In its final home games of the 2015 regular season, ASU soccer faces the Oregon schools with the goal of getting back to .500.
First on the docket for the Sun Devils (5-7-1, 1-4-1) is Oregon State.
The Beavers (6-5-3, 2-4 Pac-12) are fresh off a 2-1 victory in Corvallis over the UCLA Bruins.
Oregon State sophomore forward Emma Jones leads the team in total points with two goals and three assists on the season. Freshman defender Allison Pantuso is the team's top goal scorer.
The Beavers are a young, defense-first team that has yet to score more than three goals in a game this season. That plays right into ASU's grind-it-out style.
The key for ASU against a stingy Beavers defense will be quality of chances, rather than quantity. The Sun Devils have no problem getting shots off, but the bugaboo of the 2015 season has been cashing in on all of those chances. Having the presence of senior forward Cali Farquharson will undoubtedly help in that endeavor.
ASU comes into the game having broken a winless streak that lasted a total of eight matches. As far as statistics are concerned, Farquharson still leads the team with five goals and has notched four assists despite missing four and a half games with a hamstring injury.
Sophomore forward Aly Moon is creeping up the statistical ladder with four goals and two assists, and redshirt junior midfielder Lucy Lara is playing the role of distributor with two goals and a team-leading five assists.
ASU's final opponent of the weekend is Pac-12 bottom-dweller Oregon, entering Arizona riding a four-game losing streak.
The Sun Devils have felt the sting of such a streak, and if the Ducks (4-10, 1-5 Pac-12) lose at Arizona on Friday, they will be hard-pressed to stop their own skid Sunday — much like ASU did in its thrilling double-overtime upset victory over then-No. 18 Washington.
Oregon has scored a grand total of nine goals all season and has two players tied for the team lead with two goals apiece. Compare that to the number of goals they've allowed (18) and you have the last place team in the Pac-12 conference.
The Sunday matchup with Oregon will provide a likely scenario in which redshirt senior goalkeeper Chandler Morris can break the school record for career shutouts. She's been tied for the record since ASU's 5-0 victory over Pepperdine on Sep. 11.
The Sun Devils will face Oregon State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Oregon on Sunday at 11 a.m. Both games will be broadcasted on Pac-12 digital.
After the weekend slate of matches against two teams from the great Northwest, ASU will head to Salt Lake City and Boulder, Colorado, for tilts with Utah and Colorado before traveling to Tucson to finish the season with the Territorial Cup against No. 17 Arizona.
Related Links:
Madison Kmetko rising to the occasion for ASU soccer
What to watch for in ASU soccer's games against Oregon State, Oregon
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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