ASU soccer swept GCU in a home-and-home series, winning 3-2 in overtime in game one at GCU and following up with a 4-0 win in Tempe in game two.
Game one (Thursday)
The Sun Devils (4-0-0) started off hot, with senior Olive Jones netting her first goal of the season just over four minutes into the first matchup.
Just over 20 minutes later, GCU responded with two goals in a 3-minute span. Senior Camryn Larson netted her first of the season in the 28th minute and redshirt sophomore Jaycee Iranshad netted the go-ahead score in the 31st, and ASU found itself down 2-1.
GCU held its lead until the 75th minute when junior Vildan Kardesler made a defender miss in the box and slid a shot under the GCU keeper’s arm to tie the game at two, forcing an eventual overtime period.
Just under seven minutes into overtime, an ASU shot rang off the post, and junior Olivia Nguyen was in the right place at the right time to net the game-winner.
While junior Nicole Douglas led the way with five goals in ASU’s first two matchups, she helped set up her teammates in this one, earning assists on both Jones’ and Kardesler’s goals.
Game two (Sunday)
On Sunday night, in game two, neither team could find the back of the net early on. The game seemed destined to be scoreless at the half, when ASU junior Isabel Dehakiz scored her first goal of the season in the 44th minute.
On the other side of the break, Nguyen scored her third goal of the year, and ASU never looked back. The Sun Devils tacked on two more, both from Jones, upping her total to three on the season.
Now at 4-0-0, ASU is just two wins away from matching its win total from last season. The Sun Devils have already matched their 2019 total with three home wins.
Next up for the Sun Devils is Pac-12 play, with USC traveling to Tempe on Friday, Feb. 26. In 2019, ASU went 0-9-2 in Pac-12 play.
Reach the reporter at dmwilhe1@asu.edu and follow @dmwilhelm225 on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
Continue supporting student journalism and donate to The State Press today.
