ASU looks to Break Old Habits against Trojans

(Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

After hoping to improve its record to 4-0 this past Friday against Denver (then 1-2), Arizona State gave up 21 goals to the Pioneers in the 21-12 loss. This was the first loss of the season.

The defeat marks the second consecutive season that the Sun Devils started 3-0 and lost their fourth game. Last season, ASU went 3-0 to start then had four back-to-back losses, ending the season with a record of 9-10.

The Sun Devils are looking to break an old habit in their matchup versus the University of Southern California Trojans on Monday afternoon. In their last five meetings, ASU has gone 0-5 with their last win against the Trojans coming in the 2022 season when they squeezed out a 13-12 victory.

The Trojans currently sit with the record of 3-1 after suffering a season opening loss to No. 20 Stanford. Since then, USC has been undefeated winning three in a row, and defeating ranked No. 21 Colorado

The last time these two former Pac-12 foes met, the Trojans barely scraped by with the win, defeating the Sun Devils 9-5.

Continuous Stand Out Sun Devils

While ASU is coming off a loss, there are several Sun Devils that have continued to make their presence known this season.

Junior attacker Lydia Oldknow continued her point streak as she saw the back of the net four times in the contest versus the Pioneers. Oldknow still sits as the team’s second-leading goal scorer with 14 goals on the season this far.

Oldknow has recorded at least three goals in every contest of the season so far, and four goals in her last two games.

Another Devil making a mark on this squad is, also, Junior attacker Teagan Ng. Ng is currently the teams leading goal scorer with 17 goals on the season. In the contest against the Denver Pioneers, Ng saw the back of the net three times.

Along with Oldknow, Ng has scored at least three goals in the first four games of the season. Ng is also coming off a career-high for goals when she scored seven against Pittsburgh.

Senior goaltender, Katie Vahle, has been the go-to force in net starting in all four games. Vahle made her season high of saves so far with 16 while also allowing 19 against Denver.

Getting to Know the Trojans

Maddie Dora, a senior attacker, has been a force to be reckoned with this season, leading the Trojans in goals with 20 on the season. In her past three games, Dora has put up at least five goals per game, and six in USC’s last matchup versus UC Davis.

Along with Dora, redshirt senior attacker Isabelle Vitale has also made her mark on the score sheet as she leads the team in assists with 13. Vitale is also second on the team in points, behind Dora (20), with 19.

The Sun Devils will be tested when put against this dominant USC team as they look to break the “curse” of an undefeated start. ASU will take on the USC Trojans on Monday Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. AZT.