(Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
After a dominant performance last Saturday against Detroit Mercy, Sun Devil Lacrosse (3-0) will have a chance to build off of that momentum when they face off with the Denver Pioneers (1-2) this upcoming Friday in San Diego.
ASU’s aforementioned drubbing of Detroit Mercy was one of the best performances of the Taryn VanThof era. Holding a fellow division one opponent to just a singular goal over the course of the game is an incredible achievement and one the Sun Devils defense will take great pride in. It was the fewest goals allowed in program history for ASU as they have never shut out an opponent.
Junior attacker Lydia Oldknow once again led the way for ASU. She found the back of the net four times accounting for just under 20% of the team’s goals. She also extended her scoring streak to 22 games, a momentous feat that dates back to the first game of the 2024 season. Senior goalkeeper Katie Vahle only played half of the game but after her monster performance against Pittsburgh earlier in the week, combined with a first-half shutout, she was named to the Big 12 team of the week. More elite performances from the two would be huge for ASU when they face higher-level competition such as Denver.
The Pioneers have struggled to begin the season and will enter their clash with the Sun Devils with an under .500 record, a rarity for such a solid program. The year prior, No. 12 Denver finished 16-4 and in the process won the Big East Tournament. This gave them an auto-bid to the
NCAA Tournament where it would defeat No. 17 Stanford before falling to eventual runner-ups, Northwestern.
This year, however, Denver suffered two early losses to Louisville and Ohio State before rebounding with a win against Vanderbilt at home. Sophomore midfielder Olivia Ripple has been a bright spot for Denver leading the team in goals with nine and tied for the lead in points with 10. She is a pure goal-scorer and will be a handful for the Sun Devils. Fifth-year attacker Raegan Wilson assumes the facilitator role for the Pioneers and has eight assists already on the season. The duo will be key for Denver if it can dominate on the offensive end, the rest of the team should follow suit.
The two teams met last year in Denver, a game the Pioneers would win 21-11. ASU played extremely well in the first half and entered the break only down 9-7. However, Denver’s quality shinned through in the third quarter where it outscored ASU 9-1. It would coast to an eventual double-digit win but there be some positive takeaways for the Sun Devils. Oldknow had a hat trick and current junior attacker Teagan Ng had a pair of goals as well. This type of offensive juggernaut has been what this year’s Denver squad has been missing.
There is something to be said about strength of schedule in this game, however. ASU opened up with three games against teams that would be considered “subpar” opponents whereas Denver traveled to multiple power five teams, playing in much more difficult environments. The Sun Devils currently sit in the same situation as last year, they are 3-0 with no ranked wins.
Last year they lost four consecutive games after the hot start and spiraled to a 9-10 record. This year’s group has a chance to prove it is a new squad and beat a quality Denver team on Friday.
This game should be a great litmus test for the Sun Devils. They have never started out 4-0 in program history and have a chance to do it against a spiraling Denver team that does not have a win outside of the state of Colorado.
