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Final Road Trip Ahead for Lacrosse

by thesundevils.com
Apr 14, 2022

TEMPE, Ariz - Sun Devil Lacrosse takes their final road trip of the regular season to play Oregon and Colorado.
 
No. 23 Arizona State starts the weekend with a 6 PM MST match up on Friday, Apr. 15 against Oregon. The game against the Ducks will be broadcasted via the Oregon Live Stream, with live stats also available. Two days later, Arizona State makes the long trip to Boulder for a showdown with Colorado at 11 AM MST on Sunday, Apr. 17. The contest with the Buffaloes will be the Sun Devils third appearance on the Pac-12 Network, with more information on how to watch here. Arizona State is coming off their biggest road victory in program history earlier in the month, defeating No. 14 Rutgers 13-12 in overtime. They look to continue that momentum in their final two road games. 

LAST TIME OUT

No. 25 Sun Devil Lacrosse defeated California, 18-10, last Sunday afternoon at Sun Devil Lacrosse Stadium. Arizona State (7-6, 5-2) won their third straight game, overwhelming the Golden Bears right from the start with relentless pressure in every phase of the game. The Sun Devils continued to get outstanding offensive contributions from the big three of Emily Glagolev, Carley Adams, and Taylor Pinzone, as they combined for seven goals and five assists in the victory. Katie Vahle and the Sun Devil defense made it tough for California to score, allowing ASU to extend the lead to double digits on several occasions. 

The depth of the Maroon & Gold got a chance to shine, with Head Coach Tim McCormack wisely rotating his lineup throughout the second half on a hot afternoon in Tempe. Despite the fact that Arizona State had played two extremely difficult games against Top-25 competition leading up to this one, they looked to be the fresher team, taking advantage of a mismatch. The Sun Devils have three games left in Pac-12 Conference play and have put themselves in an extremely favorable position not only in the conference standings, but also the NCAA Tournament picture.

In the first game of the weekend, Sun Devil Lacrosse finally got over the hump, defeating Stanford for the first time last Friday at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium. Arizona State proved to be the better team from the opening draw, outscoring the No. 22 Cardinal each of the four quarters en route to an impressive 18-11 victory. Now that Head Coach Tim McCormack has defeated Stanford, his program has now beaten all five Pac-12 opponents. In a matchup of Top-25 teams, the No. 25 Sun Devils controlled the action in front of a lively home crowd.

Three different Sun Devils scored five goals, as the three-headed attacking monster of Emily Glagolev, Carley Adams, and Taylor Pinzone were at their best when the team needed them the most. Freshman goalkeeper Katie Vahle delivered another excellent performance, making 12 saves while teaming up with a tough and disciplined defensive unit to hold down a potent Stanford offense. Arizona State held an 18-15 advantage in draw controls and committed a season-low 12 turnovers, as every aspect of the coaching staff's game plan worked.

KNOW YOUR FOES

OREGON
On Friday, April 15 at 6 PM MST the Sun Devils will take on Oregon. The Ducks are 3-10 in 2022, defeating George Mason, Marquette, and California. All three of their wins have come at home, making it a tough challenge to go into Pape Field. Arizona State has defeated Oregon in four straigh matchups, including an 11-9 victory at Sun Devil Lacrosse/Soccer Stadium back in March. Oregon has lost their last four games. 

The Ducks are led by Hanna Hilcoff, who has a team high 36 goals and 41 points. Shonly Wallace and Lillian Stumpf each have 20+ goals for an offense that averages 11.3 goals/game. On defense, Sydney Lawrence has 15 caused turnovers and has also collected 18 ground balls. Goalkeeper Cassidy Eckert has started all 13 games in net, claiming all three wins. She has made 11 saves at a 42% clip in 640 of a possible 780 minutes.

COLORADO
The Sun Devils will attempt to do what they have never done in program history on Sunday, April 17 at 11 AM MST. The Pac-12 Network matchup features two of the league's top teams in a place that Arizona State has never won. If they are going to change that, it will have to come against a Colorado team that is a perfect 6-0 at home. They are also 9-3 and 4-3 in Pac-12 play, picking up wins over Louisville, Harvard, Ohio State, and Vanderbilt in the non-conference. The Buffaloes are the only Pac-12 team besides the Sun Devils to beat Stanford this season. In the first matchup between the two teams, ASU handed Colorado its largest margin of defeat in program history.

Colorado is led by the offensive duo of Sadie Grozier and Charlie Rudy, who have each surpassed the 30-point mark. Defender Devon Bayer has won Pac-12 Defender of the Week and leads the team with 69 draw controls, while adding 17 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers. Grace Donnelly has started all 12 games in net, making 113 saves at a 45% clip. 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sun Devil Lacrosse's Carley Adams was named the U.S. Lacrosse Magazine National Player of the Week, the publication announced on Tuesday. Adams becomes just the third player in program history to win a National Weekly Award and the first to receive it from U.S. Lacrosse Magazine. A Sun Devil has now won a National Player of the Week honor in back-to-back weeks, with Taylor Pinzone receiving the distinction from Inside Lacrosse only eight days ago.

She was unstoppable in leading the Sun Devils to a 2-0 record, garnering national attention in the process. During the Bay Area sweep, Adams scored five goals on Friday and dished out five assists on Sunday, the only Pac-12 player in the with a five-goal and five-assist game this weekend. She showed off her ability to both score and facilitate, causing opposing defenses problems and making it impossible to prepare for the Sun Devils. It has been quite the week for Adams, who was also recently named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in her career.

Katie Vahle was selected as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this year.  She continues to play with a poise and maturity beyond her years, emerging as one of the top young goalkeepers in the nation. She went 2-0 on the weekend against the Bay Area programs, proving to be the best player of the field in both contests. Vahle made history by becoming the first Sun Devil goalkeeper to ever beat Stanford, doing so in impressive fashion. She played her best game at Arizona State, making a career-high 12 saves in the win over the No. 22-ranked Cardinal. It was her second consecutive win over a Top-25 team, as she continues to come up big when her team needs her the most. She was not fazed when facing a potent Cardinal attack, holding both Ali Baiocco (3.8 goals/game) and Annabel Frist (3.0 goals/game) to only one goal a piece.

Vahle followed up a brilliant performance on Friday with one equally as good on Sunday, seeing less action in the 18-10 win over Cal. She played into the fourth quarter and allowed only seven goals, finishing with six saves. She picked up her third straight win to move to 6-6 on the season. On the weekend, Vahle made 18 total saves in 106 minutes of playing time, finishing with save percentage of 50%.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Senior defender Mallory Martel knows exactly what type of challenge it is to contain Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week Carley Adams. 

"Crit is so tough to defend," Martel observed. "She's very slippery and can change her levels quickly. It makes us a better unit by not biting for those handles and fakes. She's always ready to compete. Her drive helps us push ourselves to be the best defenders we can be."

Graduate transfer midfielder Taylor Pinzone has seen some great goalkeepers in her career and recognizes Katie Vahle's abilities. 

"Katie is such a huge asset to our team," Pinzone mentioned. "She plays with such confidence and energy, and it translate to us on the field. She's a great player, and I love having her in cage."

SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS
Arizona State is currently ranked in the Top-25 in two major national polls, the second straight week they have been ranked. This is only the third time the program has been ranked and the first instance in which they stayed in back-to-back Top-25's. Both Inside Lacrosse and the IWCLA (Coaches' Poll) slot the Sun Devils at No. 23 in their latest polls, the highest spot ever occupied by the program. ASU is also receiving votes and on the cusp of cracking the most recent U.S. Lacrosse Magazine Top-20. 

Head Coach Tim McCormack has challenged his team with an extremely difficult schedule and it has paid off, as the Sun Devils are looked upon favorably in two key metrics. Arizona State has the No. 10-rated strength of schedule having played eight Top-25 teams through 13 games. Because of their success in those game, Arizona State has a RPI of 31, which has climbed dramatically over the past few weeks.

THE EVOLUTION OF CARLEY ADAMS
Carley Adams has not stopped improving since arriving in Tempe, developing into one of the nation's premier attackers. She took her game to another level following the arrival of Head Coach Tim McCormack and his coaching staff of Nicole Graziano and Dorrien Van Dyke. Through her first two seasons, Adams played in 33 games and had 15 points (13 goals & 2 assists). Over her past 37 games, she has 150 points (107 goals & 43 assists), earning a spot on the IWLCA All-Region Team and was a First Team Pac-12 All-Conference selection after an epic 2021 campaign. 

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH

  • Katie Brodsky is 7 assists shy of 50 assists
  • Mallory Martel is 10 ground balls shy of 50  ground balls
  • Emily Glagolev is 4 goals shy of 125 goals
  • Maria Villanti is 6 goals shy of 50 goals
  • Maria Villanti is 2 points shy of 50 points
  • Maria Villanti is 9 draw controls shy of 50 draw controls
  • Paige McGlothlin is 4 goals shy of 25 goals
  • Lia Willis is 4 goals shy of 25 goals
  • Lia Willis is 10 caused turnovers shy of 50 caused turnovers
  • Maddy Hunter is 6 assists shy of 25 assists
  • Maddy Hunter is 6 ground balls shy of 100 ground balls
  • Maddy Hunter is 6 caused turnovers shy of 50 caused turnovers
  • Olivia Hood is 1 ground ball shy of 25 ground balls
  • Olivia Hood is 4 caused turnovers shy of 25 caused turnovers
  • Kylie Kroeger is 7 goals shy of 50 goals
  • Kylie Kroeger is 6 assists shy of 25 assists
  • Kylie Kroeger is 9 draw controls shy of 100 draw controls
  • Carley Adams is 1 ground balls shy of 50 ground balls
  • Carley Adams is 3 draw controls shy of 25 draw controls
  • Carley Adams is 5 assists shy of 50 assists
  • Carley Adams is 5 goals shy of 125 goals
  • Sydney Payne is 3 ground balls shy of 50 ground balls

RECENT MILESTONES ACHIEVEMENT

CONFERENCE CONTENDERS
The top of the Pac-12 Conference standings are crowded, but the Sun Devils have played themselves into a good position. Three teams are currently tied a top the conference in the loss column, with Arizona State (5-2) and USC (5-2) trailing Stanford (7-2) by percentage points. The Sun Devils and Trojans will match up at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium on April 22 at 3 PM in a contest that will have a major impact on tournament seeding. First, the Sun Devils have to deal with the 4-3 Colorado Buffaloes who handed Stanford their only other conference loss in Boulder earlier this year. ASU's final three matchups will only enhance their postseason appeal, playing two teams ahead of them in the RPI. 

PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP COMING TO TEMPE
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. This is a way for the Sun Devils to control their own fate, as a win at the Pac-12 Lacrosse Championships means an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Lacrosse Tournament.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday's game against the Ducks will be broadcasted via the Oregon Live Stream, with live stats also available. Sunday's game with Colorado is being broadcasted on Pac-12 Networks, with live stats provided. 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.
 

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