This article was originally published on November 7, 2022.
After the Arizona State Sun Devils secured their first win over the Arizona Wildcats since 2015 with a score of 3-2, the Sun Devils booked their ticket to the NCAA tournament. This 2022 tournament entry is the second NCAA tournament appearance for the Devils in three seasons.
The Sun Devils will take a trip to Portland, Oregon, to face off against the University of Portland Pilots on November 11th at 7:00 p.m. PST.
The Pilots have had a successful season, with a record of 11-4-4 and 6-0-4 in non-conference play. This successful record is thanks to great defensive play from the Pilots, allowing only 0.89 goals per game. In addition, they rank second in the West Coast Conference in goals against average, falling behind only Gonzaga with 0.72.
Despite outstanding defensive play, the Pilots are an average offensive team with only 1.53 goals per game. In addition, their leading scorers, sophomore forward Cally Togiai and redshirt freshman forward Kayla Adams, only have 5 goals each.
The Sun Devils rank #3 in the Pac-12 with 2.24 goals per game, thanks to graduate forward Nicole Douglas, who leads the Devils with 14 goals.
Defensively is where the Devils tend to struggle. The Sun Devils are ranked ninth in the PAC-12 for GAA with 1.41 goals. This is despite 67 saves from freshman goalkeeper Pauline Nelles, who ranks third in saves for the Pac-12.
Both ASU and Portland have opposite strengths of each other. No doubt that the Devils will score, so it will have to be up to the Portland defense to limit the Devils’ shots on goal.
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