Lacrosse Ready for Bay Area Trip
How to Watch Pac 12 Networks | Adams Named Pac-12 Player of the Week | Season Stats (PDF)
TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil Lacrosse stays on the road for two games this weekend, taking on Stanford on Friday, March 12 before traveling across the Bay for a matchup with California on Sunday, March 14.
Arizona State begins Pac-12 play after starting out 2-1 in the non-conference portion of their schedule, which will finish up on Sunday, March 21 when UC Davis comes to Tempe. After suffering their first loss of the season, Coach McCormack and his team are ready to bounce back in conference play.
"It was a competitive and motivated week of practice," Coach McCormack observed. "We had the opportunity to watch some film and work on some of our weaknesses to make sure we get back to playing Sun Devil Lacrosse."
For the first time in 2021, the Maroon & Gold will play two games on one trip. On Friday at 6 pm MST they take on No. 19 Stanford at Stanford Stadium, also the home of Cardinal Football. This is the second consecutive road game against a Top-25 opponent for the Sun Devils, the first time in program history they have faced that challenge.
The second stop on the Bay Area trip is at California Memorial Stadium, where the Sun Devils will face California on Sunday at 12 MST. ASU returns to the site of their first-ever Pac-12 Conference victory, defeating the Golden Bears in overtime back in 2018 thanks to the heroics of then-freshman Emily Glagolev.
"This weekend presents two more tough opponents, which is what happens when you get into conference play," Coach McCormack remarked. "It is important for us to get off to a fast start and play extremely hard for a full 60 minutes."
KNOW YOUR FOES
No. 19 Stanford comes into Friday's contest 1-0, opening their season with a 16-9 win over UC Davis at home. The Cardinal are led by Danielle Spencer, who is in her second season on The Farm after previously serving as the Head Coach at Dartmouth. She has a 4-4 record during her brief tenure, with all four losses coming to Top-10 teams.
It will be a head-to-head battle of Player of the Weeks, as Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week back on February 28 Ali Baiocco of Stanford takes on two-time winner Arizona State's Carley Adams. Baiocco matched Adams in scoring eight goals in their season openers. Goalkeepers Trudie Grattan and Kara Rahaim split time in net against the Aggies, each playing a half.
California also opened the season with UC Davis, suffering a 14-8 setback to the Aggies. The Golden Bears proceeded to play two opponents that the Sun Devils are familiar with, splitting games with San Diego State and Fresno State, most recently defeating the Bulldogs for their first win of the season. Cal takes on USC on Friday before the matchup with ASU. Brooke Eubanks is in her seventh season in charge of the Golden Bears program.
Attacker Quinnlyn Mason leads the team with 10 points through three games, with four of her teammates accounting for six or more points. Goalkeeper Riley Drullinger has started all three games in net so far this season. The Sun Devils have enjoyed success against the Golden Bears in the past, with two of the program's four conference victories coming against Cal. That included a 17-15 win for Arizona State in Tempe last season.
*Stanford and Cal Athletic events are closed to the public due to COVID-19 policies.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the second time this season, Adams is the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, becoming the first player in program history to accomplish the feat twice in the same season. It is the ninth time a Sun Devil has won a Player of the Week award, with six of them coming since Head Coach Tim McCormack took over two years ago.
The Pac-12's leader in goals has 14 through three games, including two performances with five or more goals. The latest came on Sunday on the road against No. 19 Denver, only the second non-conference road matchup with a Top-25 team in program history.
Adams was the focal point of the offense in her 11th career multi-goal effort, finishing with five goals on six shots and adding one assist. She also contributed with one draw control, one caused turnover and finished 3-for-3 on free-position attempts.
She has taken her game to another level since Coach McCormack arrived in Tempe. After scoring 13 goals through the first 34 games of her career, Adams has now scored 32 goals in her last 11 games. She now has three 5+-goal efforts in her career.
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Lacrosse suffered their first defeat of the 2021 season, falling on the road to No. 19 Denver last Sunday. In only their second non-conference road matchup with a Top-25 foe, Arizona State maintained pace with the Pioneers for the first 20 minutes of the game. A strong Denver run to end the first half created separation, allowing the Pioneers to eventually pull away for the 22-10 victory.
Carley Adams led the offense with a productive performance, finishing with five of her team's 10 goals. She now has 14 goals through her first three games, scoring five or more goals on two occasions.
Maura Cissel had a historic day in the circle, breaking her own single-game program record with 12 draw controls. Berkeley Bonneau was credited with eight saves, including several momentum-changing stops that led to transition opportunities.
An aggressive Sun Devil defense caused 12 turnovers for the second consecutive game, with Denver committing a total of 17 turnovers against the Maroon & Gold pressure.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The Sun Devils take on Stanford on Friday, March 12 at 6 pm MST, with the game broadcasted via live stream here with live stats available at the following link.
On Sunday, March 14 ASU continues Pac-12 play with a matchup against California. The Sun Devils make their Pac-12 Network debut, as the 12 pm MST game will be broadcasted on Pac-12 Network Bay Area with more information here. Live stats can be found at this link.
Follow our Twitter and Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWLax) and like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/sundevilwlax/) for in-game updates. Visit our website, TheSunDevils.com, for the latest news and information on the program.