This week's slate will provide the Sun Devils an opportunity to rebound from a tough second week of Pac-12 play. Last week, the Sun Devils dropped a heartbreaker to No. 5 USC on Thursday, before suffering a tough loss to No. 16 UCLA on Sunday. The pair of losses marked just the second time this season that the Sun Devils have fallen in back-to-back games, and snapped a three-game unbeaten streak for ASU.
"I am looking for a response," head coach Graham Winkworth said of the team's two road matches this weekend. "I thought we played very well last Thursday, but we did not play to our standards on Sunday. We have asked the team to respond, regardless of the final scores here, we want to see a strong performance in regards to our attitudes, and hopefully play some quality soccer to go along with it."
Having already played a tough slate of games so far this year, things will not be getting any easier for ASU as they wrap up the last few weeks of the regular-season schedule. Entering this week, the Sun Devils' future opponents have combined to post an impressive .753 win percentage, making the final eight regular-season matches on the ASU schedule the fourth-toughest slate in the nation.
Sophomore forward Marleen Schimmer has continued to impress Sun Devil fans in her second season of collegiate soccer. Last weekend, the talented striker found the back of the net twice, pushing her season goal-scoring total to six. The Mainz Germany native has now scored a goal in three-straight games. Her goal against the Trojans earned the talented sophomore top-honors from the NCAA, earning Goal of the Week recognition.
?? Women's Plays of the Week x Week 7 ???
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) October 9, 2019
?
5?? @PackWSoccer
4?? @CowgirlFC
3?? @UtahWSoccer
2?? @uncwomenssoccer
1?? @SunDevilSoccer #NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/KI8exh4ras
"It forces teams to have to defend us a little bit differently," Winkworth said of Schimmer's ability to strike from nearly anywhere on the pitch. "I tease her all the time that she needs to score a few more tap-ins, because she seemingly doesn't score anything but wonder-goals. She does need to put herself in the box a little bit more as well, but it is a lot of fun to watch. She has scored some cracking goals for us this season. Most of her efforts have been from distance, and the one that was on the NCAA Goals of the Week was very special. She beat three very talented players and then hit it off-balance. That is a very difficult thing to do. I am really happy for her and just hope she can continue to find the back of the net for us."
Washington enters this week looking to get back on track following a 1-1 showing in their two games last week. After an impressive 1-0 win over Cal, the Huskies fell to top-ranked Stanford, 4-0, snapping what was a four-game win-streak for Washington. With a 6-3-2 record on the season, UW has struggled to find their footing on offense for parts of the season, leading to a pair of scoreless draws and two-shutout losses on the year. On the flip side of the field, Washington has played stifling defense to this point of the season, carding five clean sheets, and checking in as the top defensive team in the Pac-12 this season, allowing just over one goal per game.
Head coach Todd Shulenberger has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in his fifth season as the head coach of Washington State. The Cougars enter the week with an impressive 9-2 record on the season, having only suffered losses to No. 2 Stanford and Michigan this season. WSU will look to continue to score goals in bunches, as the team enters the weekend with a 2.36 goals per game average, a mark that ranks 26 nationally. WSU is led on the field by senior Morgan Weaver, who was named to the Mac Herman Trophy Award Watch List prior to the start of the season and has more than proved she belonged on that list having already scored five goals and tallied a pair of assists. In goal, fifth-year senior Ella Dederick has made 31 saves in her 915 minutes played while not allowing a goal in five of her 11 games played on the season.
Following this weekend's games, Arizona State will continue their road trip with a Saturday meeting against Colorado on October 19. Action in the Sun Devils' sixth Pac-12 match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. PT, and will be live-streamed through Colorado's Pac-12 Plus channel.