Home sweet home
ASU enters Thursday’s contest being unbeaten in 21 (15-0-7) straight non-conference matches at home since the 2019 season, which includes a 3-0 record in the 2021 spring campaign in matches played at Mountain America Stadium. 

The Sun Devils have 10 home matches on their schedule which includes ASU being home for the entire month of September, featuring the Big 12 opener against BYU on Sept. 18 and tilts against Denver, Pepperdine and UTEP. ASU has a 125-78-30 (.609) record at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.

Series notes
ASU is 1-0 all-time against Nevada, with their only meeting coming in a 5-0 victory at the Cats Classic in Tucson on September 14, 2014. Thursday marks the first meeting between both teams in Tempe.

About the opposition
The Wolfpack went 6-13-2 in 2024 and finished tied for sixth in the Mountain West, going 4-6-2 in conference play last season. Nevada fell in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament last November to Colorado State.

Olivia Loomis leads all Nevada returners with five goals, an assist and 11 points last season. In net Mia Collins returns, posting 43 saves in eight matches. 

Nelles in net
Starting in all 19 matches last season, Nelles ranks fourth in program history with 227 saves and 27 victories, all as a Sun Devil. Having six shutouts last season, she has 18 career clean sheets which is second in ASU history. The senior has registered 70+ saves in all three seasons as a Sun Devil and posted 4.01 saves per game which ranks fourth best in program history.

She enters the new season having played 4,320 consecutive minutes in goal for the Sun Devils.

Blundell’s best
Appearing in all 19 matches as a freshman last season Blundell garnered 2024 Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and scored a team-best nine goals, which was ninth nationally among freshmen last year and eighth in the Big 12 overall. 

The sophomore had two multi-goal games last season, including a hat trick against Penn. Her two game-winning goals came against Houston and Penn. In 2024, the Sun Devils were 7-3-1 when Blundell registered at least one point in a match.

Sun Devil Hall of Fame

Cali Farquharson is one of eight inductees in the Sun Devil Athletics class of 2025. Farquharson, left an indelible mark on Sun Devil Soccer during her career from 2012-15 and the only Sun Devil to record double-digit goals in four straight seasons. She finished her career second all-time in goals (44) and points (102). 

Farquharson was a clutch performer, one of four at ASU through 2015 with more than 10 game-winning goals. She earned NSCAA All-Region honors and All-Pac-12 recognition three times.

Spanning the globe
The Sun Devil Soccer team has 17 international student-athletes competing, led by Canada with seven players. England (four) and South Africa (two) also have multiple players, while, Japan, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands have one player each.

Preseason recognition
Reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year Kierra Blundell was named to the 2025 Big 12 Preseason Team and the only sophomore forward to make the list. She earned spots on the Big 12 Second Team All-Conference honors and on the Big 12 All-Freshman list.

Barrett, The Honors College

The Sun Devils have nine student-athletes enrolled in Barrett, The Honors College. Honors students are diverse and come from many different backgrounds. Barrett students take additional honors courses and are required to complete a thesis during their college experience. 

Soccer student-athletes in Barrett, The Honors College:
Norah Bell, Business
Kierra Blundell, Sports Science and Performance Programming
Addison Haws, Biological Sciences (Biomedical Sciences)
Miki Hayashi, Data Science
Olivia Herrera, Business (Sports Business)
Brianna Nunley, Marketing
Katherine Ozard, Medical Studies
Tano Uzezi-Itesa, Health Sciences
Ava Wright, Biological Sciences, (Biomedical Sciences)

Returners
Cameron Valladares returns to the ASU offense for her senior season after recording 18 total points from last season. She brings consistency and firepower to the field after starting 17 of 19 matches last season and logging over 1,200 minutes played. Valladares finished third on the team in goals (7), points (18) and her four-game winners tied for third-most in the Big 12. She also found the net in six different matches and posted an efficient .474 shot-on-goal percentage.

On the defensive side, senior Grace Gillard returns after a standout junior season in which she also started 17 of 19 matches and logged the most minutes played by a field player with 1,587. As a defensive anchor, Gillard helped lead the Sun Devils to six clean sheets.

Returning for her sophomore season, midfielder Ella Kettles made an immediate impact as a freshman, starting 18 of 19 matches and logging 1,425 minutes. She played the full 90 minutes in two contests, and recorded 80-plus minutes in six additional matches. 

Transfers
Daan Louwerse transfers from Grand Valley State after starting 23 of 24 matches and totaling 4,072 minutes over the past two seasons. Louwerse helped lead her previous team to 10 clean sheets.

Local native Tatum Thomason transfers from Washington after starting every match for the Huskies last season. Thomason logged a total of 1,716 minutes in the previous season.

Lucy Fazackerley transfers from East Carolina after starting every single game and holding down the defense.

Free tickets for kids 6th grade and under
For every home match this season and with a purchase of adult tickets, tickets for kids in the sixth grade or younger are complimentary.

Looking head
ASU begins a three-match road trip starting August 21 against Texas at 5 p.m. MST. Following matches against Texas State on August 24 and a match against UNLV on August 28. The team will return to Tempe on August 31, facing New Mexico State at 7 p.m. MST (ESPN+).

College soccer is ready to kick off. At SLU, the Billiken women’s soccer team already has an exhibition under their belts.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State men’s soccer scored two goals off set pieces on the way to a 2-0 exhibition Victory for MSU over Butler Sunday afternoon at DeMartin Stadium.

“I thought we had a really good mentality today,” MSU head coach Damon Rensing said. “I think we showed some depth, created good chances, and scored a couple of restart goals, which rewards you for good soccer. We played some really good soccer today, and I thought we played together as a group, both with the ball and without. So, it’s just an exhibition, but definitely happy with where we’re at. No injuries, a lot of guys got some good minutes, so all in all, it went pretty solid.”

MSU split its scoring with a goal in each half, as junior defender Will Eby headed in a goal in the first half. Eby’s goal came off a corner kick by junior midfielder and United Soccer Coaches Midfielder to Watch, Miles Merritt, and senior defender Josh Adam headed it into the face of the goal where Eby deposited the ball in the back of the next, past Butler goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe.

The Spartans scored off a free kick in the second half. Freshman midfielder Kayden Hudson got his head on the ball and put it in the net off the free kick from junior defender Aidan Phelan.

MSU’s resolute defense held strong throughout to post the clean sheet, anchored by senior goalkeeper Zac Kelly, who was named a Top Drawer Soccer Big Ten Player to Watch. Kelly is also the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. 

“I would love to get a goal in the run of play, but we’ll take goals however we can get them. I thought we created some good chances and just continue to fine tune things,” Rensing said.

Sunday was the first of two exhibitions for the Green and White. MSU will wrap up exhibition action by traveling to Chicago to face UIC on Friday, Aug. 15 for the Spartans’ final exhibition. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.

Michigan State will kick off the regular season hosting UC Riverside on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium.

Penn State fans, remember these key dates at Jeffrey Field this fall, as the men’s soccer promotional schedule was just announced.

2025 themes unlocked 🔓 #WeAre pic.twitter.com/RBU7Og817h

— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) August 10, 2025

The theme nights kick off at the blue and white’s home opener on Aug. 21 against Stetson.

Then, the yearly THON night, where the Nittany Lions wear their pink and black jerseys, returns on Sep. 5 against Mercyhurst.

There are two pivotal theme nights against Big Ten foes Indiana and Maryland just four days apart.

The Mack Brady Match is on Sep. 19 against Indiana and Throwback Tuesday theme night follows shortly after on Sep. 23 against Maryland.

The seniors will be honored on Oct. 5 against Kings College and the annual Wear White Game returns on Oct. 17 against conference powerhouse Northwestern.

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