The Arizona State lacrosse team (2-0) continues its road stretch Saturday, traveling to San Diego, Calif. to take on the San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. PT. The Sun Devils are coming off an impression inaugural season opening weekend, picking up two wins against Kennesaw State and Stetson to begin the season undefeated. Fans can catch a livestream of the game on the Aztec's Lacrosse YouTube page.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
San Diego State: The Aztecs are coming off an opening season win against ASU's Pac-12 rival Cal, defeating the Golden Bears in a close 12-11 victory. Junior Harlowe Steele scored the game-winning goal on a free-position shot with 28 seconds remaining along with her three other goals, an assist, a ground ball and a draw control to give the Aztecs their first season-opener victory since 2014. Junior goalkeeper Katy Sharretts made her first collegiate start for the Aztecs, posting an impressive 13 saves, tied for fifth on the school's single-game charts.
LAST TIME OUT
The Sun Devils opened their inaugural season in historic fashion, picking up two victories for the best start in program history. In their first game ever as a program the Sun Devils came out in full spark against Kennesaw State, taking down the Owls 14-6 for their first even win. Junior co-captain Kerri Clayton paved the way for the team, scoring a program record seven goals in her first outing for the Maroon and Gold. Freshman Gracie Fulkerson scored the first goal in program history within the first minute of the game and it just continued from there for the newest Sun Devils on campus.
Against Stetson the Sun Devils put up a program record 11 goals in the first half due to hat tricks by both Fulkerson and Clayton. Freshman Maddy Hunter also recorded a program record six draw controls while fellow freshman Erin Dibernardo added a career high five draws herself.
CLAYTON EARNS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Junior co-captain Kerri Clayton was named Inside Lacrosse's Alpha Lacrosse Player of the Week on Wednesday, Feb. 14 by lacrosse fans across the country. In her debut for the Maroon and Gold, Clayton scored seven goals against Kennesaw State and had five goals and two assists against Stetson. Clayton is the first Sun Devil to ever earn any sort of Player of the Week honors.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The entire 2018 season will welcome records and firsts for the Sun Devil women's lacrosse team as they compete in their inaugural season and the inaugural season of women's lacrosse in the Pac-12 Conference. Women's lacrosse was the 25th varsity sport added at Arizona State University after a generous donation that supported the elevation of the Sun Devil men's ice hockey team to the NCAA Division I level provided enough support to add women's NCAA programs for both Title IX compliance and to expand educational opportunities for future Sun Devil student-athletes.
SEASON LOOK-AHEAD
The Sun Devils come back west this weekend to face San Diego State before flying cross-country again to take on Manhattan (Feb. 24) and Columbia (Feb. 26) in the Big Apple to complete their three week road trip.
Fans will get to see the Sun Devils for the first time in Tempe in week four at the Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday Mar. 3 against Presbyterian at 3 p.m.
Pac-12 conference play will also celebrate its inauguration in 2018. The Sun Devils will face each team twice during the season in a home-and-away series, starting with the USC Trojans in Los Angeles on Mar. 10.
After the first Pac-12 weekend the Sun Devils will return home for a three-game stretch against Pac-12 rivals Oregon (Mar. 16) and Colorado (Mar. 18) before a weekday tilt with Liberty on Tuesday, Mar. 20 at 5 p.m. MT.
The team faces Stanford and Cal two weeks in a row for their home-and-away series, traveling to the Bay Area Mar. 23 (Stanford) and 25 (Cal) before facing them at home on Mar. 30 (Stanford) and Apr. 1 (Cal). The match against Cal at home will also be the Sun Devils' debut on the Pac-12 Network.
The Sun Devils complete the regular season traveling to Oregon (Apr. 6) and Colorado (Apr. 8) before hosting USC on Apr. 21 to finish the home tilt.
Admission is free for all Sun Devil home games at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium.
The inaugural Pac-12 Championship will take place Apr. 26-29 in Boulder, Colo. with Colorado as the host. All the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship matches will be broadcasted live on the Pac-12 Network.