ASU Soccer: Sun Devils hit the road to play LA schools

(Photo via Xavier Litman)

The Arizona State Sun Devils (6-1-2, 2-1 Pac-12) travel to Los Angeles to play the No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins (11-0, 3-0 Pac-12) on Thursday and the No. 8 ranked USC Trojans (7-1-1, 3-0 Pac-12) on Sunday.

This week will be a major test for the Sun Devils as they play two top-10 teams, which are also the two highest-ranked teams they will have played this season. They are also coming off their first loss of the season to Stanford and were ravaged by injuries in last Sunday’s match.

UCLA has played three ranked teams in the United Soccer Coaches poll, winning all three matches: No. 5 North Carolina, No. 7 Duke and No. 22 Pepperdine. ASU was scheduled to play Pepperdine, but the Sun Devils canceled the match because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the program. ASU and UCLA both beat the California Golden Bears in Pac-12 play, which is the only common opponent that these teams have.

Leading the Bruins is senior forward Sunshine Fontes, who has 17 points, eight goals, which ranks her tied for 20th in the nation, and 17 points. Fontes looks like a completely different player now compared to last season. Not only did she change her jersey number from 16 to 50, but she has already smashed her career high in points, which was 13 in the 2020 season.

Graduate goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy has only allowed six goals, saving 26 shots in 11 games this season, and has shut out the opponent six times, allowing multiple goals in just once, which was when she allowed two goals against California.

The team statistics speak to the success UCLA has had all season, averaging 3.18 goals per game, which is the fourth-best mark in the nation. They also have a goals-against average of .545, which ranks them tied for 22nd nationally.

The Bruins have been ranked as the best team in the country since their win against North Carolina on September 4 and will be the toughest team the Sun Devils have played this season. UCLA is having a strong season under first-year head coach Margueritte Aozasa, replacing former head coach Amanda Cromwell, who left UCLA for the Orlando Pride.

USC Trojans (7-1-1, 3-0 Pac-12)

USC had a rough start to the 2022 season, losing a home exhibition to Pepperdine 2-0 and a road match against Purdue 3-0. However, the Trojans have not lost a game since the Purdue loss, and have beaten ranked teams such as No. 10 TCU and No. 14 Stanford in that span. The Trojans also have one draw on the season when they tied Nebraska 1-1 in Lincoln on September 11.

Senior midfielder Croix Bethune leads the Trojans with five goals, seven assists and 17 points on the season. Bethune was a consensus First-Team All-American and a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy last season. She was also named Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year, All-Pac-12 first team and All-Pacific Region first team for the 2021 season.

Graduate goalkeeper Anna Smith has only allowed six goals and saved 27 shots in nine games this season and has four starts that resulted in shutouts. She also has only allowed multiple goals in one match, allowing three goals against Purdue.

USC has risen quickly as it was unranked just a couple of weeks ago, but rose to No. 20 last week and rose to No. 8 this week. The raise is impressive, considering USC is under first-year head coach Jane Alukonis after former head coach Keidane McAlpine departed for Georgia in December 2021.

The Sun Devils swept the Los Angeles schools two seasons ago and hope to replicate that success this week, or they could be facing a losing streak after starting the first eight matches undefeated.