(Patricia Vicente/WCSN)
Arizona State soccer (6-10-3, 0-8-2 Pac-12) will close out their 2019 regular season Friday night in Tucson against the Arizona Wildcats (10-6-1, 4-5-1 Pac-12).
The Sun Devils, who are coming off a pair of tough losses to No. 2 Stanford and No. 22 California on the road last weekend, are still seeking their first conference win of their 2019 campaign as the season comes to a close.
For ASU’s success, it’s a matter of learning from a number of mistakes the team has made throughout the season, something they made strides with over the weekend road trip to California.
Against the Cardinal on Thursday, ASU’s second-half defense was some of the best they’ve played all season, shutting out Stanford for the final 40 minutes of the match by maintaining discipline and organization in their own half.
However, perhaps the biggest step in the right direction came on Sunday against Cal. In seven of the nine conference games ASU has played, they have conceded at least one goal to opponents in the first 20 minutes. On Sunday, it was the Sun Devils who scored first, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first minute. While ASU lost the match, the steady progress of stopping early attacks and translating it to offense finally paid off.
Bringing these lessons to life is essential for the Sun Devils against the Wildcats if they aim to capture points in their territorial cup matchup for the school.
Arizona, also coming off losses to Cal and Stanford, has a lot more at stake in Friday’s contest, specifically a first-round host spot in this year’s NCAA tournament. A loss to ASU, who sits in last place in the Pac-12, would be disastrous for the Wildcats and place them on the bubble to make the tournament.
In this sense, the Sun Devils have a chance to turn the tables on Arizona, giving some spoiler value- in addition to the already existing rivalry value- for this season finale, as it was ASU’s loss to this same squad a year ago that proved to ultimately doom the program’s ability to make its first NCAA tournament since 2014.
The Wildcats boast a plethora of talent to their name, including junior forwards Jada Talley and Jill Aguilera. Talley, who has been an offensive standout all season, became the first Wildcat ever to score nine goals and notch eight assists in a season. She’s also scored multiple times on three separate occasions. Aguilera is also deadly on offense, racking up eight goals and a pair of assists to her name.
The high-pressure defense of Arizona is also a force to be reckoned with, as it’s something third-year Sun Devil head coach Graham Winkworth has been unable to conquer in his time in Tempe.
Arizona has controlled each of their past three matchups with ASU, outscoring the Sun Devils 4-1 in those contests, yet all of those contests were decided by only a single goal. No current player on the UA roster has ever lost to ASU.
With Arizona State out of playoff contention, the in-state rivalry matchup will be close out their season, and if Arizona doesn’t contain ASU, it could very well be their season finale as well.
The always competitive in-state matchup between the two schools will be played tonight at Mulcahy Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. MST and can be seen on the Pac-12 Network.
