Sun Devils look to bolster resume with trip to Kansas

Photo: (Mason Chiu/WCSN)

Five Big 12 soccer programs are currently ranked in the top 25. On Thursday, Arizona State soccer looks to continue its momentum toward being mentioned in a future poll.

ASU (6-1-2, 1-0-0 Big 12) has its first conference road test as the Sun Devils travel to Rock Chalk Park to take on Kansas (6-2-1, 0-0-1 Big 12). Although both teams are unbeaten in the conference, ASU is one of just four squads with three points in the conference standings.

On Friday, Sept. 18, ASU scored three goals, which was its most in a conference match in almost two years. That offensive explosion topped Utah while extending the Sun Devils’ goal differential to 19, the 14th-best mark in the country.

That same day, Kansas played to a 1-1 draw on the road against Cincinnati, notching one point in the conference standings.

Thursday’s contest is a battle between the Big 12 preseason No. 3 and No. 9-ranked squads. ASU is the former.

However, the first RPI rankings of the season have the Sun Devils at No. 41, with the Jayhawks trailing at No. 53 due to losses to Ohio State and Utah Valley.

The loss to then-top-20 Ohio State ended 1-0, marking the only time that Kansas has been held scoreless this season.

On Thursday, they face a Sun Devil defense that has four shutouts, led by second-year goalkeeper Kennedy Zorn. No ASU opponent has scored more than one goal in any match.

The 0.56 goals-against average ranks second in the Big 12, behind only Houston. However, the Sun Devils will likely have to defend an influx of shots.

Kansas has totaled 179 shots, the most of any Big 12 team. 45.3% of the time, it’s on target. The Jayhawk attack will test Zorn, who has no more than five saves in a game.

Both teams get their defenders involved in the attacking third. For ASU, it’s fourth-year defender Emmie Ennis who is one of four Sun Devils to record a brace this season. For Kansas, it’s fourth-year defender Caroline Castans, who is tied for the most goals of any Jayhawk, with four.

ASU’s scoring is more diverse compared to the Jayhawks. 11 different players have scored at least once while Kansas’ 20 total goals have come from only nine players.

There is also slightly more volume in ASU’s offense. In the same number of games, the Sun Devils have scored four more goals than the Jayhawks. Eight of those maroon and gold goals came in one match against Grambling State, so the strength of schedule should get attention.

Who had the stronger non-conference test is an argument that the RPI rankings solve. ASU faced three power-four opponents in its slate (1-1-1) while Kansas faced just one (0-1). However, that argument will only become relevant for NCAA tournament seeding.

For now, these squads are focused on getting to the Big 12 tournament.

Head coach Nate Lie is in his third season leading the Jayhawks. The last time he and head coach Graham Winkworth went toe-to-toe was in Kansas City, Missouri, as Lie prevailed 2-1 to propel Kansas past ASU into the quarterfinals of the 2024 Big 12 tournament.

On Thursday, ASU will look to avenge its 2024 squad and move to 2-0-0 in conference play for the first time since 2022. Kansas returns to home turf looking for its first win in Big 12 play.

The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. MST / 6 p.m. CDT.