The ASU (1-1-1) women's soccer team ended its first game in the Sun Devil Desert Classic in a 0-0 draw against Boston University (1-3-1).
The Sun Devils dominated the match, but were unable to find the back of the net despite playing through both 10 minute over-time halves.
ASU outshot Boston University 16 to nine, while freshman goalkeeper Nikki Panas was hardly tested in her home debut with a total of three saves and her first clean sheet.
Head coach Graham Winkworth said he takes full responsibility for his team’s inability to score on Friday night, in spite of their solid performance.
“We created enough opportunities in that first half to win three matches; unfortunately, we didn’t take advantage of that. And that’s on me,” Winkworth said.
Winkworth continued, saying his team lacked the mentality needed to find the back of the net.
“We got to have that edge, we got to have that killer instinct in front of the goal,” Winkworth said. “Right now, we’ve got players who are capable of scoring goals, but we haven’t had that killer instinct. … It’s the hardest thing to do in the game of soccer is score goals — and right now, we’re clearly finding that.”
The Sun Devils came out at the start of the game on the front foot, dominating in every possible way. ASU forced the Boston University senior goalkeeper Hannah Ciolek into five saves compared to Panas's one.
ASU out-possessed the Terriers for about 75 minutes of the game and found themselves deviating from their possession-style of play because of their inability to break down the Terrier back four.
“I felt like (Boston University) turned the game into a direct match, and that’s not our style of soccer,” Winkworth said. “The second half got away from us because of the fact that we decided to play more a style of soccer that is not suited to us, and allowed Boston into that match. And that was disappointing.”
ASU junior defender Jemma Purfield was the main catalyst and the most dangerous player in the first half and throughout the match.
Purfield created three goal-scoring opportunities where she beat her defender and played the driven pass across the frame, only needing a touch from any oncoming forward to score. Purfield ended the game with three total shots, and with one on target.
She explained that her rising form is a result of how comfortable she is becoming with her team.
“It’s a confidence thing,” Purfield said. "It's growing each game now, getting used to playing with the girls, so I feel we are just going to get better."
Another positive for the Sun Devils was sophomore defensive midfielder Devyn Kelsey, who was the ASU’s defensive presence in the midfield, played a pivotal role in ASU’s ability to maintain possession. Her ability to break down the Terrier attack proved vital to the Sun Devil’s overall performance.
Kelsey said that Boston University did a good job of keeping her from making a bigger impact on the offensive side of the ball.
“They did a pretty good job at man-marking me today,” Kelsey said. "I had trouble sending my long balls out wide like I usually do, but hopefully it gets better against UCF."
The Sun Devils will face off against University of Central Florida on Sunday at 11 a.m. MST in the second game of the Sun Devil Desert Classic.
Reach the reporter at jaramo12@asu.edu or follow @hor_hay10 on Twitter.
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