Riding the tandem of juniors Katie Leahy and Elizabeth Bogus, the No. 11 women's soccer squad (2-1) posted its second consecutive road victory this season at Brigham Young (1-3) on Saturday, defeating the Cougars 3-2.
The two forwards connected twice for key plays in the contest, with Leahy drilling two goals, both off of Bogus' assists. Bogus, a native of Sandy, Utah, would also add a goal with friends and family among the 1,020 in attendance at South Field.
Nine minutes into the rain-drenched first half, BYU lit up the scoreboard first as Jaime Rendich knocked one of the two balls to get past goalkeeper Kelly Fitzgerald.
The Cougar point was then equalized by Leahy's first goal of the night in the 19th minute of play.
Bogus got her chance to add to the lead when she was able to get isolated off of a pass from midfielder Brittany Cooper and go one-on-one with BYU goalkeeper Erika Woodbury. Bogus finessed the ball into the corner of the net to give the Sun Devils the outright lead.
The Cougars came back in a rain-free second half and again knotted the score as Natalie Nate drilled a goal off the fingertips of Fitzgerald. Fifty-four seconds later, Leahy put the game away for the Sun Devils, dribbling past a defender and beating the goalkeeper for the score.
Head coach Ray Leone said the outing was an impressive one for his team, key points being possession and unrelenting defense.
"No doubt Katie and 'Bogy' (Bogus) were strong forces in this game, but it was an all-around solid team effort," he said. "For the most part we played our style of ball and we made it very hectic for BYU while they were on offense."
He added that a focus in the previous week's practices had been to improve the team's defense, which at times lacked the intensity needed to keep the ball out of ASU territory.
The ASU offense, however, has been as explosive as ever, with the Sun Devils scoring nine goals in three outings this season. Leahy leads the pack with three in her first three NCAA Division I games since transferring from the Community College of Rhode Island prior to the school year. While on the East Coast, Leahy twice earned All-American honors while knocking an astounding 91 shots into the net.
"There is a big difference between JuCo and NCAA. A lot of it is in learning how to get around opposing players on the field," she said. "And the quality of the teams, mine and the opponents, is so much better."
Leahy, arguably one of the best junior college players in the country over the last two years, said she is still in a transition period of watching and learning while on the field. She plans on reaching her full playing potential after a few more games.
"She's only going to get better," Leone said.
Leone added that the Sun Devils are starting to come together and show the potential that garnered them their highest preseason Pac-10 ranking in the program's history.
"Everyone is starting to pick up on everyone else's style of play: where they are, how they'll react and then how to react," he said. "The growth is really evident and I'm happy with the strides we are making."
The Sun Devils will come back to Tempe and Sun Devil Soccer Stadium for their home opener against No. 2 Notre Dame on Friday.
"That game is going to be one of the highest quality matches to come to ASU and it should be exciting for the players and the fans," Leone said.
Reach the reporter at jason.samuels@asu.edu.
