SFA Set For Arizona/Arizona State in Tempe
9/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Stephen F. Austin (0-3) at No. 24 Arizona State (2-0)
Friday, September 4 • 9:00 p.m. CT
Sun Devil Soccer Stadium • Tempe, Arizona
Watch Live | Live Stats
Stephen F. Austin (0-3) vs. (RV) Arizona (3-0)
Sunday, September 6 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Sun Devil Soccer Stadium • Tempe, Arizona
Live Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Following a tough trip to Baton Rouge, the Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team will look to rebound this weekend in Tempe, Arizona where the Ladyjacks will play No. 24 Arizona State and an Arizona team receiving votes in national polls at the 2015 Sun Devil Desert Classic. SFA faces ASU on Friday night at 9:00 p.m. CT and then clashes with the Wildcats at 1:00 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon.
The Ladyjacks fell victim to a pair of heartbreaking 1-0 defeats last weekend at the “Battle on the Bayou” hosted by LSU. Despite playing some quality soccer, SFA came up just short against a talented Minnesota side on Friday evening and then again on Sunday afternoon against Western Kentucky.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier in the near future for the Ladyjacks, as this weekend’s foes are a combined 5-0 and in the top mix of multiple national polls. The caliber of teams on the non-conference portion of the schedule presents challenges that head coach Wally Crittenden and his squad welcome early in the season.
“This weekend presents two more great opportunities to test ourselves and our preparation,” Crittenden said. “We played good soccer last weekend and created a bunch of really dangerous attacks in both games. This week in training we tied finishing into everything we did. We understand that against top teams there will be fewer attacking chances. It is really important to be prepared to execute and capitalize on those chance when they arise.”
SFA made a huge step forward between the first and second weeks of the season, surrendering just two goals in 180 minutes and taking 20 shots last weekend in Baton Rouge. If the defense remains steady and a couple of those shots find netting in Tempe, the Ladyjacks will be in great shape to capture good results.
“Overall, I am pleased with our growth and the improvement we have made so far this season,” said Crittenden. “I expect us to continue to develop, and I know we will create chances to win both of these games this weekend. It will all come down to our execution and composure.”
Fans can watch Friday’s game live on the Pac-12 website and follow live stats for both contests through the links above. Updates will also be provided on Twitter via @SFA_Soccer.
NOTES
SFA vs. Arizona State: The Ladyjacks are 0-1-0 against the Sun Devils heading into Friday’s match. The only other meeting between the two programs came on Sept. 1, 2013 in Nacogdoches, with ASU winning 3-1 on a pair of late goals.
Scouting Arizona State: The Sun Devils are off to a fast start to the 2015 season, winning their first two matches by a combined score of 9-0. ASU took down Portland State 3-0 in the season opener before running up the score on UNLV, 6-0, last Friday. The Sun Devils, who were picked to finish fifth in Pac-12 in the 2015 Preseason Coaches Poll, are currently ranked 24th in the country in the NSCAA Coaches rankings. Senior forward Cali Farquharson has led the way for ASU offensively over the first two games of the season, scoring a team-high three goals and adding two assists. Sophomore forward/midfielder Aly Moon has scored two goals and assisted on another this year as well. Senior goalkeeper Chandler Morris has kept two clean sheets with five saves in 180 minutes of work between the posts.
SFA vs. Arizona: The Ladyjacks’ game against the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.
Scouting Arizona: The Wildcats come into the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record after earning victories against Southland Conference member Abilene Christian (4-0), Santa Clara (2-1) and Northern Arizona (4-0) to start the season. For its quick start, Arizona is receiving votes in both the NSCAA Coaches and Top Drawer Soccer national polls. The 2015 squad was picked to finish eighth out of 12 Pac-12 teams in a preseason poll of the league’s coaches. Sophomore midfielder Gabi Stoian leads Arizona with three goals and two assists after three games this year while senior defender Hayley Estopare has scored twice. Freshman goalkeeper Lainey Burdett has seen most of the action in goal, being credited with all three wins with six saves in 207 minutes of playing time.
Last Time Out: The Ladyjacks last took the pitch on Sunday in Baton Rouge against Western Kentucky in the team’s last game of the “Battle on the Bayou”. Despite outshooting the Lady Toppers 14-11, SFA couldn’t finish the opportunities created and lost 1-0. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lillie Ehlert notched three saves on the afternoon. Senior defender Chantal Curry and junior midfielder Amanda Doyle paced the attack with three shots each, including one attempt on frame.
All-Tournament Team: Senior midfielder Rachel Owens and sophomore forward Hanna Barker were each named to the “Battle on the Bayou” All-Tournament Team following Sunday’s game for their solid play in Baton Rouge over the weekend. The duo combined to take five shots between the two games. Barker created several other dangerous opportunities for her teammates while Owens helped the SFA defense limit each opponent to one goal on the trip.
Facing Former Lumberjack: The head coach on the Arizona sideline will look familiar to the Ladyjack seniors this Sunday afternoon. Tony Amato, now at the helm for the Wildcats, coached the women’s soccer team at SFA from 2010-12. In three seasons in Nacogdoches, Amato posted a 45-12-3 record (.775), won two Southland Conference titles and earned one NCAA Tournament berth (2012). Seniors Chantal Curry, Amanda Fox, Ashton Norman and Rachel Owens all played for Amato in 2012.
No Sub Needed: Junior defender Brooke Dunnigan and senior midfielder Rachel Owens have played every minute of the 2015 season so far for the Ladyjacks, staying on the field for a total of 270 minutes over three games. Junior defender Kelly Ann Craig has been on the pitch a majority of the time as well, playing 260 minutes thus far. Dunnigan led the team in minutes played in 2014 with 1,781. She was the only Ladyjack to start all 20 games.
Between the Pipes: Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lillie Ehlert has made some big stops for SFA already this season. She has recorded 12 saves in three games overall, allowing just three goals for an .800 save percentage. Last Friday against Minnesota, Ehlert notched five saves to tie a career high. She has started all three of the Ladyjacks’ matches, logging 225 minutes.
Strength of Schedule: The Ladyjacks are preparing themselves for the Southland Conference regular season with a difficult non-conference slate to begin the year. SFA has already faced teams from the SEC (Arkansas) and Big-10 (Minnesota) heading into this weekend’s showdown with two Pac-12 foes. The first five opponents on the Ladyjacks’ 2015 schedule currently boast a 12-4-1 record combined over the first two and a half weeks.
A Magical 2014: The Ladyjacks came into the 2015 season looking to build on their wealth of success over the last few years. In 2014, SFA won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Southland Conference Championship after posting a perfect 11-0-0 record in league play. The team was one of only five schools in the country that went undefeated in conference action during the year while the Ladyjacks also finished with an unblemished 8-0-0 mark at home and a 16-3-1 record overall. SFA held the nation’s longest active overall win streak heading into the SLC Tournament Championship, winning 14 straight games from Sept. 12 to Nov. 7 – the longest winning streak in school history. The Ladyjacks ended the memorable 2014 campaign ranked sixth in the nation in shutout percentage (.650), seventh in save percentage (.876), 10th in win percentage (.825), 11th in goals against average (.588) and 19th in scoring offense (2.25 goals per game). The year concluded with a 2-0 loss to Houston Baptist in the SLC Tournament Championship game.
Preseason All-SLC: The Ladyjacks were well represented with the release of the 2015 Preseason All-Southland Conference teams, earning five selections between the first and second squads. Junior defenderBrooke Dunnigan and senior defender Chantal Curry were each named to the first team with sophomore forward Hanna Barker, senior midfielder Rachel Owens and junior midfielder Amanda Doyle representing SFA on the second team.
SFA Picked to Win Fifth Straight SLC Title: SFA was picked to win the 2015 Southland Conference regular season championship in polls conducted by the league’s coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced on Wednesday, August 12. The Ladyjacks claimed 116 points with eight first-place votes in the coaches’ poll and 119 points with nine first-place votes in the SID poll.
Looking Ahead: After the trip to the desert this weekend, the Ladyjacks will come back to Nacogdoches for their 2015 home opener against ULM on Friday, Sept. 11. Start time is set for 7:00 p.m. at SFA Soccer Field.
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