The Sun Devils are coming off another productive weekend, winning two of their three games heading into match ups against Stanford and Hartwick.
ASU had resounding victories against San Jose State and Indiana, beating them 12-4 and 12-5 respectively, but would suffer a painful 5-3 loss against Long Beach after defeating them 10-5 the previous week.
“It was a tough loss for us, for sure,” ASU head coach Todd Clapper said. “But there is something right in front of us and you have to move on. It is important to remember that there are still a lot more games to play, and we have a lot of pride on the line. They are coming to our house and we want to get two W’s on Saturday.”
Clapper emphasized the importance of the players’ ability to move on after a loss and their positive attitude towards the future.
“We had a lot of energy at our first practice, and I think after a few minutes they realized that the coaching staff wasn’t dwelling on Sunday’s loss and neither should they,” Clapper said. “The energy was good at practice today. They seem to be focused and ready to give Stanford all they can handle. This week is all about preparing for that conference game on Saturday.”
The Sun Devils will host both Stanford and Hartwick on Saturday. Stanford is currently on a four-game win streak, including a 12-9 overtime win against USC and a 23-7 victory over Harvard. Hartwick split its games while attending the ASU Invitational, winning two of its four games.
“Hartwick is a young team they got some good players, a lot of new players,” Clapper said. “They are up and down, but they beat Long Beach (State) on Sunday so they are definitely a threat. They are going to be here all week training, so they are going to be used to the sun and the heat. They are a well-coached team, but they are young. While we need to be focused on that game, the first game in front of us is a conference game and that is the most important. That is what we are preparing for this week.”
ASU will play four more games, including the two this weekend, before making the playoffs. The Sun Devils need to continue focusing on the games that are in front of them and forget about what has happened in the past.
“What’s done is done, we don’t have enough time to dwell on that last game, last weekend,” Clapper said. “Things that we saw in Stanford film, that’s what we are working on right now.”
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow @MarcTSteiner on Twitter.
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