Sophomore forward Cali Farquharson maneuvers around a member of the Colorado soccer team in a game last season. Farquharson was named Pac-12 player of the week this week. (Photo by Arianna Grainey)The weather was humid, windy and overcast on Wednesday at the ASU soccer team prepared for its final non-conference game of the season.
Practice focused on conditioning as well as game situations and scenarios.
During practice, head coach Kevin Boyd was stressing the fact that he wanted the girls to play faster, and with higher intensity, something he has been emphasizing all season.
Junior forward Cali Farquharson was recently named Pac-12 Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week. Farquharson was coming off a weekend in which she tallied five goals: two against New Mexico State and three in her second career hat trick in ASU's game against Nevada.
The Sun Devils won both games by a score of 5-0.
Farquharson has now scored seven goals this season which is tied with freshman midfielder Aly Moon for most on the team.
“The great thing about Cali is that whether its three goals or one goal or no goals, she plays at the same level all the time,” Boyd said. “Her work rate is very, very good. She's technical and she's smart. That means there isn't variance in her game ... I always know that we are going to get her best game from her, it comes out that way every single time.”
There are now three Sun Devils who have been given Pac–12 player of the week honors this season. Sophomore defender Mckenzie Grossman and Moon have both been honored.
ASU will travel to neighboring California this weekend to play California State University, Northridge. The team looks to extended its current win streak to six games.
The two teams played last year so Boyd said ASU has a scouting report on their opponents but that "trying to guess what it's going to be like is difficult."
“We are just going to go in and play as hard as we can,” Boyd said. “We are just going to prepare as we have for the other games, we will get our information on them that we need, we will prepare the team and arm them with that information, and then we are just going to go play hard, which is what we have been doing these past five games.”
This next game against Cal State Northridge marks the Sun Devils last non-conference game. The team will take UCLA in Tempe next week.
Boyd is already preparing his team for this change, but keeps his mind focused on the near future, taking things one game at a time.
“All we are going to do is go a little more intense, and once we get into conference (games) we are going to focus on conference, and what each game means and what thats like,” Boyd said. “Right now we are still focussed on non-conference, we've got one more game to go, we like where we are right now but we still have one more game to go and we want to finish the way we want to finish.”
The Sun Devils play Cal State Northridge at 7 P.M. on Friday Sept. 19 in Northridge California.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
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