After dropping three straight games against Big 12 opponents, ASU soccer is looking to get back into a rhythm before hosting Washington State to open conference play Sunday.
Head coach Kevin Boyd said he believes that the team's mentality has changed.
"The problem is when I started making a list of things I needed to talk about during the game on Friday, the list got above seven," Boyd said. "Whenever you start getting a list that gets that big it's no longer about what's on that list, it's about the team's mentality and where they are at the moment. Our heads were in the wrong place for some reason."
ASU was outscored 5-2 in losses to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma on Friday and Sunday.
"Our players have to learn that when it's not going their way, when they're not having a good day, how to fall back and be functional without staying in a hole and I felt like multiple players got in a hole and stayed in the hole," Boyd said.
In its first loss of the season against Texas Tech, Boyd said he thought his team still outplayed its opponent. He didn't feel the same way about his team's performance over this past weekend.
"We just look like a different team out there," Boyd said. "I'm trying to put a finger on what exactly was going on, our players can't figure it out either."
Boyd said the only way that his team could describe their shortcomings in these past three games is that they're their own worst enemy.
"Most of the problems we are creating, and that's just not like us," Boyd said.
Boyd said that his team is going back to the basics in order to get back in their early season rhythm.
"We're going back preseason and doing stuff that we did then to try and get us background and focus on the right things," Boyd said. "Just kinda go back to the place where we were when we were real focused and disciplined."
Sunday's game against Washington State will be the first time playing at home in Tempe since Sept. 4. ASU is 3-0 at home and they've outscored opponents 11-0 in those games.
"Thank God we're at home," Boyd said. "It's great that the game is on Sunday as well. Both those things are really playing in our favor right now. It gives us a little time to try and get us going and get us back to where we were a couple weeks ago."
Cali Farquharson's status for Sunday's game against Washington State remains unknown.
"We're just going to keep evaluating her each day and see how we can progress her," Boyd said. "It's one of those things that you just wait on. She'll keep doing her rehab and we'll be patient, do an evaluation when it's game time."
Farquharson left last Friday's game against Oklahoma State in the 47th minute and didn't return. She was held out of ASU's loss to Oklahoma on Sunday as well. The senior has five goals and three assists on the season.
Related Links:
ASU soccer drops third straight game, falls to Oklahoma 2-0
ASU soccer falters on the road against unranked Oklahoma State
Reach the reporter at Lucas.Taglienti@asu.edu or follow @ltaglientivevo on Twitter
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