SENIOR DAY: The Red Wolves return home for the first time since Aug. 29 to host Southeast Louisiana. Prior to today's match ASU will honor its four seniors in a Senior Day Celebration. Today's match will mark the final tune-up before ASU heads into Sun Belt conference play. The Red Wolves will begin conference action at South Alabama on Sept. 26 and at Troy on Sept. 28.
THE TEAMS: Arkansas State stands at 3-3 so far this season, winning its first three contests of the season. ASU is looking for its first win since beating Centenary on Sept. 5. Freshmen
Sofia Turesson and
Kara Nitti lead the Red Wolves with five goals each. Freshmen goalkeepers
Megan Stoltzfus and
Sara Krimm have split time in goal for ASU. Stoltzfus has made 12 saves, holding a 2-0 record, while Krimm has made 21 saves, holding a 1-3 record with one shutout. Southeastern Louisiana dropped its first match of the season to UALR, 0-3, Friday. Kristin McDonald leads Lady Lions with four goals. Lacey Bockhaus has played all 470-minutes in goal for SE Louisiana, logging 14 saves and three shutouts.
SENIOR SALUTE: Today ASU will recognize its four graduating seniors before the match for their years of service to the Red Wolves soccer program. Seniors
Bernadette Dierker,
Chelsea Hopkins, Katherine Krekeler, and
Markie McRae have combined to appear in 220 games during their four years with the program, scored 15 goals and had 11 assists for 41 total points.
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 when the Red Wolves take on Louisiana-Lafayette, ASU will be wearing pink jerseys in support of cancer research. Then on Oct 5 fans will get the opportunity to bid on the pink game-worn jerseys that the players wore on Oct. 3. Fifty percent of all proceeds from the match will go to a local cancer research center.
RECORD WATCH: After six games so far this season freshmen forwards
Sofia Turesson and
Kara Nitti have already scored five goals with 12 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).
THE SE LOUISIANA SERIES: Arkansas State and Southeast Louisiana have met only one previous time in the two program's history, on Sept. 7, 2007. The Lady Lions took a 2-0 decision from ASU.
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 15-7 while competing as the Red Wolves. 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.
