The stakes may be higher, but for the ASU women’s soccer team, a top-25 ranking doesn’t change anything.

This weekend welcomes not only the opening games of the Pac-10 season, but also the challenge of two of its toughest opponents in No. 23 USC and No. 3 UCLA.

The No. 20 Sun Devils (7-1-2) plan on approaching these opponents with the same combination of skill and winning mentality that has lifted them to success during the nonconference season.

“It’s an honor to be ranked, but at the same time, we’re just going to go into this weekend with the same mindset,” ASU senior defender Liz Harkin said. “We are going to play as hard as we would before any of that stuff came out — it doesn’t make a difference.

This weekend’s road contests with the Trojans (8-3-0) and the Bruins (9-1-1) promise not only intense competition but also an impact on the Sun Devils’ chances of making the NCAA tournament as well.

“We are going into this weekend in a really hard place to play against two tremendous programs,” head coach Kevin Boyd said. “We want to, [at] minimum, split. ... If we get a win on Friday, then we will focus on maybe we can get a sweep.”

Last year, amid six season-ending injuries, the Sun Devils came out on top of the then- seventh-ranked and defending national champion Trojans after falling to the Bruins 3-0.

ASU knows this weekend is nothing to take lightly.

“We’re going in and we’re playing two very good teams,” senior midfielder Carly Kallas said. “We all know that we have a very tough game — it’s not going to be an easy win — but if we come out with a result, it’s going to be huge for our program.”

Junior midfielder Alyssa Dávila, who comes into the game with five goals and 13 points, leads USC.

UCLA is a dominant offensive team, as it ranks 12th in the nation with 2.91 goals scored per game.

Sophomore forward Sydney Leroux is tied for second in the Pac-10 in goals (11) and ranks fourth in the conference points (23).

However, the Sun Devils will counter UCLA’s offensive ability with a defense that has allowed the fewest goals in the Pac-10 this season (7).

“We have got the tough part coming up now, which is the Pac-10,” Boyd
said. “We played a hard nonconference schedule, and in the Pac-10, nine of the 10 teams are Top 40, so that’s an incredible talent base in one conference. We are just hoping to carry on with what we are doing and get the bounce of the ball.”

Reach the reporter at emiley.darling@asu.edu.