(James Powel/WCSN)
The Sun Devils have a long, treacherous road ahead if they want to make the NCAA tournament this season, and that starts with their final road trip of the season this weekend.
ASU will visit the Oregon State Beavers Thursday in Corvallis, then the Oregon Ducks Sunday in Eugene.
Both Oregon and Oregon St. are 0-6-0 in Pac-12 play, and have been outscored in those games 15-4 and 14-3, respectively. However ASU is in no position to take any opponent lightly, as the next match it fails to win will eradicate the team’s tournament hopes.
The Sun Devils are looking to build off a strong showing last Saturday against USC. Despite the 2-0 loss, they were only outshot 11-9 and matched the Trojans’ five shots on goal. A similar performance in both games this weekend should render better results due to the step down in competition.
However, one key piece has been missing from the ASU offense as of late. Leading scorer Jazmarie Mader (eight goals) has been out two of the last three matches and scored in the one game she played. The team is unclear if she will return to action Thursday.
If Mader is out again, ASU will look to Aly Moon, who had one of the best scoring chances in Saturday’s game, as well as forwards Larisa Staub and Natalie Stephens to step up in the scoring department. Staub last scored in the Washington game October 6, while Natalie Stephens has yet to score despite being second on the team in shots.
Additionally, the Sun Devil defense has room to improve, now led again by junior goalkeeper Megan Delaney. The team has gone 0-2-0 and allowed four goals in the two games since Delaney has returned as the starter.
The defense ultimately has to be less porous, as they allowed USC to get some clean looks inside the box last Saturday, and allowed many prime chances through crosses at Washington three games ago. Senior defender Mckenzie Grossman will have to lead a strong effort by the backline, as she makes the most pass breakups and clears on defense.
This weekend, Oregon State may prove to be the tougher of the two opponents. The Beavers are fresh off a 3-2 loss to No. 3 Stanford, a game in which they led as late as the 78th minute and lost with two seconds left.
The Beavers are led in scoring by Nikki Faris who’s scored five times along with four assists, while the Ducks are led by sophomore forward Kyra Fawcett who has five goals.
ASU will kick of Thursday’s game at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday’s game at 1:00 p.m. Both can be streamed live online via Pac-12 Networks.
