Back in the win column.
After breaking its seven-game losing streak and tying UCLA in its last match, ASU soccer (5-7-1) pulled off a dramatic upset on Thursday night in Seattle with a 2-1 double overtime victory over No. 18 Washington (10-3-2).
"It's the best win we've had all season," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said. "It broke the curse."
The first goal of the noticeably physical match came in the 12th minute from Sun Devil sophomore forward Jessica Raybe.
Raybe gained possession in the middle-left area of the box and chipped the ball toward goal, dumbfounding the keeper and landing the ball perfectly in the upper right corner of the frame.
Her teammates ran toward her, surprised and elated, as her opponents stood still, equally surprised and inversely disappointed.
ASU's 1-0 lead lasted until the final seven seconds of the period, where Washington scored on a long range strike play to tie the game at one apiece.
Freshman midfielder Pascale Dumesnil sprinted up the field as the seconds slowly ticked away. Dumesnil placed the ball on her right foot from 35+ yards out, eyeing ASU redshirt senior goalkeeper Chandler Morris as she stood a couple feet off of her line. She then slung the ball between two ASU defenders and it sailed up above the crossbar, dipping down and in, making it 1-1 at the half.
The Dawgs get in the fight!
Pascale Dumesnil with the long range goal FIVE SECONDS before half: http://t.co/HuiDnO5Fzh #Pac12WSOC
— Pac-12 Networks (@Pac12Networks) October 16, 2015
Just as the Huskies displayed looks of disbelief after Raybe's goal, the Sun Devils were stunned following the score by Dumesnil.
Boyd said the goal by Dumesnil was a once in a lifetime shot.
"We were like 'yup, that's the way it's been rolling for us'," Boyd said. "What I loved is that we continued to work hard and we made adjustments in the way we were playing."
Washington led in shots through the first half by a margin of 8-3, but that statistic took a seismic shift in the second half. The Sun Devils won the shots battle 8-2 in the final 45 minutes of regulation.
Neither team scored in the half, but ASU senior forward Cali Farquharson had ample opportunities to send the Sun Devils home with a victory.
She couldn't cash in, and thus ASU and Washington played to a draw through 90 minutes. Overtime loomed in Seattle.
As the overtime period began, both teams came out flat and displayed significant fatigue in the first few minutes of play, which was a testament to the physicality of the match as a whole.
Washington outshot ASU 3-0 in the first overtime.
With no score between the two teams through ten minutes, the game moved on to the second and final overtime period.
Four minutes and 59 seconds into the final frame, it was Raybe to the rescue once again for the downtrodden Devils.
Barreling downfield toward a keeper that stood off her line, Raybe took a shot attempt that sailed wide, but a collision with the keeper inside the box resulted in a red card and penalty assessed to Washington.
This was, quite literally, the shot the Sun Devils had been waiting for.
Senior midfielder Whitney Kanavel stepped up to the spot, appearing calm despite the gravity of the situation. Across from her stood the backup keeper: redshirt sophomore Sarah Shimer.
Taking a few choppy steps toward the ball, Kanavel rifled it with her right foot to the lower left end of goal. It deflected off of Shimer's hands and into the back of the net.
Next thing she knew, Raybe was at the bottom of a dogpile filled with players who hadn't tasted victory since all the way back on Sept. 11.
The Golden Goal by @ASUSoccer's Whitney Kanavel is no doubt the #12Best Moment for the #Pac12WSOC Match of the week! http://t.co/N3RYRLjCRJ
— Pac-12 Networks (@Pac12Networks) October 16, 2015
"We're just starting to believe again, which is great," Boyd said. "If we continue to do that and just stick to simple ingredients – like working really hard – good things will come our way."
ASU's next match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23 against Oregon State in Tempe. The game will be broadcasted on Pac-12 digital.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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