ASU soccer look to overcome three game skid as they come back home to face No.1 Stanford in a game that looks to be about both team’s offenses.
Sun Devils head into Saturday’s match losing their last three and now face No. 1 Stanford at home.
This marks the third game of a stretch where the Sun Devils face four ranked opponents.
The Cardinal are the defending national champions and have kept the momentum of last year going with a impressive season so far. They head to Tempe with a record of 12-0-1.
The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 37-7 this year with sophomore forward Catarina Macario leading the way with seven goals on the season. Look for them to keep their attack going by looking for chances early and creating many goal threatening chances.
The Sun Devils on the other hand have been outscored 11-2 the last three games. Their leading scorer, which is freshman forward Nicole Douglas, has been gone on international duty the last couple of games.
Freshman forward Marleen Schimmer has had to fill that role but due to the tough defenses the Sun Devils faced, they were not able to find the back of the net.
Arizona State needs to find the net with the opportunities that are given come Saturday because the Cardinal’s defense will not allow many chances.
The Sun Devil defense will be put to the test again as they did last match against No. 2 USC where the Trojans shot the ball 32 times.
ASU will have to stick with their possession style, building slowly looking for the solid chances and when it comes to finish them.
This marks an important match as the Sun Devils enter the match No. 64 in RPI which is important to note since the NCAA tournament features 64 teams.
For a team that is hopeful to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2014, it is huge for them to get big performances such as this one.
The game for the Sun Devils is Saturday at 7 p.m. PT at home as they look to upset No. 1 Stanford.