(Photo: Harrison Zhang/WCSN)
After the cancellation of the match against No. 1 Stanford due to weather conditions this past Saturday, the Sun Devils (6-5-1, 1-3-1) will begin their homestand against No. 22 Washington State (10-3-0, 3-3-0) and will conclude against University of Washington (7-6-1, 2-4-0).
It will be the first contest for coach Graham Winkworth’s squad in nearly two weeks. The Sun Devils have not played a game since October 4, a 3-1 loss against the Trojans.
“We’re definitely at the advantage this weekend,” said coach Winkworth, given the extra time for recomposure and preparation.
“[We’re] just getting our feet underneath ourselves,” said junior forward and midfielder Christina Edwards. “Being on the road for half a week can take a toll on your body, physically and mentally. Just having everything in place is reassuring and helps build confidence and it plays out on the field.”
Now, rested and ready to get back into the action, ASU seeks to snap their three-game losing streak against the Washington schools on home turf.
The Huskies, Sun Devils, and Cougars all have one thing in common. All three teams are on a three-match losing streak in conference play. Not only that, but all of their streaks also include the Utah Utes and at least one university from Southern California.
At home, ASU owns a record of 3-2-1, but has yet to clinch their first conference win at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. The Sun Devils gained momentum early on into Pac-12 play with a win in Berkeley and a tie against Colorado, but since then, have failed to find a solid rhythm.
Part of that misfortune is due to the absence of leading goal scorer Nicole Douglas, who makes her return to the team for this week’s matchups. Douglas has found the back of the net six times in eight games. It’s been tough to fill in the gap for the team’s most successful striker, but senior forward Jemma Purfield has stepped up to the plate to help her team succeed.
With Douglas and Purfield creating a dynamic one-two punch in the front, they certainly set the table to give their teammates quality chances, especially for midfielders Alexia Delgado and Casey Martinez.
Looking down the other side of the field, the Cougars, who went undefeated in the non-conference slate, have a capable core of offensive outlets.
Junior forward, Morgan Weaver has seven goals and two assists in 13 games played and is tied for fourth place in the Pac-12 in goal scoring.
Not only is Weaver putting up great numbers, so is senior defender Maddy Haro, who has 11 assists and two goals in 13 games as well. Haro is also leading the Pac-12 in assists.
The Cougars have a 4-0-1 record over the Sun Devils from the past five seasons heading into Thursday morning’s contest, showing the clear dominance that Washington State has over ASU.
“They’re very physical and very direct,” said Coach Winkworth about Washinton State’s style of play.
Meanwhile, the University of Washington Huskies will face off against the University of Arizona on Thursday before they head over to Tempe on Sunday for an afternoon match versus the Sun Devils.
ASU has an 8-9-4 all-time record against Washington, with a 4-2-3 record in Tempe against the Huskies.
Washington’s leading scorer would be the sophomore midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt with five goals and one assist.
Another key player is Ameera Hussen, another sophomore midfielder, who has currently recorded three or more shots in five consecutive games, with eleven of those shots being on goal.
“We’re just going to try to get some points at home before we have to head to Oregon,” said Coach Winkworth when asked about the preparation they will be doing going into their last road trip of the season after Sunday.
The Sun Devils will kick off against Washington State on Thursday at 11 a.m. then be back in action on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. against Washington at the Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
