The Arizona Wildcats soccer team will load up the bus on Friday and make the two-hour voyage to Tempe. Their opponent: ASU.
And while the in-state rivalry match is always a focal point for the two teams, this year's matchup carries a little more weight.
Both teams are vying for at-large NCAA Tournament bids. The Wildcats sit at 8-6-3 on the season. They've gone 5-1-1 since Oct. 2. ASU is 8-5-3, having gone 2-4-1 over that same seven-game stretch.
Junior forward Jordan Hall has contributed to the Wildcats' recent run of success, scoring three goals in the team’s last four contests. Hall, who had just one career goal before her recent stretch, credits a new mindset for her improved play.
"I wasn’t scoring, and I felt like I was a bad player because of it," she said. "I was just like, I have nothing to lose, nothing to prove. I just need to go out and have fun, and trust my teammates.”
This faith in the team and the process is something that second-year coach Becca Moros has been preaching all season long.
There's room for fun, too.
Hall said the Wildcats typically avoid forks to eat, with the pitchfork being ASU's primary logo.
"We’re all eating with spoons, or sporks are allowed as well, but we’re all taking it very seriously," she said. "We can’t wait to play them because the rivalry week is always fun."
The rivalry series has gone Arizona's way the last seven years. Including the spring exhibition season, the team is 10-0 against the Sun Devils since 2015.
Still, Hall said the team won’t be overlooking its opponents. Expect the Wildcats to try to establish an advantage by passing the ball up the field.
If the Wildcats can move the ball — and secure the win — they could earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2019 and their first under Moros. The field will be revealed Monday.
"We really want to get that experience under our belts because we feel like we deserve it," Hall said. "We just want a chance to show what we can do."
