No. 22 ASU soccer (1-0-0) will play two games against unranked UNLV and San Diego State this weekend, an immediate notch up from the caliber of its season opener opponent in Portland State.
While UNLV doesn't show up in the latest edition of the NSCAA poll, San Diego State does come in just outside the top 25 — tied for 26th with Cal.
Youth vs. experience
Despite only allowing four shot attempts by North Texas in their season opener, the UNLV Rebels (0-1-0) conceded an own-goal that ended up being the difference in the 1-0 loss.
If an aggressive front line for the Sun Devils can take advantage of those mistakes by UNLV, they will more than likely find themselves with a similar result to that of the opener against Portland State.
UNLV only scored 21 goals all of last season, but returns its top four scorers of 2014. The Rebels are an incredibly young team with only one senior on the roster. Compare that to the Sun Devils, who have nine seniors suiting up.
The match between UNLV and ASU kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28 in Tempe.
Attacking Aztecs
San Diego State finished with the best record in the Mountain West last season at 9-2 and won the conference tournament. It has a bit more experience and far more firepower. The Aztecs (2-0-0) opened their regular season with a 6-0 drubbing of lowly Utah Valley before going on the road to topple Kentucky, 2-0.
SDSU outshot Kentucky 11-7 in their match, with senior Melanie Vaughn notching three key saves.
Freshman forward Leah Pruitt has been leading the way in the attacking third so far for the Aztecs, accounting for half of the team's goals with one goal and three assists.
First whistle for SDSU vs. ASU is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31 in Tempe.
Related Links:
ASU soccer battles Beijing Normal University to scoreless draw
ASU soccer crushes Portland State 3-0 in season opener
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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