Sides aiming to contain winning conference records face off in Tempe

(Photo: Zina Garcia/ WCSN)

In a Sunday matinee, Arizona State Lacrosse (8-5, 1-0 Big 12) will have the chance to grab its second consecutive conference win when the Colorado Buffaloes (5-5, 1-0 Big 12) visit Tempe with both squads looking to stay atop the conference standings.

Thursday, ASU fell in a heartbreaker to No. 7 Maryland, 18-14, a game it led for a solid portion of the contest. However, as the game went on, Maryland’s quality was too much for the Sun Devils to handle and the Terpins ran away with game outsourcing the hosts, 10-3 in the second half. Games like those are a great chance for ASU to get a look at what separates the good from the great. The resilience shown by Maryland was a great example of what that looks like.

Junior attacker Teagan Ng had another elite performance, something that has become the new normal for the Canadian. She recorded five goals doing so for the third straight game, something that has never been done in program history. Ng continues to impress as a goal scorer, a role in which she has developed into one of the best in the Big 12.

As the game spiraled, ASU made a goalkeeper switch, putting in freshman goalkeeper Regan Spichiger in the fourth quarter. It was her second consecutive game of action, she also saw time against Dartmouth. It was an interesting decision because of how rock-solid senior goalkeeper Katie Vahle had been on the season.

CU will be coming off of a full week of rest, last time out defeating conference foe, San Diego State, 16-12 in California. The Buffs will be happy to finally reach conference play after their grueling non-conference schedule which included matchups with No. 3 Northwestern, No. 5 Michigan, and No. 15 Stanford.

It is a balanced attack for CU, six players carry double-digit goal tallies. They are anchored by 5th-year attacker Madeline Pisani who leads the team with 26 goals and is second on the team with 10 assists. Junior midfielder Lily Assini’s 12 assists are good for a team-high, a lower number than most, and is a testament to the “dodge-centric” offense the Buffs like to run for when they get set up.

Between the pipes for the Buffs is freshman goalkeeper Elena Oh. The Chapel Hill native enters Sunday’s clash with a goals against average of just under 10 and a save percentage of .450. The impressive freshman campaign should give CU plenty of confidence in the position for the foreseeable future.

This early in conference play, there is no such thing as a “must-win” but for CU, this is a game they would love to win with preseason Big 12 favorites, Florida looming. On the other hand, the Sun Devils face the Gators in the last game of the season, one that could decide the Big 12 regular season champion assuming both teams take care of business up to that point.

Nonetheless, both teams would love the opportunity to get off to an impressive 2-0 start in the conference and Sunday’s clash will be a great chance for both squads to put the Big 12 on notice.