Feb. 12, 2012
#5 Arizona State 8, #6 UC-Irvine 4
Arizona State University Todd Clapper has harped on his team’s need to continue getting better on the defensive end throughout the season, and he saw his team bring that sentiment to fruition as the #5 Sun Devils stifled the #6 UC-Irvine offense en route to an 8-4 victory in the championship game of the Triton Invitational in San Diego.
Senior Alicia Brightwell continued her scoring tear, netting three goals in the first half while the Sun Devil defense made things difficult for the Anteater offense as ASU entered halftime with a 4-1 advantage.
UC-Irvine didn’t give in though and brought the game within two goals three times over the second half, but each time Arizona State freshman Anna Kertes had an answer. After the Anteaters made it 4-2 just 19 seconds into the second half, Kertes responded with her first goal of the game to make it 5-2 in favor of ASU and provide the eventual game-winner in the process.
Irvine would make it 5-3 later in the quarter but Kertes responded again with her second goal of the game just 29 seconds later to put ASU up 6-3 heading into the fourth.
In the fourth, UCI again made it a two goal game on a Danielle Ward goal, just to see Kertes net her third of the game about half a minute later and the Sun Devils held the Anteaters scoreless for the remainder of the game, with a Kelsey White goal bring the final score to 8-4.
The star of the day was goalkeeper Ianeta Hutchinson though, who was a brick wall in the cage with 13 saves to just four goals against for an impressive .765 save percentage, her second-highest single game total this season.
Brightwell's three goals in the nightcap brought her two-day total to 12 and she leads all Sun Devils with 31 goals already this season.
#5 Arizona State def. #5 UC-Irvine, 8-4
ASU – 2-2-2-2 = 8
UCI – 0-1-2-1 = 4
GOALS
ASU: Brightwell 3, Kertes 3, Salloum, White
UCI: Cardey, Warde, Croghan, Kipp