PULLMAN, Wash. – The Arizona State women's soccer team came away with a split on its road trip to the state of Washington after dropping a 2-1, double-overtime decision to Washington State on a cold, rainy day in Pullman, Washington.
The Sun Devils (6-5-2, 1-3-1 Pac-12) started their trip with a dramatic, come-from-behind, double-overtime win over Washington on Thursday in which they scored the game-tying goal in the 87th minute and then won it in the 105th minute. On Sunday, the Sun Devils would have the script flipped on them as the Cougars (6-6-1, 1-4) scored the game-tying goal late in regulation and then won it with less than five minutes remaining in the second overtime.
"Going in we had a game plan against them and it was working in the first half," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said. "Certainly the attack was working the way we wanted it to. We were getting at them the way we wanted to and it produced a goal. The problem is after we scored the goal we sat back and thought we would just hold on. We've tried that and it does not work.
"We just couldn't find a way to get everyone going full on together. It felt like we were just holding on and then we end up giving one away late in the game. That gave them some momentum going into overtime."
Jazmarie Mader, the team's leader in goals who missed Thursday's game at Washington, was responsible for ASU's only goal of the game as she scored her eighth of the season on a penalty kick in the 19th minute.
The Sun Devils were on the wrong end of a 30-6 shot count as the Cougars were responsible for 23 of the 24 shots that were taken over the last 60-plus minutes of the game. Also helping Washington State's cause was a 14-6 advantage in corner kicks (10 of 14 came in the second half and overtime).
Although the offensive statistics would eventually end up in Washington State's favor, it was the Sun Devils who controlled the action early as they had five shots and three corner kicks in the game's first 31 minutes. The early pressure they were exerting paid off handsomely in the 19th minute when Mader was fouled while attempting to get to a ball that was served into the box. She was successful on the ensuing penalty kick to give ASU the 1-0 lead.
Washington State would start to take control over the last nine minutes of the half as they accounted for all three of the game's shot attempts and both corner kicks in that stretch. The momentum the Cougars established would carry over into the second half as their aggressiveness led to six corner kicks four shot attempts over the first 10:21 of the half.
Although that pattern would end up being the dominant theme of the half, the Sun Devils and goalkeeper Megan Delaney continued to turn the Cougars back time and again. Washington State would break through, however, after ASU committed a foul deep in the Cougars' attacking third. The Cougars would take advantage of the opportunity by scoring the goal that tied that game at 1-1 in the 83rd minute.
"We gave up way too many corners and that was a massive concern that I had," Boyd said. "I just did not feel like we handled our players very well. I just felt like we were a step off in many areas and you are not going to win Pac-12 games when you are playing like that. You have to be full on, you have to work hard and you have to be the aggressor."
The score would remain tied through the end of regulation sending the game into overtime. The Cougars would take all 10 shots in the two overtimes. A disputed foul that was called on the Sun Devils as they were attacking deep on Washington State's end of the field flipped the field position and would end up leading to the game-winning goal that was scored by Morgan Weaver in the 106th minute.
The Sun Devils did not have Mader on the field for the last 15 minutes of regulation on Sunday as the junior forward had a scary moment in which she went down at the start of the 76th minute while trying to maneuver around the attacking half of the field. The game would be stopped a few minutes and Mader was eventually helped off the field. She would return for the start of overtime.
"Jaz has proven to be the only player we have right now that can get in behind opponents and so when she came out we lost a lot of punch on the front line," Boyd explained. "When we lost her then it was a matter of the quality of our play it was really difficult today because of the rain. It's hard to move the ball the way you want to in those conditions and so we were trying to get the ball up top and hold it up top and we didn't do a very good job with that."
Although Mader was back in the lineup, the Sun Devils were still not back at full strength for Sunday's game as Aly Moon, the team's active career leader in goals and points who scored a goal and assisted on the game-tying goal in ASU's win at Washington on Thursday, was held out as a precautionary measure. It was the third time in the last four games that ASU did not have Moon in the lineup as the junior forward also had to sit out both of ASU's games last weekend – 1-1 tie vs. Utah and 1-0 loss to Colorado.
"Not having Aly on the field dramatically changes our team," Boyd said. "We go from a team that is technical, can hold the ball and create and attack in a variety of ways to a team that doesn't keep the ball as well. She is a massive difference maker. Against Washington (on Thursday) and stepped on the field and immediately changed the game and that's what Aly does. But we have to know how to function when we don't have her. We have to be better and I know it is hard on the road, but we have to be better."
Delaney, who started as ASU's goalkeeper for the first five games of the season, was given the starting assignment on Sunday. Delaney, who made 10 saves in ASU's 1-1 tie at Boston College (Aug. 21), collected 12 saves on Sunday which ties the highest single-game total in the Pac-12 this season.
"I thought Megan was good," Boyd said. "I didn't think either goal had anything to do with her. I thought she was solid."
Mader led ASU with three shots. Also recording shots for the Sun Devils were Devyn Kelsey, Jessica Raybe and Lucy Lara, who had ASU's only other shot on goal.
Delaney, Lara, Kelsey, Mckenzie Grossman and Madison Stark played all 105 minutes against Washington State.
The Sun Devils return to action on Saturday (6 p.m. PT) when they host current No. 7 USC at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium in the program's annual Pink Game for Breast Cancer Awareness.
The Sun Devils (6-5-2, 1-3-1 Pac-12) started their trip with a dramatic, come-from-behind, double-overtime win over Washington on Thursday in which they scored the game-tying goal in the 87th minute and then won it in the 105th minute. On Sunday, the Sun Devils would have the script flipped on them as the Cougars (6-6-1, 1-4) scored the game-tying goal late in regulation and then won it with less than five minutes remaining in the second overtime.
"Going in we had a game plan against them and it was working in the first half," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said. "Certainly the attack was working the way we wanted it to. We were getting at them the way we wanted to and it produced a goal. The problem is after we scored the goal we sat back and thought we would just hold on. We've tried that and it does not work.
"We just couldn't find a way to get everyone going full on together. It felt like we were just holding on and then we end up giving one away late in the game. That gave them some momentum going into overtime."
Jazmarie Mader, the team's leader in goals who missed Thursday's game at Washington, was responsible for ASU's only goal of the game as she scored her eighth of the season on a penalty kick in the 19th minute.
The Sun Devils were on the wrong end of a 30-6 shot count as the Cougars were responsible for 23 of the 24 shots that were taken over the last 60-plus minutes of the game. Also helping Washington State's cause was a 14-6 advantage in corner kicks (10 of 14 came in the second half and overtime).
Although the offensive statistics would eventually end up in Washington State's favor, it was the Sun Devils who controlled the action early as they had five shots and three corner kicks in the game's first 31 minutes. The early pressure they were exerting paid off handsomely in the 19th minute when Mader was fouled while attempting to get to a ball that was served into the box. She was successful on the ensuing penalty kick to give ASU the 1-0 lead.
Washington State would start to take control over the last nine minutes of the half as they accounted for all three of the game's shot attempts and both corner kicks in that stretch. The momentum the Cougars established would carry over into the second half as their aggressiveness led to six corner kicks four shot attempts over the first 10:21 of the half.
Although that pattern would end up being the dominant theme of the half, the Sun Devils and goalkeeper Megan Delaney continued to turn the Cougars back time and again. Washington State would break through, however, after ASU committed a foul deep in the Cougars' attacking third. The Cougars would take advantage of the opportunity by scoring the goal that tied that game at 1-1 in the 83rd minute.
"We gave up way too many corners and that was a massive concern that I had," Boyd said. "I just did not feel like we handled our players very well. I just felt like we were a step off in many areas and you are not going to win Pac-12 games when you are playing like that. You have to be full on, you have to work hard and you have to be the aggressor."
The score would remain tied through the end of regulation sending the game into overtime. The Cougars would take all 10 shots in the two overtimes. A disputed foul that was called on the Sun Devils as they were attacking deep on Washington State's end of the field flipped the field position and would end up leading to the game-winning goal that was scored by Morgan Weaver in the 106th minute.
The Sun Devils did not have Mader on the field for the last 15 minutes of regulation on Sunday as the junior forward had a scary moment in which she went down at the start of the 76th minute while trying to maneuver around the attacking half of the field. The game would be stopped a few minutes and Mader was eventually helped off the field. She would return for the start of overtime.
"Jaz has proven to be the only player we have right now that can get in behind opponents and so when she came out we lost a lot of punch on the front line," Boyd explained. "When we lost her then it was a matter of the quality of our play it was really difficult today because of the rain. It's hard to move the ball the way you want to in those conditions and so we were trying to get the ball up top and hold it up top and we didn't do a very good job with that."
Although Mader was back in the lineup, the Sun Devils were still not back at full strength for Sunday's game as Aly Moon, the team's active career leader in goals and points who scored a goal and assisted on the game-tying goal in ASU's win at Washington on Thursday, was held out as a precautionary measure. It was the third time in the last four games that ASU did not have Moon in the lineup as the junior forward also had to sit out both of ASU's games last weekend – 1-1 tie vs. Utah and 1-0 loss to Colorado.
"Not having Aly on the field dramatically changes our team," Boyd said. "We go from a team that is technical, can hold the ball and create and attack in a variety of ways to a team that doesn't keep the ball as well. She is a massive difference maker. Against Washington (on Thursday) and stepped on the field and immediately changed the game and that's what Aly does. But we have to know how to function when we don't have her. We have to be better and I know it is hard on the road, but we have to be better."
Delaney, who started as ASU's goalkeeper for the first five games of the season, was given the starting assignment on Sunday. Delaney, who made 10 saves in ASU's 1-1 tie at Boston College (Aug. 21), collected 12 saves on Sunday which ties the highest single-game total in the Pac-12 this season.
"I thought Megan was good," Boyd said. "I didn't think either goal had anything to do with her. I thought she was solid."
Mader led ASU with three shots. Also recording shots for the Sun Devils were Devyn Kelsey, Jessica Raybe and Lucy Lara, who had ASU's only other shot on goal.
Delaney, Lara, Kelsey, Mckenzie Grossman and Madison Stark played all 105 minutes against Washington State.
The Sun Devils return to action on Saturday (6 p.m. PT) when they host current No. 7 USC at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium in the program's annual Pink Game for Breast Cancer Awareness.