(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils will play their first Pac-12 contest of the season against the Utah Utes Friday afternoon at Sun Devil Stadium .
Arizona State will begin Pac-12 play with a 6-2-1 non-conference record, and looks to build up their resume for the tournament with a successful Pac-12 campaign.
Fresh off a double-overtime draw against Cal State-Northridge last week, a match in which they were clear favorites, the Sun Devils will look to convert a higher percentage of their created chances against Utah.
Despite the 1-1 tie, the Sun Devils are still tied for 5th in the nation in goals scored per game (25), showing that their offense will be a key factor moving forward. They are also 6th in the nation in total assists (24), so their chemistry must be on display once conference matches begin.
Arizona State will look to beat Utah for the first time since their 2-1 win in 2014. They still lead the all-time series 4-3-2, but Utah will look to even that record up on Friday afternoon.
The Utes come into the contest after beating the San Diego Toreros 1-0 in Salt Lake City and currently sit at 5-3-1. Utah has played a slightly more difficult schedule than the Sun Devils, playing against undefeated Clemson (7-0-1) and #10 BYU (8-0).
While the Sun Devils boast a talented offensive attack, the Utes have shut out their opponents in five of the last six matches, with goalkeeper Carly Nelson recording 5 clean sheets. This surely makes for an interesting contest, as their powerful defense will prepare to challenge the Sun Devils’ high-powered offense.
Utah is currently on a four game unbeaten streak and has yet to lose a match at home, although they have struggled in their road games. Arizona State looks to capitalize on the home field advantage and start off the season with a win.
The Sun Devils leading scorer, Nicole Douglas, now has six goals over eight matches and will look to maintain this impressive rate going into Pac-12 play. With Marleen Schimmer and assist leader Eva Van Deursen backing up Douglas, Arizona State will look to maintain a quality of play that has them as one of the nation’s best offenses.
The Sun Devils will take on the Utes at Sun Devil Stadium on Friday, with kickoff set for 2:00 p.m. MST.
