After an impressive home series in which the ASU soccer team nearly doubled its scoring output for the entire season, it will head to Athens, Ga., this weekend for a pair of matches.
The Sun Devils face Georgia this afternoon at the UGA Soccer Complex, before meeting up with ninth-ranked Auburn on Sunday morning.
ASU (4-1-2) came alive last weekend by netting five goals in just two games. In their previous five outings, the Sun Devils had tallied only six times.
ASU also out-shot its opponents, 32-12. The offensive barrage impressed Sun Devil head coach Ray Leone, who anxiously awaited the results of his team's hard work.
"They've come a long way — from creating only a handful of chances, at best, to double digits per game," he said. "That's what you need — to get a couple goals — unless you are lucky, and we don't want to count on that."
Freshman midfielder Brittany Cooper led ASU in scoring last weekend. In addition to recording the game winner Sunday against Nevada-Las Vegas, she added three assists to earn Co-Pac-10 Player of the Week honors. Cooper and freshman forward Elizabeth Bogus lead the Sun Devils in scoring, as they have both tallied seven times on the season.
"[Cooper] had a hot weekend," Leone said. "We asked her to be more active, and she's doing it. She was all around the ball."
Not only did the Sun Devils accelerate their offensive production, but they also added two more shutouts, giving them three straight during the three-game homestand. This weekend won't be a cakewalk though.
"It will be very demanding in every respect — mentally, physically and emotionally. It will be a good challenge for the team," Leone said. "You see a more physical style of play from the East Coast teams than you do from the West. The referees calls it differently. They let you play more physical, but our team can handle that."
With just three non-conference games left before the start of Pac-10 play, this weekend will hold importance for young players learning to gel with each other.
"We're still in a stage of improving," Leone said. "These are big games, but we're still early in the season. We've only been together for a little over 30 days, so we'll see how they respond to playing a big-time team on the road."
Scouting Georgia
The Bulldogs (3-4-1) have won only three games, but all have come by way of shutout. Their most recent victory came Sunday when they celebrated a 5-0 win over Georgia Southern.
Georgia has played ranked opponents four times this year. The Bulldogs pulled off just one victory in those games, a 1-0 win over then-No. 9 Michigan in Birmingham, Ala. Sophomore forward Tricia McKee leads Georgia in scoring with seven goals and 14 points.
Scouting Auburn
The Tigers (7-1-0) started the season with victories in their first six matches, five of which were shutouts. They've outscored their opponents 26-5 and have out-shot them 144-64 in eight matches. Sophomore forward Christina Culver leads Auburn in both goals scored (5) and points (11).
Injury report
ASU sophomore midfielder Kathleen Dely is still nursing an injured ankle and will not make the trip to Athens. Sun Devil freshman defender Stephanie Ebner, who limped off the field Sunday, is back at full strength and will play this weekend.
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
