After drawing with then-No. 11 Cal and losing at No. 2 Stanford last weekend, ASU soccer is back in action Thursday as they’ll host No. 1 UCLA.
ASU soccer is certainly looking forward to playing in front of their home crowd Thursday.
The Sun Devils will play their first home match in almost two weeks Thursday as they welcome No. 1 UCLA to Tempe.
Arizona State had an up-and-down Bay Area road trip last weekend picking up an impressive 1-1 draw versus then-No. 11 Cal followed by a 6-0 blowout loss at No. 2 Stanford.
Sunday’s match was rough for the Sun Devils as Stanford controlled the match from opening whistle to final as the Cardinal out-shot the Sun Devils 30-2 with Stanford outnumbering ASU in shots on goal 14-0.
It was the toughest match of the season as Stanford scored three goals in the opening 17 minutes and really took wind out of ASU’s sails.
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Thursday’s match won’t be any easier as they host the top-ranked UCLA Bruins.
UCLA enters the match undefeated with a 10-0-1 record and a perfect 3-0-0 record in Pac-12 play.
The Bruins are coming off home wins versus Oregon and Oregon State in which they outscored their opponents 6-1.
UCLA are led with a three-headed attack in junior midfielder Hailie Mace, sophomore midfielder Jessie Flemming and freshman forward Ashley Sanchez.
Mace is the team’s leading goal scorer with nine goals and was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three goals last weekend.
Flemming, a Canadian international and Olympic bronze medalist, is the cog in the midfield for UCLA tallying two goals and six assists (second on team).
Sanchez, a rising star with the U.S. women’s national team having played in the FIFA U-17 and U-20 World Cups, leads the team with seven assists to go along with three goals.
It will be another tough test for Arizona State, and just like it was the case versus Stanford, the Bruins will likely create numerous scoring opportunities and ASU will have limited chances.
Having experienced the Stanford game Sunday was a great learning experience of facing the top teams in the nation and how those games go.
Arizona State (4-5-2, 1-1-1 Pac-12) will look to stay more compact defensively and avoid turning the ball over in dangerous spots.
Sun Devil goalkeeper Nikki Panas, who made 13 saves over the weekend, is ought to be active again Thursday night.
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Kickoff of Arizona State-UCLA is set for 7 p.m. MST and the match can be streamed on the ASU Live Stream.