Crucial Pac-12 Weekend for Lacrosse
TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil Lacrosse hosts two Pac-12 opponents in a crucial weekend for positioning in the conference standings.
Arizona State (7-3, 4-2) is in the midst of a seven-game conference stretch, going 3-1 so far in the most important part of the season. This weekend, they turn their attention to a pair of rematches with the Bay Area schools.
First up, Stanford comes to Tempe for a showdown on Friday, April 16 at 1 pm MST. The Cardinal handed the Sun Devils one of their two conference losses in a matchup on The Farm earlier this season. Catch the action via the live stream at the following link, or follow along via live stats here.
The second game of the weekend takes place on Sunday, April 18 at 1 pm as Arizona State hosts California. Earlier in the season, the Sun Devils picked up their first conference win against the Golden Bears in a 21-11 road victory. The rematch will be broadcasted live at the following link, or with live stats provided here.
Fans at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium have been treated to brilliant lacrosse, as ASU is 5-0 at home in 2021, outscoring opponents by a total score of 98-47. During Coach McCormack's tenure, Arizona State is 8-1 at home after going 5-12 in the program's first two seasons under the previous coaching staff.
KNOW YOUR FOES
Stanford is off to a 6-0 start to the season, going 4-0 in conference play to pace the Pac-12 Conference. Friday's matchup will pit the top two teams in the league, with the Cardinal representing the only Pac-12 program ASU has never defeated. Stanford has moved up to as high as No. 13 in the national polls, but has not played since a March 31 victory over Fresno State.
In the first matchup against the Cardinal, Sun Devil goalkeeper Berkeley Bonneau was spectacular in defeat, finishing with 13 saves. Carley Adams put together one of her six 4+ goal performances this season, finishing with five goals and six points.
The Cardinal are led by Danielle Spencer, who was on the Northwestern coaching staff with Coach McCormack for the 2014 season. Ali Baiocco paces the offense with 42 points through six games, with Jay Browne (30) and Galen Lew (25) also producing at a high level. Both goalkeepers Kara Rahaim and Trudie Grattan have split time in net, each playing in all six games.
The second game of the weekend is against California, a team the Sun Devils defeated 21-11 back in March. Kerri Clayton finished with seven points while Emily Glagolev and Katie Brodsky scored five as a balanced offensive attack dominated the Cal defense. ASU outscored the home team 12-5 in the second half, cruising to a double-digit victory on Pac-12 Network.
The Golden Bears are off to a 2-11 start and are winless through seven conference games. They take on USC on Friday before coming to Tempe on Sunday. The Sun Devils have won their last two games against Cal, including Coach McCormack's first Pac-12 win last season
Four Golden Bears have 20+ points through 13 games, led by Marisa Kuberra (27) and Nikki Zaccaro (26). Two goalkeepers have seen significant time in the cage, with Riley Drullinger starting nine games and Lily Rathburn starting four. Cal has lost their last four games by a combined six goals, continuing to keep games close.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"It may have been an off week in terms of us not having a game, but we were hard at work to get ready for this weekend," Coach McCormack mentioned. "The mentality remains the same for us no matter the opponent, so we are looking forward to two competitive games."
"We fought hard for 60 minutes today," Coach McCormack remarked after the loss to Colorado. "We have some things to review this week, and we are excited to get back out there together on Tuesday."
"Berkeley was great today," Coach McCormack added. "She stepped up when we needed her and gave us a lot of possessions. She is the backbone and certainly played that way today! Defensively we played tough throughout the day."
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Emily Glagolev was selected as the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the first time this season and third time in her career, the conference announced on March 29th. Arizona State has had 11 individuals receive the top weekly conference honor in Head Coach Tim McCormack's two seasons, after previously only winning the award three times in the two prior seasons. Of the 14 possible recipients of a Pac-12 Player of the Week award in 2021, eight have been Sun Devils.
2021 PAC-12 LACROSSE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Defensive Player of the Week Offensive Player of the Week
Apr. 12 Eliza Cahill, Colorado Charlie Rudy, Colorado
Apr. 5 Julia Lisella, Colorado Sadie Grozier, Colorado
Mar. 29 Genesis Lucero, Stanford Emily Glagolev, ASU
Mar. 23 Berkeley Bonneau, ASU Kerri Clayton, ASU
Mar. 15 Berkeley Bonneau, ASU Kerri Clayton, ASU
Mar. 8 Riley Hertford, USC Carley Adams, ASU
Mar. 2 Anna Collawn, Colorado Ali Baiocco, Stanford
Feb. 23 Berkeley Bonneau, ASU Carley Adams, ASU
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Lacrosse battled Colorado in a tightly-contested game, but eventually fell 15-11 on the road on April 4th.
Playing without star attackers Kerri Clayton for the entire second half and Carley Adams for the final four minutes, Arizona State did not quit despite being short-handed. After trailing by as many as three in the second half, the Sun Devils cut it to one goal on several occasions, but could not complete a valiant comeback effort.
After Colorado took a 4-1 lead thanks to three straight goals, Head Coach Tim McCormack's team settled in and found their stride midway through the first half. They answered a 3-0 Buffaloes' run with a 4-0 run of their own, taking a 5-4 lead. The two sides exchanged goals at the end of the half, with Colorado scoring the final two of the period to capture a 7-6 lead heading into the break.
The Buffaloes scored the first two goals of the second half, extending their lead to three. Every time the home team attempted to create separation, the Sun Devils had an answer. The margin did not surpass three goals until a late Colorado flurry, in which they scored three goals in four minutes, that sealed the victory. Goalkeeper Berkeley Bonneau was brilliant in the cage, making countless clutch stops and directing traffic to keep her team within striking distance.
HOW TO FOLLOW
First up, Stanford comes to Tempe for a showdown on Friday, April 16 at 1 pm MST. The Cardinal handed the Sun Devils one of their two conference losses in a matchup on The Farm earlier this season. Catch the action via the live stream at the following link, or follow along via live stats here.
The second game of the weekend takes place on Sunday, April 18 at 1 pm as Arizona State hosts California. Earlier in the season, the Sun Devils picked up their first conference win against the Golden Bears in a 21-11 road victory. The rematch will be broadcasted live at the following link, or with live stats provided here.
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