The Sun Devils would split their games this weekend against No. 3 USC and No. 14 Long Beach State.
USC
It would be a low scoring first quarter, with only three goals total being scored: one by ASU and two by USC, a seemingly easily surmountable lead. Things did not turn out that way, however.
The Trojans would mount a deadly offensive in the second and third quarters, scoring six goals in each. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game was already decided with USC holding a massive 14-5 lead.
ASU would try to rally back, having its best scoring quarter of the game, where the team managed to find the back of the net four times, but the damage had already been done. USC scored three goals in the quarter for a final score of 17-9.
USC had four players who managed to score three or more goals in the game: Senior attacker Monica Vavic led her team with four, while graduate student attacker Jennifer Stiefel, sophomore attacker Stephania Haralabidis, and senior center Eike Daube all recorded hat tricks in the win.
The majority of ASU’s scoring came from the usual top two scorers on the team, sophomore attacker Izabella Chiappini who scored four, and sophomore center Alkistis Benekou who added in 2 more.
Long Beach State
The Sun Devils did not allow their previous loss weigh them down, and came into the game looking to end the weekend on a win.
ASU would snap LBSU’s impressive eight-game win streak, doubling their score 10-5.
ASU would rally behind an impressive scoring 8-1 run, while redshirt junior goalkeeper E.B. Keeve would not allow much into the goal, recording nine saves on the day.
The Sun Devils would be tied at the end of the first quarter with LBSU, with both teams scoring two goals apiece. The second and third quarters were where ASU dominated. ASU would score three goals in the second quarter while holding LBSU to zero, and find the back of the net twice in the third quarter while only allowing one goal. ASU would head into the final quarter of play with a healthy 7-3 lead, and would manage to have yet another high scoring quarter with three goals.
Senior attacker Petra Pardi would play a pivotal role in the win for the Sun Devils, as she had her best offensive game this season, scoring a total of four goals, one per quarter. Chiappini would contribute a hat trick in the win as well.
The Sun Devils will finally get the opportunity to play at home as they host the ASU Invitational tournament on March 21 and 22, after being on the road the entire season.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow @MarcTSteiner on Twitter
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