The intensity of last week’s win over UA will be tough to match, but the ASU women’s soccer team is looking to bring it again this weekend against the top team in the nation.
Friday the Sun Devils (8-3-2, 2-1 Pac-10) face No. 1 Stanford (13-0-2, 4-0), a team that is undefeated so far this year and hasn’t lost a Pac-10 game since Oct. 31, 2008.
For an encore, ASU then battles California (7-3-4, 2-2) on Sunday, a team that tumbled out of the rankings in early October after an 0-3-2 stretch but swept the Washington schools last weekend.
Facing the Cardinal is a daunting task for any team, but senior forward Jill Shoquist said the Sun Devils would be up to the challenge.
“Soccer’s kind of a funny sport, and at any given time, any team can win,” Shoquist said. “I think we’re really, really excited to play them.”
Stanford’s top ranking also should not be a discouraging factor, Shoquist said.
“It’s a little bit of extra motivation to get after them,” she said.
The Sun Devils have been energized and confident all week after the win against UA, and senior midfielder Alexandra Elston said that as long as the team performs at its highest level, it has a chance.
“You just have to make sure you’re coming out and playing your best,” Elston said. “As long as you’re going out there and playing intense, you’re playing the ball and you have a good touch on the ball, then you can compete with them.
“They’re always hungry to score, so we’ve got to contain them”
Stanford’s leading scorer is senior forward Christen Press, who has 18 goals so far this season, but the biggest threat from the team is their speed, said ASU coach Kevin Boyd.
“They are fast and they are really talented on the ball,” Boyd said.
The Cardinal also just wear teams down with their possession game, and can keep control of the ball for long stretches of the game, Boyd said.
“They don’t make a lot of technical errors, but they’re also creative and crafty,” Boyd said.
The Cardinal have outscored opponents 45-10 so far this season, and have defeated seven ranked teams.
The Golden Bears probably won’t move the ball as well as Stanford, but Boyd said he still expects a tough game on Sunday.
“Everybody raves about the talent and athleticism that they have,” Boyd said.
Cal is led by senior forward Alex Morgan who has 14 goals so far this year. Also dangerous is sophomore forward/midfielder Lauren Battung, who has three game-winning goals this season.
Last year the Sun Devils lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Cal, and ASU hasn’t won against the Golden Bears since 2007.
For Boyd, the weekend will just be about playing the best soccer possible, and as long as the Sun Devils play the way they’ve played the last few weeks they should be competitive.
“Any result is a good weekend for us,” Boyd said. “If you get two results, you get the best weekend in your program’s history.”
Elston said she hopes to get a good turnout this weekend, after a record crowd for last week’s game against UA.
“Hopefully we can get a lot of people out here, because it helps with the intensity of the game. To see everybody here cheering you on really helps you out,” Elston said.
Friday’s game is also the annual Pink Out game, sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The organization has also provided pink ribbons for the Sun Devils to wear, all to raise awareness for breast cancer.
ASU opens against Stanford at 7 p.m. Friday at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium and continues with Cal on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu
