After going a promising 3-1-0 to start the conference schedule, the ASU soccer team will begin the toughest part of its schedule tonight.
The Sun Devils host No. 25 Stanford at 7 p.m., while No. 10 California will visit Tempe on Sunday at noon.
Stanford (8-4-1, 2-1-0 Pac-10) has one of the best defenses in the country, having yielded only 12 goals to its opponents this season.
"Stanford is an excellent team, and it will take a high degree of effort to be successful against them," ASU (8-5-2, 3-1-0) soccer coach Ray Leone said.
The anchor of the Cardinal back line is senior defender Hayley Hunt. The rest of the defense is very young, with two freshmen and a sophomore surrounding Hunt.
Stanford goalkeeper Alex Gamble is also a freshman but has learned to play at the collegiate level quickly. She has posted six shutouts this season, including four out of the last five Cardinal opponents.
The Cardinal's weak spot is its offense. Stanford's 17 goals this season are the second fewest in the Pac-10.
Meanwhile, ASU has several players who can score.
Seniors Liz Bogus and Brittany Cooper have combined for 18 goals, more than the entire Stanford team. Also, senior forward Haley Stein has caught fire recently, scoring two goals last week against Washington State.
The Sun Devils are coming off of a road sweep over both Washington schools last weekend. Leone will be looking for the same energy from his team at home.
"Every game has its own story. That's why momentum doesn't really carry over from game to game," Leone said. "What we do expect to carry over from game to game is our effort."
This will be the first time in five games that the Cardinal will be leaving Palo Alto, Calif., as it posted a 4-1 record in its recent home stand.
The last time Stanford and California visited the Valley in the same weekend was in 2003, when the Sun Devils sent both teams back to the Bay Area with losses.
This will be the final weekend that Bogus, Cooper and the other five seniors on the soccer team will take the field at Sun Devil Stadium, as the final home game of the season will be Sunday's match.
The septet of seniors will be honored prior to the California game for their four years of service to the soccer program.
Reach the reporter at thomas.j.kelley@asu.edu.
