ASU women’s soccer faces stiff against Duke in NCAA Tournament

Arizona State has a challenge awaiting at 9 a.m. Saturday in the second round of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament at Greenville, N.C.

The Sun Devils will face Duke, a team that has reached this level or beyond 17 times under 20-year coach Robbie Church, including NCAA runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2015.

By contrast, ASU is among the final 32 teams standing for just the fifth time in the program’s 25-year history and first since 2014. They have yet to reach the Sweet 16.

ASU won 4-0 over Siena on Wednesday to earn a crack at the No. 9-seeded Blue Devils, who had a bye in the first round of what this year is a 48-team tournament (not 64) due to COVID-19. ASU’s four goals vs. Siena tied its season high, breaking a three-game scoreless streak. The ASU-Duke winner plays Friday’s Mississippi-USC winner in the Sweet 16 on Wednesday in Cary, N.C.

—Jeff Metcalfe

Grand Canyon men take Washington in NCAA soccer

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Hall of Fame soccer coach Schellas Hyndman is retiring at the end of Grand Canyon’s soccer season.

The Antelopes can give him a pretty nice retirement gift with a national championship. That quest starts Sunday

at 1 p.m., when they face Washington in the NCAA men’s soccer tournament in North Carolina.

GCU (8-1) was given a first-round bye in the tournament to face the No. 7 Huskies (10-3). This is GCU’s second trip to the NCAA tournament in three years. But this is the 27th team Hyndman has taken to the NCAA tournament. He is 30-20-6 in NCAA tournament games.

Hyndman let his players know earlier this week that they had completed their last practice in Phoenix. If GCU upsets Washington, the team will remain in North Carolina, moving onto the Sweet 16.

—Richard Obert