(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
No. 10 Arizona State Lacrosse has hit its first rough patch of the Todd MacRobbie era.
Following a 2-0 start to the season at the Pac-12 Shootout in Los Angeles, the Sun Devils have dropped back-to-back home games against Cal Poly and Boston College.
Now, ASU looks to get back on track as they open a three-game road trip beginning with No. 4 Brigham Young University on Sat. March 12.
Heading into the game, the Cougars have been using a high-octane offense to win in 2016, netting 10 or more goals in all but one game this season, a one-goal loss to No.1 Chapman University.
Through six games, freshmen attackmen Chris Severson and Winston Farley have paced the attack with a combined 43 points.
Much like the Cougars, Arizona State is an offensive-minded team. The Sun Devils have also scored 10 or more goals in each contest with the exception of a four-goal output against Cal Poly.
To keep pace with this high scoring team, the Sun Devils will need to rely on junior attackman Rhett Rodgers and senior attackman Finn Wells. In four games, Rodgers and Wells have led the way with 23 total points.
In addition to both teams having a pair of standout attackmen, both teams possess dependable faceoff specialists.
The matchup between sophomore midfielder Zac Mathien of Arizona State and freshman face off specialist Jack Vassau of BYU could be the most exciting position battle of the game.
Both specialists have won over 65 percent of their respective face-offs this season. Vassau has burst onto the scene as he has gone 106-35 in the faceoff circle, while Mathien has a 31-16 record.
This game presents both teams with an opportunity to gain momentum heading into the second half of the season.
For BYU, it is a chance to add a win over a ranked team to its résumé. For ASU, a win over a top-five team would put the Sun Devils back on track following its first home losses since 2013.
If you have any questions or comments, you can contact Zach Pekale via Twitter @zachpekale or via email at zachpekale@gmail.com.
