WHAT'S ON TAP:  The Red Wolves return home to begin a four game SBC homestand which begins Friday with a 4 p.m. match with Louisiana-Lafayette and continues Sunday with a 1 p.m. match with Louisiana-Monroe. For both matches this weekend ASU will wear pink jerseys in support of cancer research.

THE TEAMS:  Arkansas State stands at 3-6 with a 0-2 mark in conference action. Freshmen forwards Kara Nitti and Sofia Turesson lead the Red Wolves through nine matches with five goals each. Kai Gear is third on the squad with four goals. Megan Stoltzfus and Sara Krimm have played five games each in goal for the Red Wolves, both making 24 saves. The Ragin' Cajuns stand at 2-7-1 on the season with a 0-2 worksheet in SBC contests, which ranks last in the SBC. Their last win was 1-0 at Southern Miss on Sept. 14. Kelli Jestes leads ULL with three goals. Stephanie Weston has played 10 matches in goal for the Ragin' Cajuns making 50 saves. The Warhawks stand at 4-5-0 with a 1-1 scorecard in Sun Belt action, which places them sixth in the conference. Tiffany Bombard has recorded a team-high six goals, which ranks fifth in the SBC. Mallory George has played nine matches in goal for Louisiana-Monroe making 41 saves. ULM won their last match, 3-2 over North Texas on Sept. 28.

THINK PINK-PLAYING FOR CANCER RESEARCH: For the weekend of Oct. 3 & 5 the ASU soccer program will be playing for cancer research. On Oct. 3 & 5 when the Red Wolves take on Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe, ASU will be wearing pink jerseys in support of cancer research. Those autographed pink game jerseys will then be auctioned off with 50 percent of the proceeds going to the local Arkansas Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation affiliate. The auction process will begin Friday night, Oct. 3rd and go on during the week following the games, closing Oct. 10. Winners of the auctions will be notified by the ASU Soccer staff. Please contact assistant coach, Lisa Berg, at  870.972.2340 to make a bid for the jerseys.

THE SERIES VERSUS ULL: ASU stands a 3-5 all-time against the Ragin' Cajuns. ASU lost in their last match 1-3 at Lafayette in 2007. The last time the Red Wolves beat ULL was in 2003, 3-2, in Lafayette.

THE SERIES VERUS ULM: ASU has met ULM three times, holding a 2-1 advantage over the Warhawks. The Red Wolves dropped a 1-5 decision to ULM in 2007 at the ASU Soccer Complex.

STACKING UP IN SBC STATS: ASU ranks second in the Sun Belt in goals per match at 2.22, assists with 20 and points per match at 6.67. They lead the league in assists per game with 2.22. Freshman forwards Sofia Tuesson and Kara Nitti are tied for eighth in the SBC in total goals, with five each. Freshman midfielder Kai Gear is seventh in the SBC with 1.43 points per game. Turesson ranks sixth in goals per game with 0.62 while Gear is in eighth with 0.57 per game and Nitti is ninth with 0.56. Sophomore forward Anna Kaloghirou is tied for fifth with two game winning goals. Freshman goalkeeper Megan Stoltzfus ranks seventh in the SBC with 0.60 assists per game.

VERSUS LAST SEASON: Although at 3-6 so far this season, through nine games the Red Wolves have already eclipsed several statistical categories from a year ago. They have already scored 20 goals which is three more (17) than the entire output from 2007. On those 20 goals ASU has netted 20 assists which is five more than a year ago (15) for 60 total points which dwarfs 2007's output of 49. The Red Wolves have posted one shutout, which is half as many as they did in 2007 (2). ASU is averaging 13.6 shots per game which is much improved from 9.3 last season. The Red Wolves are holding opponents to 14.7 shots per game which is lower than the 16.6 they allowed in 2007. Two AState players (Nitt, Turesson) have scored five goals, which surpasses the leading scorer from last season (4 goals).

RECORD WATCH: After nine games so far this season freshmen forwards Sofia Turesson and Kara Nitti have already scored five goals with nine matches yet to be played, Turesson and Nitti could be knocking on the door of the single-season scoring record at ASU. The record currently stands at 12 goals and is held by Shawna Sparks who set the record during the 2003 season.

YOUTH LEADS THE WAY: ASU's top four scorers are comprised of three freshman and a sophomore. Nitti and Turesson lead the way  with five goals, which is more goals than any player scored a year ago. Along with Nitti, freshman Kai Gear has four goals, and sophomore Anna Kalghirou has two goals. Kalghirou is ASU's top returning scorer, netting four goals in 2007.

GOALKEEPER LEADS TEAM IN ASSISTS: Freshman goalkeeper Megan Stoltzfus,  leads the ASU squad with three assists. The three tallies came during the opening game of the season against UCA when Stoltzfus punted the ball to set up three scoring opportunities. In one game, a goalkeeper almost amassed as many assists as a single field player did on last year's team (4). Stoltzfus is tied for seventh in assists per game in the SBC at 0.60.

SECOND HAT-TRICK IN AS MANY GAMES:  Freshman Sophie Turesson recorded three goals for the Red Wolves in their match against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. This marked the second game in a row that an ASU player had notched three goals in a single match. Kai Gear began the year for the Red Wolves by scoring three goals against Central Arkansas on Aug. 23. Her three goals were the most an ASU player had scored in a single match since 2005.

NEW ERA AT ASU:  Arkansas State currently stands at 18-12 while competing as the Red Wolves this season.  After 77 years of competition as the Indians, the Red Wolves mascot was adopted in January 2008 after many hours of work by the University's Mascot Selection Steering Committee.  The job of the committee was to make a new mascot recommendation to Chancellor Dr. Robert L. Potts and the University administration.  The committee recommended “Wolves” at a Jan. 31 m???????eeting, and the Red Wolves mascot evolved from that point.

ASU KIDS SOCCER CLINIC AFTER ULM MATCH SUNDAY: After Sunday's game there will be another one of ASU Soccer's Kids Skills Clinic. It will last approximately 45 min and give the kids the opportunity to work on their individual skills, while having fun with the ASU women's soccer players. Please have kids bring a ball, water bottle, and tennis shoes or cleats.

HELP BUILD A WINNING TRADITION:  ASU soccer fans have the opportunity to help the Red Wolves build a winning soccer tradition by joining the Red Wolves Goal Club.  Level 1 ($50) members receive a quarterly newsletter and an autographed 2008 ASU Soccer poster.  Level 2 members($100) receive the benefits of Level 1, plus a ticket to the ASU soccer banquet and an ASU T-shirt.  For more information or to join the Red Wolves Goal Club, contact assistant coach Lisa Berg at 870-972-8193 or lberg@astate.edu.