(Photo: Steve Rodriguez/ASU Athletics)
The Arizona State soccer team hosts No. 5 Stanford on Friday night, and will look to bounce back from its current four-game losing streak.
Last week ASU (4-4, 0-1 Pac-12) faced off against Washington State in its first Pac-12 match of the season. Despite the Sun Devils outshooting WSU 15-1 in the first half, they were unable to finish, ending the half in a tie. In the second half two goals were scored against the Sun Devils within the first five minutes. The final score was 2-1.
“For next game I want us to compete and compete hard,” head coach Kevin Boyd said. “Being more productive with our chances.”
The Sun Devils’ leading scorer Cali Farquharson had to sit out Sunday’s game due to injury. This was the second full game she did not play after an injury sustained in the second half of the game against Oklahoma State almost two weeks ago. Farquharson did warm up to play on Sunday and has been making strides to get back on the field as soon as possible.
“I feel good,” Farquharson said. “I just don’t want to risk anything so we’re just going to take it light.”
Boyd said the issue with his team has been finding the back of the net.
“It’s hard to be patient with someone like her but I also have confidence in our team,” Boyd said. “In terms of the way we played and the way we created chances. We just didn’t finish.”
One player who has stepped up to help fill the void of Farquharson is junior forward Larisa Staub. Last week within two minutes of coming off the bench for the Sun Devils, she scored their first goal. With the uncertainty of when Farquharson will return, Arizona State will continue to have to look to players like Larisa Staub to step up and become the finishers for the team.
Stanford (7-2, 1-0 Pac-12) will not be an easy opponent for ASU. The Cardinal is coming of a 4-1 win over Utah on Sunday. Getting shots is not an issue for this team. Stanford has outshot opponents 167-52 so far this season.
The underclassmen are leading Stanford in goals right now, with the freshman class accounting for seven of the team’s 15 goals this season. This is the second year in a row TopDrawSoccer has rated Stanford’s freshman class as No. 1 in the nation. Four of the five freshman field players have already scored a game-winning goal this season.
On the defensive side, the Cardinal’s junior goalkeeper Jane Campbell is having a strong season. Campbell is No. 6 on Stanford’s career shutout list. Also Stanford has not allowed a corner kick in five-of-nine games this season.
Going into the match this Friday, Arizona State will need to come out with a lot of energy and try to get ahead first. The Sun Devils need to be more clinical up top and finish when they get into the 18. Defensively ASU will need to play simple and stay away from making small errors in the box.
Players to watch for Arizona State are redshirt junior Lucy Lara and Staub. Lara leads the team in assists with five this season. She continues to be a dangerous player on offense with two goals along with the most assists on the team. Staub is continuing to step up for the Sun Devils and become a stronger force up front for the team.
For the Cardinal, watch out for redshirt freshman forward Kyra Carusa who earned honorable mention honors. Freshman midfield Michelle Xiao has made an immediate impact on the team scoring three goals so far this season. Carusa and Xiao make a good team up top with Carusa having two goals and two assists this season.
The teams will be face off at 7pm in Tempe at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. The game will be streamed live on http://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university.
You can contact the author, Madeline Witt, via email at mrwitt@asu.edu.
