The Lady Tigers struggled to build any sort of momentum, failing to break through the Sun Devils’ back line throughout the majority of the game and thus were held to a mere two shots on target.
Arizona State garnered 78% possession and moved with ease on the pitch. ASU continued to rely on its heavy pressure and crosses from the wingers and defenders to create chances in and around the box.
Now, with conference play on the horizon, Winkworth’s newfound confidence within his squad — which has always been present — seemed to be echoed louder after Friday night’s dominating win.
“We have put ourselves in a solid position,” Winkworth said. “When you look at RPI going into conference play, we will be in a good position … Based on our performance last week (against UNC), we know we can play with anybody. We look forward to having Utah come into town and giving them a good match.”
In honor of senior night, alumni from the first-ever Sun Devil season — the 1996-1997 team — came out in support for the 31st year of Sun Devil soccer. The first-ever team helped pioneer the Sun Devils to where they are today, as they watched along, seeing the growth of the program they helped build.
“It just shows the investment ASU put into women’s soccer in such a short period of time,” alumni Kim Wagner said. “We were lucky to help build that foundation for the program.”
Arizona State finished non-conference play on a high note. ASU will open conference play against Utah on Sept. 18, at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m. MST.
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