TEMPE, Ariz. – Sara Tosti and Aly Moon both scored goals in the second half to lead the No. 24 Arizona State women’s soccer team to a 2-0 win over Stephen F. Austin on Friday night.
The Sun Devils, who are 3-0 for the first time since 2010, rang up 34 shots, including 13 on frame. Despite several near misses over the first 50-plus minutes of the game they remained persistent on the offensive end. That tenacity would pay off handsomely in leading them to another win.
“We played well, the ball just didn’t go in,” ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said after the game. “You also need to give to our opponent credit. The game plan they had against us was good. They made it difficult for us break them down. I liked what we did. We just kept going at them and we did it variety of different ways.
“The conversation at halftime was ‘how do you break this down?’ I gave the team a couple different ways to try and break them down and it allowed us to get in the box and score. That was really the concentration we had going into the second half. That is what halftimes are for. You don’t always know what your opponent is going to do; you show up to see how your opponent is playing and you make adjustments. That is what I like about our team this year. Every game we have played, we told them the adjustments and they made them. They listen and that is why we are more dangerous in the second half.”
Cali Farquharson (8) and Lucy Lara (7) combined for 15 of ASU’s shots. Stephen F. Austin goalkeeper Lillie Ehlert made six of her 11 saves on shots by the aforementioned duo. The Sun Devils gave a glimpse of how dangerous their multifaceted attack is as 10 players combined for the other 19 shots. On Friday it was a member of ASU’s back line that came up with the first goal as Tosti blasted a shot from just outside the penalty arc that deflected into the net to give ASU the lead in the 52nd minute.
In the 69th minute Moon added her third goal of the season on a rebound after teammate McKenzie Berryhill’s initial header was stopped. The sequence that led to the goal started with a corner kick.
Chandler Morris got her third shutout of the season and the 22nd of her career moving her within one of shutout of tying the program record of 23. Morris made one save as the Sun Devil defense did an excellent job of patrolling the field. After three games ASU remains the only team in the Pac-12 that has yet to give up a goal.
“I thought Whitney (Kanavel) had an outstanding game at holding mid and I think she is coming into her own. I am very impressed with her,” Boyd said. “I pointed out to the team afterward that we should give some credit to McKenzie Berryhill, Mckenzie Grossman and Whitney, our two center backs and our holding mid, for the discipline they showed in the game.”
The Sun Devils return to action next week when they travel to Tucson to face No. 19 Pepperdine (Fri., Sept. 11 at 4:30 p.m.) and No. 21 Texas Tech (Sun., Sept. 13 at 11 a.m.) in the University of Arizona’s annual tournament. Both games will be shown on Pac-12 Networks.
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