(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Arizona State women’s soccer looks to end their season on a high note, as the highly-anticipated rivalry match against University of Arizona kicks off in Tucson Thursday evening.
Though the final regular season Territorial Cup game marks the end for ASU, the Sun Devils (5-10-3) have played the 12th-hardest schedule in the country, as their opponents have a win percentage of .611, and will be eager to secure a two-game win streak this weekend.
This past weekend, the Devils wrapped up their home schedule with a 1-0 loss against Washington State, then had a redeeming 1-0 victory over Washington on senior day on Sunday.
Freshman goalkeeper Nikki Panas has been instrumental in ASU’s success this season with 76 saves overall. Panas ranks 48th in the nation and second in the Pac-12 for average saves per game with 5.34.
The Arizona Wildcats (9-4-4) are fresh off of a two-game win streak against Washington and Washington State, and won’t be giving up their home turf without a fight.
History is in the Sun Devil’s favor, as shown by the Wildcat’s 3-17-1 record against ASU all time. It shouldn’t go unnoticed, however, that the last time the teams met ended in a Wildcat win, which was just last year in Tempe.
The Wildcats boast a very solid back line and have only allowed 85 shots on goal all season, which amounts to a minimal 5.0 per game average. Their strong defensive tactics have also led to seven shutouts this season from junior goalkeeper Lainey Burdett.
While this is the final match of the season – and final match of college careers for several – it is also so much more than a game. The Territorial Cup only adds fuel to the rivalry fire, which is something this Sun Devil team does not take lightly.
“It’s more than just a soccer game,” said senior defender Madison Stark. “It’s a rivalry, there’s emotion and everything that comes with a Territorial Cup.”
With hopes and emotions running high coming into this match, the Devils will need to strike early. The Wildcats have an established record of winning when scoring first against opponents, so the first half will be a battle of who can find the back of the net first.
Determined to go out with a big win, ASU’s final kick off of the season will take place on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Tucson.
