Lacrosse Hosts San Diego State in Home Opener

TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil Lacrosse hosts San Diego State in the 2022 home opener on Friday at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium.
 
Arizona State starts the home slate with an 11 AM match up on Friday, Feb. 25 against a familiar foe. The game against the Aztecs will be broadcasted via the ASU Live Stream, with live stats also available. This will be the first chance for Sun Devil fans to check out the 2022 team at home, coming off a year in which they went 6-2 at Sun Devil Lacrosse/Soccer Stadium. Under Head Coach Tim McCormack, Arizona State is 9-3 overall and has outscored opponents 199-126 at home.
 
KNOW YOUR FOES - SAN DIEGO STATE
San Diego State is 1-2 on the season, earning a 15-6 victory over Pac-12 foe Cal earlier in the season. They most recently lost, 16-13, on the road to UC Davis. 

"San Diego State presents challenges for us and we need to come ready to play from the opening whistle," Coach McCormack observed. "They are a strong offensive team and they are very familiar with our style."

The Aztecs are led by attacker Deanna Balsama, who leads the team with 14 goals and 14 points. She has at least five goals in each of her last two games. Four other Aztecs have at least five points for an offense that averages 11.7 goals/game. Goalkeeper Sam Horan has played every minute in net so far, making 34 saves and posting a 46% save percentage. 

It is the sixth time the two teams have faced off, with the Sun Devils holding a 3-2 advantage in the series. ASU swept the season series a year ago, winning the two games by a 43-21 margin. That included a 23-10 victory in the season opener.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"We are happy to be back home and have the chance to play in front of our home fans," Coach McCormack remarked. "The team learned a lot from the road trip and practice has been extremely competitive."

"Several players stepped up on our road trip and I am excited to see them in action again," Coach McCormack added. 

LAST TIME OUT 
Sun Devil Lacrosse went wire-to-wire in their season opener on the road at Michigan, falling 11-9 late Friday evening. Following several hours of travel delays on Thursday evening that bled into Friday morning, Arizona State embarked on a five-hour bus ride on gameday to eventually get to UWM Sports Complex. Despite the unusual circumstances and the game starting at 10:30 pm local time, Head Coach Tim McCormack's team nearly knocked off the No. 11 team in the nation. 

Sun Devil Lacrosse wrapped up the two-game road trip with a 16-8 loss to No. 5 Northwestern Sunday afternoon at Ryan Fieldhouse. Back in 2020 in his first season in charge of Sun Devil Lacrosse, Head Coach Tim McCormack's team went into Ryan Fieldhouse to face a Northwestern team that was ranked No. 3 in the nation. Arizona State showed flashes that day of what was to come in the future, but ultimately fell to the Wildcats 28-12. Fast forward two years later and the progress of Sun Devil Lacrosse is evident in what took place today. Arizona State played a Top-5 Northwestern team on the road again, but this time held their own, before eventually dropping a hard fought 16-8 game. 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The Sun Devils are coming off a season in which they nearly earned a NCAA tournament berth last year and will face a 2022 slate filled with opportunities to build their postseason resume. The schedule consists of 16 regular season games and the Pac-12 Lacrosse Tournament, hosted by Arizona State in Tempe. Of those 16 games, nine of them are against teams ranked in the Top-20 of at least one major preseason poll. The Sun Devils have arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation, featuring matchups filled with connections to the ASU coaching staff.

Arizona State earned the chance to host the 2022 Pac-12 Lacrosse Championships, running May 4-7 in Tempe. Two first round matchups will take place on Wednesday, May 4 with the two semifinal showdowns following on Thursday, May 5. The Pac-12 Championship comes after an off day, hosted at Sun Devil Lacrosse/Soccer Stadium on Saturday, May 7. 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
The game will be broadcasted live via the ASU Stream Team at the following link. Track the game via live stats, which can be found here. For in-game updates, follow our Twitter and Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWLax). Like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/sundevilwlax/) for content throughout the season. Visit our website, TheSunDevils.com, for the latest updates and information on the program.