ASU women's soccer coach Kevin Boyd speaks to his team during a spring tournament game in March. (Photo Courtesy of Steve Rodriguez)After a three-game road trip, the Sun Devils return home to host both California and Stanford at Sun Devil Soccer stadium.
The Sun Devils (9-2-4, 2-1-3) are coming off a 2-0 win over USC, with junior forward Cali Farquharson scoring both goals in the game. This win was a much needed confidence booster, as ASU previously posted a 2-1 loss to Washington and a scoreless tie in double overtime against Washington State prior to its victory against USC.
Head coach Kevin Boyd attributed the win to a strong defense.
“We went 1-1-1 on the road, and that's pretty good,” he said. “Getting wins in this conference is so hard, I want to credit our defensive commitment. It's those traits that help. (Redshirt junior goalkeeper) Chandler (Morris) had another great game, as did our whole back line. Our defensive commitment has been outstanding.”
Although Farquharson had another impressive outing in her last game, scoring her 11th and 12th goals of the season, the ninth time that she has scored two or more goals in her career and breaking her personal single season scoring record, she is coming off injuries she sustained earlier in the season. Boyd is happy with her recovery, and believes she will be completely healthy for this weekend.
“We should have her back to 100 percent on Friday, and we haven't had 100 percent Cali in three weeks,” he said.
California (10-4-1, 2-3-1) is coming off of a 2-2 double overtime tie against Utah. Cal's top scorer, senior midfielder Taylor Comeau, has scored seven goals thus far this season. Other offensive threats include redshirt senior forward Grace Leer and sophomore midfielder Kelly Fitzgerald, who both have scored five goals on the season.
The Sun Devils will then play No. 4 Stanford on Sunday, after having Saturday to rest and prepare themselves.
Stanford (12-1-2, 4-1-1) has had 12 shutouts, the most in the nation, with the statistic speaking to how impenetrable their defense is. Stanford earned its most recent shutout after a 3-0 win against Colorado.
ASU is ranked 31st in scoring offense in the NCAA, whereas Stanford is ranked 43rd. This weekend's matchup will serve as a test of ASU’s potent offense against Stanford’s stout defense.
Sophomore forward Ryan Walker-Hartshorn is Stanford’s top scorer, with eight goals thus far this season. Other scoring threats include senior midfielder/forward Lo'eau LaBonta, who has six goals on the season after scoring a goal against Colorado, and senior forward Chioma Ubogagu, who has four.
The Sun Devils play Cal in Tempe at 7 p.m. Friday.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
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