For many ASU students, the first weekend of spring break is a time to relax and kick back.
The ASU men's lacrosse club spent it traveling to Southern California and faced two of its three Western Collegiate Lacrosse League divisional opponents in games with serious postseason implications.
The Sun Devils split the pair, losing to No. 14 UC-San Diego and picking up a win against San Diego State.
A sweep would have virtually assured ASU (4-5, 1-1) of a postseason berth. Though the Sun Devils are no longer in the driver's seat, a playoff spot is still tangible.
"That would have made life a lot easier going into the stretch run here," ASU coach Jon Minder said. "We're still alive though."
After keeping pace with the Tritons for most of the game, the Sun Devil defense crumbled, allowing six goals in the final quarter. ASU converted just one of 11 shots in the closing minutes of the 15-9 loss.
"We played really hard for a majority of the game, but a couple of lapses really cost us," Minder said. "The bottom line is that they were able to capitalize and get it done late in the game and we were not."
Freshman attacker Cody Wood paced the Sun Devils with three goals and an assist. Wood went on to add another goal and an assist in the win over San Diego State.
"Cody is developing into an excellent attacker, and he's only a freshman," Minder said. "He's great guy to have on the field, and I see great things for him now and in the future."
ASU bounced back Sunday to put the defensive clamps down on the Aztecs, allowing only five goals.
The Sun Devils executed in transition and made efficient use of their possessions in the 8-5 victory. ASU dominated in groundballs, which is statistically similar to rebounds in basketball, Minder said.
After being moved to attacker for the weekend, junior midfielder Paul Komar led ASU with three goals and an assist against San Diego State. Minder said adjustments in the lineup were necessary for a road trip like this one.
"I felt that in the division games it was really important for us to go with the most experienced lineup that we could," Minder said. "Divisional games are always a dogfight down the finish, and that's when experience counts."
ASU's final regular season home game is at 1 p.m. Saturday against Chapman at the ASU band practice field. The road to the playoffs, however, will likely go through Tucson later in the season.
The Sun Devils' entire season might lie in the balance on the road against current division leader UA in April. UA is the only unbeaten divisional opponent left, and a win over the Wildcats would tie ASU and UA with 2-1 divisional records.
A plethora of tie-breaking scenarios would ensue, leaving the Sun Devils to hope for the best.
"That'll be a war," Minder said. "Everyone will definitely be ready for that game."
Reach the reporter at michael.fowler@asu.edu.
