(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Arizona State soccer (6-5-3, 0-3-2) will travel to Boulder to take on the Colorado Buffaloes (9-4-1, 1-3-1) on Saturday afternoon.
ASU remains on the hunt for their first Pac-12 win this season after dropping last Thursday’s game against Washington and tying Washington State on Sunday. The Sun Devils tied Utah to open Pac-12 play in late September, and then fell to both No. 4 USC and No. 16 UCLA before the trip to the Northwest.
ASU has recently encountered some troubles with their ability to score. The once prolific offense that scored in 13 consecutive games was held scoreless for the first time since Nov. 4, 2018, against the Huskies, and then again facing the Cougars.
However, the source of the lack of scoring could lie in some ASU growing pains. Freshman defender Lieske Carleer and sophomore midfielder Eva Van Deursen recently returned from the Netherlands national team training camp and the team has been making adjustments to accommodate for their return.
But now, after having another week to practice with their teammates who have come back, the Sun Devils should start to benefit with the improved roster and depth.
Before the Washington trip, sophomore forward Nicole Douglas, who leads the Sun Devils in scoring, was forced to play in the midfield due to the absence of Van Deursen rather than play up front in her natural position.
Juniors Taylor Culver and Jessica Hale, along with freshmen Nicole Soto and Callie Darst, all rotated around the backline for the Sun Devils in exchange for Carleer. The freshman defender from the Netherlands was an automatic plug and play option for the backline when she returned for the weekend trip to Washington, as was Van Deursen in the midfield.
For the Sun Devils, it’s essential they work through any issues with reintegrating Van Deursen and Carleer into their approach against Colorado.
For Colorado, the Buffs are currently on a three-game losing skid which began on Oct. 6 against Oregon State. Since then, just like the Sun Devils, the Buffaloes lost to both No. 16 UCLA and No. 4 USC last weekend.
Arizona State, still seeking their first conference win, currently sit tied for last place with Oregon in the conference standings. Colorado sits at ninth in the standings, last out of the teams who possess one conference win or more.
Despite low rankings for both schools, this contest could have major implications for a shakeup among the Pac-12 standings. Approximately half of the conference is separated by less than three points, so a win this weekend can go a long way for either side.
Out of the nine times ASU and Colorado have faced each other, Arizona State holds the advantage with a 4-3-2 record. The most recent encounter between the two teams was a 1-1 draw in Tempe on Sept. 27, 2018.
This contest between the Sun Devils and Buffaloes kicks off on Saturday at 12 p.m. Arizona time at Prentup Field in Boulder, and can be seen on Pac-12 Plus.
