The ASU women’s soccer team took a much-needed break last weekend before its conference opener at Washington State on Oct. 8. Here is a look at each team in the tough Pac-10, a conference that sent seven teams to the NCAA tournament last season.
Arizona
Current Record: 4-5-2
2009 Pac-10 Finish: Tied for 9th
The Wildcats started the season at the bottom of the Pac-10 coaches’ poll and haven’t shown much to prove otherwise. UA has been inconsistent at best, and all three wins have come against teams at .500 or worse. The Wildcats will have to make some major changes in order to do well in a stacked conference but may have upset potential if not taken seriously.
Arizona State
Current Record: 6-2-2
2009 Pac-10 Finish: 8th
Predicted to finish seventh in the Pac-10 coaches’ poll, the Sun Devils opened the season with a bang, scoring 18 goals in their first seven games and peaking in the rankings at No. 19. Since then, however, ASU has gone scoreless, losing two games and tying one. The Sun Devils still have an outside chance at winning the Pac-10, but their youthful defense needs consistency, and their forwards need to find the back of the net again.
California
Current Record: 5-1-4
2009 Pac-10 Finish: Tied for 6th
The only loss of the season for the No. 18 Golden Bears came to No. 4 Portland, and Cal has shown that they can be deadly on offense, racking up eight goals against Hawaii and six against Long Beach State. However, the Golden Bears have only played one game away from home, a 2-2 draw against Saint Mary’s, and they open up the conference schedule away at UCLA and Southern California, who are both in the top 25.
Oregon
Current Record: 4-5-2
2009 Pac-10 Finish: Tied for 9th
So far this season, the Ducks have scored 16 goals. However, six of those came in one match, and Oregon has been kept off the score sheet four times in 11 games. The defense has had a strong start to the season (The Ducks hadn’t lost by more than one goal all year until last Friday, a 4-1 loss to No. 4 PU), but in order to be relevant, UO has to score more often.
Oregon State
Current Record: 8-1-1
2009 Pac-10 Finish: Tied for 6th
Predicted to finish in the middle of the conference, the Beavers have shown they could easily end up higher. OSU has shut out opponents seven times in only 10 games and has outscored the competition 19-5. The Beavers could definitely be a factor in the conference championship race in late October.
Stanford
Current Record: 9-0-2
2009 Pac-10 Finish: 1st
The No. 1 Cardinal made it all the way to the national championship game last year before falling to national powerhouse North Carolina in a tight 1-0 game, and so far this year, Stanford hasn’t lost any steam. The Cardinal returned seven starters from last year’s squad, including senior forward Christen Press, who has already notched 14 goals this season. The road to the Pac-10 title runs through Palo Alto.
UCLA
Current Record: 7-3-1
2009 Pac-10 Finish: 2nd
Currently ranked No. 11, the Bruins have defeated three ranked teams, and all of UCLA’s losses came on 1-0 score lines. The Bruin defense has given up less than a goal a game so far this season, and will need to keep it up against a host of high-scoring Pac-10 teams.
Southern California
Current Record: 7-2-2
2009 Pac-10 Finish: 4th
The No. 16 Trojans are currently on a six-game winning streak and appear to be firing on all cylinders. Eleven different players have scored for USC so far this year, a total team effort on offense. The only school to record a win against USC all season is San Diego, who has beat them twice. The rest of the Pac-10 might look to those games for a chink in the Trojans’ armor.
Washington
Current Record: 7-3-1
2009 Pac-10 Finish: 5th
So far, the Huskies have looked pretty good, outscoring their opponents 21-8 this season. However, the Huskies lost to the only two ranked teams they’ve played, dropping a 1-0 decision to then No. 24 Rutgers and losing 2-1 to No. 4 PU. While this could be just a minor blip on the schedule, WU will have to keep scoring in order be a contender for the Pac-10 title.
Washington State
Current Record: 5-6-0
2009 Pac-10 Finish: 3rd
The Cougars began the season ranked No. 21 in the country, but so far, have not been the same team that finished third in the Pac-10 last season. Youth may be a factor in the rocky start (The WSU roster includes 12 freshmen), but the Cougars have also faced three ranked teams this year and lost to all three. Things won’t get any easier with four more ranked teams looming on the conference schedule.
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu
