ASU Women’s Soccer vs. Oregon
OCTOBER 3
The ASU women’s soccer team narrowly missed the NCAA tournament last season. In trying to get over the hump, the Sun Devils have gotten off to an impressive start this season with wins that included an upset over No. 6 Texas A&M. Fans can catch a number of home games this month, starting with the October 3 match against Oregon.
ASU Soccer Stadium, 655 S. Athletes Place, Tempe, 480.727.0000, thesundevils.com, 7 p.m., $8 adults, $6 kids
Arizona Fall League Opening Day: Scottsdale Scorpions vs. Salt River Rafters
OCTOBER 7
The Fall League features the baseball world’s most promising players at an affordable price. Catch soon-to-be big names on opening day, October 7. Each Major League Baseball team designates several players for league play and more than half of them will end up on MLB rosters, according to past results.
Salt River Fields, 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, 480.270.5000, saltriverfields.com, 6:35 p.m., $8 adults, $6 kids and seniors
ASU Women’s Volleyball vs. California
OCTOBER 10
Sun Devil volleyball has been ranked in the nation’s top 20 this season thanks to a couple of early season tournament wins. That’s not surprising considering the returning and most significant contributors from last season’s 19-14 NCAA tournament team and were ranked No. 4 in the Pac-12 preseason poll.
Wells Fargo Arena, 634 E. Veterans Way, Tempe, 480.727.0000, thesundevils.com, 7 p.m., $8 adults, $6 kids
Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Redskins
OCTOBER 12
The Cardinals will host perennially- struggling Washington in a game that’s
a virtual must-win if the Cards have any shot at the playoffs. Washington features the versatile quarterback Robert Griffin, who is trying to bounce back from his disappointing performance last year. But the team generally offers little defensive resistance, which the Cardinals’ upgraded offense should be able to exploit. As long as quarterback Carson Palmer avoids multiple turnovers, the Cardinals should be able to bring this one home.
University of Phoenix Stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale, 602.379.0102, azcardinals. com, 1:25 p.m., $40-$598
ASU Football vs. Stanford
OCTOBER 18
Under coach Todd Graham, the Sun Devil football team has been able to climb many mountains. But the Devils have been unable to climb even a few steps uphill when they’ve played Stanford in the past. The Cardinals crushed them twice last season, including in the Pac-12 championship game in Tempe. A win in this game would be a landmark feat for the Devils and would result in a high national ranking.
Sun Devil Stadium, 500 E. Veterans Way, Tempe, 480.965.2381, thesundevils.com, kickoff time TBA, $50-$325
Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers
OCTOBER 29
It figures that the Suns will open their 2014-15 season against their evil nemesis, the Los Angeles Lakers. Might as well get fans’ blood boiling from the get go. The Lakers are still built around Kobe Bryant, who is trying to become the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, but not much else.
US Airways Center, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.379.7824, nba.com/suns, 7 p.m., $36-$330