(Photo: Jodi Vosika/ASU Lacrosse)
Talk about déjà vu.
No. 2 Arizona State will meet No. 1 Colorado to exact revenge from the bitter defeat the Sun Devils faced in the 2014 MCLA Championship game. It’s the third consecutive time that the teams have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in a game against each other.
This time, they’re meeting in the second annual LAX Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Phoenix.
So far, both teams are off to hot starts with 4-0 records. Colorado is currently tied for first place in the RMLC while Arizona State has yet to play an SLC game.
Although the last meeting between the two teams was less than 10 months ago, both teams have seen their fair share of changes.
ASU most recently met with Santa Barbara and No. 5 Cal Poly over the weekend. The team narrowly defeated UCSB with a score of 9-7. The team came out the next day, proving their offense was not to be tampered with as they put up a 10-7 win.
Colorado, on the other hand, has been knocking off their fair share of opponents as well such as No. 11 Boston College. Colorado has scored double digits in three of the four games played this season, outscoring opponents 53-25.
While both teams have undergone some renovations, the teams that appeared in the 2014 MCLA title game have remained relatively consistent.
Arizona State still holds attackman Dan Davis, who put up five goals in the championship game. Davis already has racked up 14 goals for the season, averaging over four per game.
With the loss of the team’s other top attackman, Justin Straker, the Sun Devils have begun to look towards other viable options, such as Rhett Rodgers and Tommy Carrasco.
Rodgers scored three goals over the course of the entire season last year. In just four games in 2015, he’s tripled that number and is currently second on the team in goal scoring.
Carrasco is one of the newest players, and yet he’s already making an impact. For just a freshman, he has made a name for himself on the top midfield line, picking up four goals and three assists thus far.
The Buffaloes suffered their own losses following the championship game.
Attackman Riley Seidel, since graduated, had four goals and two assists in the championship game last year to cap off a 63-goal season.
The team still has attackman Jace Gan. Although the stars on the roster overshadowed him last year, Gan has emerged in 2015, as he leads the team in goals.
The newest player to stake a claim on the team’s production is midfielder Colin Macllvennie. Starting each game this season, the freshman has already accumulated ten points.
As for the game itself, it should be be high-paced and fast-scoring given how well-coached and athletic both teams are. Both teams are strong competitors, as evidenced throughout the all-time series between the two teams.
The game starts at the Reach 11 Sports Complex Friday afternoon at 7:30 p.m.
You can reach the reporter on Twitter @Kaci_Demarest or via email at kaci.demarest@gmail.com
