Focus.
That's the message ASU soccer head coach Kevin Boyd has been preaching to his players in practice this week, one that will be entirely necessary if the Sun Devils (4-4) hope to remain at or above .500.
Whether it is a lack of focus or the absence of star senior forward Cali Farquharson due to injury, ASU has not looked anything like the team that began the season 4-0 with a 16-0 goal differential.
Farquharson said she experienced some setbacks during training, which led to her being held out of Sunday's game against Washington State.
"I feel good, I just don't want to risk anything," Farquharson said. "We're just gonna take it light and see how the rest of the week goes."
The inability to focus and finish ample scoring opportunities has plagued the Sun Devils all season, and the loss to Washington State last weekend is only the latest example of ASU out-shooting its opponent by a wide margin and still failing to score significant goals.
Boyd said first and foremost, he wants his team to compete hard this weekend against two nationally ranked teams.
"We're trying to take care of the 10 percent right now," Boyd said. "That's making sure we don't give up something silly in the back and, when we get our (scoring) chances, being more productive with them."
ASU will have very little room for error on either side of the field in its scheduled games this weekend with No. 5 Stanford and No. 23 California coming to town.
The Cardinal (7-2) are fresh off of a 4-1 victory over Utah last Friday, and are among the best defensive teams in the country – having allowed only three goals all season.
Stanford's leaders in shot attempts are freshman midfielder Michelle Xiao, sophomore midfielder Andi Sullivan and fifth-year senior forward Haley Rosen.
Xiao is the leader in goals for the Cardinal this season with three, while Rosen leads the squad with three total assists. Stanford may not light a team up for five scores on a given night, but its defensive prowess is what makes this team a perennial contender.
California is slated to play Arizona on Friday before making the trip up to Tempe, where they will face the Sun Devils on what should be a scalding Sunday afternoon.
Finishing off inferior teams has been the bugaboo for the Golden Bears (6-2-2), who have played three games that have lasted into double overtime. If ASU can be sound defensively and convert its key chances, it has a chance to pull the upset.
Junior forward Arielle Ship is the unquestioned leader for Cal, scoring eight of the team's 17 goals and assisting on two more. Her 40 shot attempts are double what any other Golden Bear player has achieved so far.
Also of note: Before he took the job at ASU in 2006, Boyd was the head coach at California for 10 seasons and also made time to work with a multitude of youth soccer programs in the Bay Area.
Kickoff for Stanford versus ASU is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., and California's game against the Sun Devils is on tap for Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games will be played in Tempe and live-streamed on Pac-12 networks.
Related Links:
Sara Tosti's shining moment against Stanford lives on for ASU soccer
Cali Farquharson's absence plaguing ASU soccer
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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