With Arizona State in a dire need of results, Gigi Micketti and Matt Stolbof dissect the Sun Devils as they enter the latter part of the season.
1. Arizona State has struggled to create scoring chances. What changes need to be made in order for the chances to improve?
Gigi: There needs to be more momentum moving into the attacking half for the Devils. They need to start with more connected passes within the midfield and be able to slip passes in through the opposing defensive lines in order to give their forwards more opportunities in the box, resulting in more quality shots on goal. Coach Kevin Boyd made it clear how much of an impact Aly Moon is for the team’s offense and that it is all too apparent when she isn’t on the field. If the team is to improve, they need to fill the role of Moon and this falls on forwards Jazmarie Mader and Natalie Stephens. Mader has made the most impact offensively this season, but Stephens has yet to score a goal. Once Stephens is able to sink one in the back of the net, she’ll become more of an offensive threat and help lead the team to victory.
Matt: They need to be more aggressive in the midfield, especially in the first half. Coach Kevin Boyd has emphasized that he is trying to make the team take good chances instead of many, but that simply hasn’t panned out. During the Sun Devils’ last four non-wins, ASU was out-shot in the first half in three of the four games. The only game they weren’t out-shot was against Utah, the only result out of the four games. Midfielders like Lucy Lara and Kylie Miniefield need to pass it more to Jazmarie Mader, Natalie Stephens and the other forwards, even if they’re not the best passes. I believe that more shots will put some more in the back of the net for the Sun Devils.
2. What player needs to step up for the Sun Devils?
Gigi: As a whole the midfield and forwards need to step up, but specifically the team needs to see more from sophomore forward Natalie Stephens. Stephens has yet to have her “breakthrough moment” this season and is really letting her team down offensively. She has not made much of an impact this season having only two assists and no shots on goal which puts her in a slump that should’ve been overcome in their past two games against the two lowest scoring teams this season. Unfortunately, she was unable to score against them and now faces an uphill battle as the Sun Devils face USC this weekend which will have a solid defense that will make her work to finally get herself on the board.
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Matt: Sophomore Natalie Stephens needs to step up in the final few weeks of the season if they want to stay alive in the Pac-12. Stephens has been in really poor form throughout the whole season. So far she has failed to put one in the back of the net and she only has two assists. She even said herself that she needed to breakthrough. After the loss to Colorado, she said, “I’m just trying to get over the hump and get that first ball in. It’s just super frustrating.” ASU is playing three of the bottom four teams in goals allowed in the Pac-12. Playing these poor defenses will surely give Stephens a lot of chances to rack up some goals. If Stephens gets in good form, this gives Arizona State the opportunity to be one of the top tier times in the Pac-12.
3. After the 1-0 loss versus Colorado, Natalie Stephens said ASU needed to win six of their last eight games. They are 1-1 since that statement. How do you see ASU finishing the season?
Gigi: ASU has a chance to make the tournament if they can get their offensive attacks organized and do so quickly. With their impact player Aly Moon still questionable to play in upcoming games, the girls have not been able to get balls past the opposing defensive lines. Jazmarie Mader has made a solid impact in stepping up her game as well as Lucy Lara, but no one seems to be able to fill Moon’s role on the field, which leaves little momentum moving forward in the attacking half, causing a lot of stress on the defense. While the defensive line is held strong by senior centerback Mckenzie Grossman, having to constantly fend off attacks wears them out and makes the girls more likely to give up silly fouls, which caused them to give up a goal to tie the game against Washington State this past Sunday. Unless these girls are able to figure out how to be more effective in their attacks, they’re unlikely to come out successful this season.
Matt: This goal is beginning to seem like a long stretch for ASU. They still have to play both Oregon schools, who are the two worst teams in the Pac-12. I’m expecting six points there, even if they are away. They also have to face a USC team that has been cruising in the Pac-12 with a 4-1 record. I’m expecting Arizona State to lose this one as the Trojans just had a ten game winning streak snapped by Cal, the best team in the conference. During that winning streak, they outscored opponents 28-2! With a defense as good as USC’s against an ASU team that has struggled to score in recent games, the outcome doesn’t look like it will pan out well for the Sun Devils. After that, they play a first-place Cal team, a tough Stanford team that has a 4-1 record in the Pac-12, and an Arizona team that has struggled greatly in Pac-12 play. ASU will have a bit of an advantage since the final three games are all in Tempe. I can’t see Arizona State going 2-1 in those final three games, so expect ASU to have at least two losses in the final stretch of the regular season.