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Washington State's soccer team (7-1-2, 2-1-0 and ranked No. 21 by the NSCAA coaches poll) will be hosting the Arizona schools this weekend. The Cougars are returning home after a tough road trip against No. 12 California and No. 3 Stanford.
WSU lost to Stanford (10-0-2, 2-0-1) on a goal in the 84th minute by Cardinal forward Chioma Ubogagu; Stanford won 1-0. Stanford took control of the match in the second half, as the Cardinal held a 13-1 shot advantage. As a result of the Cardinal advantage, Washington State goalkeeper Gurveen Clair was under constant pressure; Clair made three saves in the second half.
The loss ended the Cougars 15 match unbeaten streak, the longest in school history, and put an end to the program's winning streak on the road (six).
Prior to the loss against Stanford, WSU beat the California Golden Bears (9-3-0, 1-2-0) in Berkeley, Calif. The Cougars won the match 1-0, on a goal scored in the 81st by freshmen midfielder Chelsea Harkins. Washington State dominated the match, as they held a 10-6 shot advantage -- the Cougs out shot the Bears 7-3 in the second half -- and put a lot of pressure on the Cal defense.
Washington State returns home to the Lower Soccer Field for the first time since its August 31st win over Montana. The Cougars will be hosting Arizona on Friday, and No. 18 Arizona State on Sunday.
Arizona Wildcats (8-2-1, 2-1-0)
Date and time: Friday, 2 p.m. PDT
Television: Pac-12 Networks
Season to date: Arizona is coming off of a 1-0 win over the Oregon Ducks in Tuscon, Ariz. The win gave the Wildcats their first weekend sweep over Pac-12 opponents since 2005. Thanks to the weekend sweep, Arizona is tied with Washington State for second place in the Pac-12.
Arizona's only conference loss was a 0-3 setback to USC.
In non-conference play, the Wildcats played in two mid-season tournaments -- on one was hosted by ASU, and the other by UA. Arizona faced its toughest opponents during those two tournaments, including a 2-2 draw with Texas A&M and a 3-1 win over Oklahoma State. The rest of the Wildcat's non-conference schedule was fairly easy.
Player to watch: Senior goalkeeper Gabby Kaufman has given up nine scores this season, an average of .80 goals allowed per game, and is saving 79.5% of shots on goal. Kaufman has had a pretty solid career behind the net, as she has saved 82% of shots on goal during her time in Tuscon.
Arizona State Sun Devils (8-1-3, 1-0-2)
Date and time: Sunday, 1 p.m. PDT
Webcast: wsucougars.com
Season to date: The Sun Devils season started in the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Soccer Classic in Waipio, Hawaii. ASU drew against Texas (2-2) and beat Hawaii (5-2) -- WSU beat the Rainbow Warriors 3-1 in the same tournament. ASU also took on Layola Chicago and Illinois on the road, the Sun Devils won both matches.
Arizona State then hosted its own tournament, and faced Oklahoma State (2-0 win) and Texas A&M (2-1 win). After wining their own tournament, the Sun Devils traveled to Tuscon to take part in the Arizona's tournament; ASU crushed both of its opponents in the Arizona Cats Classic.
Conference play has been a bit of a struggle for the Sun Devils, as they earned draws against Oregon (1-1) and No. 1 UCLA (1-1), but lost to Oregon State.
Player to watch: Junior forward Cali Farquharson has been an offensive force for the Sun Devils. Farquharson has scored 10 goals in 11 matches, she leads the Pac-12, and is the focal point of the ASU's offensive attack.