Coming off of a quality win against LSU, ASU's soccer team had a tough battle with CSUN, ending in a 1-1 double overtime thriller to move the Devils to 6-2-1.
With the student section crowded in a 91 degree setting, the Sun Devils were ready for their Friday night game. Coming in at 5-1-2, CSUN boasted a level of play similar to ASU’s recent competition, so it was pivotal for the team to bring a strong effort to the pitch in order to win the game.
The early game for the Devils was marked by heavy ball control and an emphasis on offense. Despite holding the ball for the majority of the half and holding CSUN to 0 shots on goal, the Sun Devils were plagued by multiple offsides calls and couldn’t seem to find the back of the net.
It was apparent that going into the second half, something would need to change for the game to turn around.
“They sat back and countered our attack really well, we just have to do more with the ball,” said head coach Graham Winkworth.
The second half did not get off to that desired start as the Matadors struck first on a 48th minute goal from Kacie Garrity, putting ASU at a deficit in the match. The stadium was immediately consumed by silence as the Sun Devils found themselves trailing in a game they dominated for the majority of the time.
From this point, things began to take a turn for the worse. There was soon an open net when CSUN's goalie Amanda Delgado failed to make a play on the ball outside the box, only to be saved by a miscalculated CSUN pass.
It seemed as if nothing was going in the Sun Devils' favor in the half as their offense stalled and failed to put pressure on the opposing defense. However, ASU was awarded a penalty kick in the 75th minute after forward Nicole Douglas was fouled in the goalie box. She managed to tie the game at 1-1 and bring the team new life.
Energy surged through the stadium and momentum shifted back through the Sun Devils. It seemed as if ASU would take the game over with newfound confidence as regulation ended, and the game headed into overtime. Both sides played physical and rough for the whole period giving little ground to each other, resulting in a scoreless first overtime period.
“We dominated the game from start to finish, but unfortunately we weren’t as clinical as we had to be towards those final minutes,” Douglas said.
It seemed that in the final seconds of the second overtime the Devils would pull away, but a shot by midfielder Alexia Delgado missed the net by inches as the final buzzer sounded, ending the game in a tie.
The players carried themselves with pride but had bones to pick with their performance.
“Sometimes we’re so focused on playing 1-2 pretty touch soccer, because that’s what we’re good at, afterwards you look up and see that someone was completely wide open,” midfielder Kylie Miniefield said.
The Sun Devils begin Pac-12 play against Utah on Friday at 2 p.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at pseelams@asu.edu and follow @Hakeem_Prawhat on Twitter.
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