ASU Soccer: Sun Devils face their toughest challenge with No. 1 Stanford

(Photo: Harrison Zhang/WCSN)

Arizona State (6-5-1, 1-3-1) heads into Saturday’s matchup against No. 1 Stanford (12-0-1, 5-0-0) in Tempe for what shapes up as the biggest test of the season for head coach Graham Winkworth’s squad.

After losing their second straight match against a Top-20 opponent last Sunday against USC, the Sun Devils have an even tougher test in the ever-so-competitive Pac-12 conference. Returning home on a three-game losing streak, the Lady Sun Devils look to tackle reigning national champion Stanford, who have yet to fall in any challenge dating back to their 2016 season.

The Cardinal are currently cruising through their Pac-12 opponents with a five-game win streak in conference play so far. Not only that, but Stanford has not lost a game this season, currently riding a 35-game win streak.

To add to Stanford’s impressive numbers, the Cardinal also remain undefeated on the road with a 5-0-0 record. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils are 3-2-1 at home this season.

It’s never quite easy when going against the reigning national champion, but it’s especially harder when they are in your conference and you have no choice but to square off face to face with arguably the best team in the country.

However, the Sun Devils will look to hold down home turf as they seek their third conference win. ASU comes in hungry for revenge after the two teams competitively crossed paths in the last few years.

The Cardinal also hold a 14-4-3 all-time record over the Sun Devils. Stanford currently holds a four-game win streak against ASU as well, which dates back to 2013.

The toughest loss for the Sun Devils against Stanford comes from last season when ASU fell 6-0 to the Cardinal. The loss included 30 shots from Stanford with only two from Arizona State.

In last year’s matchup, it was then-junior Cardinal midfielder Michelle Xiao, who recorded two goals and one assist.

Meanwhile, Stanford’s sophomore forward Catarina Macario has a team-high seven goals and five assists in 11 games for the Cardinal this season. Macario is the team’s most prolific weapon and is tied for first in shots in the conference with 61 in total.

Arizona State has struggled in recent games to find a consistent offensive threat while Nicole Douglas has been away on international duty for England’s U-19 national team.

Before leaving on international duty, Douglas had six goals in eight games and was on pace to score more.

Yet since she has been gone, the Sun Devils have only been able to score two goals. The goals come from seniors Jemma Purfield and Casey Martinez.

In the meantime, Sun Devils goaltenders Nikki Panas and Sydney Day have been splitting duties in the net. Day has only had one start in the net against conference opponents, while Panas has been the go-to netminder with a total of four conference games.

Stanford’s goalkeepers Alison Jahansouz and Lauren Rood also share time at the goaltending position. Jahansouz has had a total of four conference starts with two clean sheets, while Rood has had two conference starts and clean sheets in both of those games.

The Sun Devils will face off against the Cardinal on Saturday at 7 p.m. under the lights at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.