# #

#17 Soccer Looks to Wild West Weekend

by thesundevils.com
Apr 8, 2021

SALT LAKE CITY -- With a win against the reigning national champions in their suitcase, the No. 17 Sun Devil soccer team travels to Utah and Colorado this weekend, April 9-11. Arizona State (8-2-2, 4-1-2) looks to boost its conference points as the regular season winds down. The team currently sits second in the Pac-12 standings with 2.0 points per game. 

The Sun Devils start the weekend with a Friday night showdown against Utah (2-8-3, 1-5-2). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MST on the Utah Live Stream. The Sun Devils then travel to Colorado to take on the Buffaloes (7-5-1, 3-4-1) in Boulder on Sunday at noon MST. 
 

The matches against Utah and CU are two of the three final games of the 2020-21 regular season. ASU will conclude its regular season schedule next Friday, April 16 as host to in-state rival, Arizona. The Sun Devils continued their ranked streak this week, reaching four consecutive weeks in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.

PAC-12 STANDINGS ENTERING (4/8)
Team, Points Per Game (Pac-12 Record)
UCLA, 2.6 (7-1-0)
Arizona State, 2.0 (4-1-2)
USC, 1.9 (5-3-0)
Stanford, 1.7 (4-3-0)
Washington, 1.4 (3-3-2)
Oregon, 1.4 (3-3-2)
Colorado, 1.25 (3-4-1)
Arizona, 1.29 (3-4-0)
California, 1.29 (3-4-1)
Washington State, 1.0 (1-2-1)
Oregon State, 0.8 (2-6-1)
Utah, 0.6 (1-5-2)

This year, in adjustment to Covid-19, the Pac-12 women's soccer standings are determined by points per game and not total conference points like past seasons. 

ASU hopes to get in the win column against Utah on Friday night. The current all-time record versus the Utes is tied at 5-5-3. The Sun Devils have a 5-4-1 record against the Buffs. 

SUN DEVIL REWIND
Regulation wasn't enough as the Sun Devil Soccer team took the California Golden Bears to double overtime and eventually suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss last Friday night at Sun Devil Stadium. It was the Sun Devils' first loss in conference play and first home loss this season. 

The Sun Devils were aggressive on the attack as they had 20 shots with 11 shots on goal. Freshman midfielder Jazmine Wilkinson scored her first career goal in the 34th minute, giving them the lead in the first half. 

From there, it was a close contest as both teams played tight defense until the Bears scored in the second half in the 67th minute to knot the scoreboard. This time, the golden goal did not go in ASU's favor, and Cal snuck past Cascapera to seal the double OT win. 

On Sunday afternoon, the Sun Devils bounced back as they blanked the reigning national champions, Stanford Cardinal, with a 2-0 shutout win at Sun Devil Stadium on Sunday afternoon for the first Sun Devil win over Stanford since 2013. 

Freshman midfielder Jazmine Wilkinson scored her second goal in the second consecutive game to put the Sun Devils on the board just four minutes after kickoff. Junior midfielder Eva Van Deursen sealed the deal for the Sun Devils as she took a shot from midfield which passed over the reach of the Cardinal goalkeeper to secure the 2-0 win. 

SHOW ME THE FACTS

  • ASU is in the top-three in all major statistical categories: assists per game, fouls per game, GAA, PPG, scoring offense, shots per game, SOG per game, total goals, total points, and win-loss-tie percentage
  • Number 1: Nicole Douglas's eight goals and 18 points are tied for first in the Pac-12, and Alexia Delgado's six assists are tied for first. Douglas' 44 shots lead the Pac-12
  • Goalkeeper Giulia Cascapera has herself a year: she boasts only eight goals against through 11 games played, the second-least in the conference. Her 0.68 goals-against average is second in the Pac-12. She also boasts a top-five save percentage at .830
  • The team is ranked No. 17 heading into the matches this weekend. It is ASU's third-straight week in the top-20 of the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
  • Head coach Graham Winkworth is one win away from 30 wins at Arizona State University.
  • Mexico National Team player Nicole Soto made her first appearance this season in last weekend's match against Stanford. She notched 25 minutes of playing time against the reigning national champions. 
  • ASU has outscored its opponents 23-9 through 12 games this season. 

 

Related News & Videos