SCOUTING THE SPARTANS:
The 15th- ranked Spartans enter the weekend tilt looking for their first conference win in 2017, boasting an 0-3 record in MPSF play to this point of the season. In thier last outing, SJSU fell, 12-6, to No. 5 California.
Carla Toha Vilanova leads the Spartans on the offensive end, already netting a teams-leading 34 goals in 2017. In total, three Spartans have amassed at least 20 goals on the year.
In the cage, Katelynn Thompson has made 19 starts in her 20 appearances on the season, allowing just 168 goals while tallying 135 saves.
GREAT WALL OF MIA:
The Sun Devils have made a name for themselves on the defensive end. The Sun Devils have allowed just 153 goals this season through 24 games played. Redshirt junior Mia Rycraw has played a huge part in anchoring the Sun Devil defense. In her 69 quarters played, Rycraw has amassed 174 saves, including double-digit saves in her last three outings.
GAME OF GOALS
Assisting the defensive effort for the Sun Devils in 2017, has been the teams ability to score goals in bunches. This season, the Sun Devils have netted at least ten goals in ten different games. So far this season, the Sun Devils have outscored opponents 237-153, netting goals at a 9.9 goals per game average. Through 24 games, five different Sun Devils have reached the 20 goal plateau, with Lena Mihailovic leading the way for ASU with 41 goals already this season.
MILESTONE MINDSET:
Mihailovic, with her team-leading 41 goals this season, is quickly approaching the 100 career-goal mark. The Belgrade, Serbia, native enters this weekend with 96 career goals. Sophomore Maud Koopman has also made a move in 2017, adding 38 goals to her impressive 39 goals from her freshman campaign to bring the sophomore's total career goals to 77.
WINNING WAYS
The Sun Devils have established themselves as one of the elite teams in the country in the last couple years. Since 2012, the Sun Devils have compiled a 121-47 record under head coach Todd Clapper. In that time, the team has posted 14 All-America honors while earning the first victory over UCLA in program history, beating Cal on the road for the first time ever and adding an upset victory over second-ranked USC in 2015. ASU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history in 2014, taking fifth overall with a victory over UC Irvine. The Sun Devils posted a program-best fourth-place finish in the MPSF Championships and CWPA Final Coaches Poll in 2013 (peaking at a program best No. 3 in the 2013 regular season) and set school records in wins in two of those seasons as well. Last season, Clapper and the SUn Devils added to their impressive resume with a program-best fifth place finish at the 2016 NCAA Championships.