TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State women’s soccer team’s upset bid came up short on Friday night as the fifth-ranked Stanford Cardinal scored two goals in the final 16-plus minutes to defeat the Sun Devils 2-0.
The season-high crowd of 1,018 at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium saw the Sun Devils come through with a resilient defensive effort on Friday. Although Stanford (8-2, 2-0 Pac-12) had an 18-4 advantage in shots, the Sun Devils (4-5, 0-2) found themselves one play away from taking the lead for much of the game. One week earlier ASU was on the other end of a similar scenario as it outshot Washington State 24-6, including a 15-1 advantage in the first half, only to have the Cougars score twice in the second half for a 2-1 win.
Unfortunately for the Sun Devils the same script would not play out for them as Stanford scored the go-ahead goal in the 74th minute (Andi Rosen) and added a second goal in the 79th minute (Haley Rosen) to come away with the win.
“Stanford is the best team we have played, by a very large margin,” said ASU head coach Kevin Boyd. “We haven’t played anybody who has played like that against us and they put us on our heels and we never came off of them. I think what we took away is that we have to learn how to play against that type of pressure better and that is what our focus will be.”
The Sun Devils started the game with plenty of energy on the offensive end as their attack produced a pair of corner kicks in the first six minutes of the game. Sophomore forward Aly Moon nearly created a couple dangerous scoring opportunities in the opening minutes as well. ASU’s early forays into the attacking third would not be a preview of what was to come, however, as the Devils struggled to maintain possession on a consistent basis due in large part to Stanford’s pressure.
“I think they just played faster than us. They didn’t play harder, I thought they just played faster,” Boyd explained. “I thought their speed of play was excellent on both sides of the ball. I thought their pressure was really good and I thought when they were getting it they were moving so quickly and running with it and playing on the move very, very well.
Senior midfielder Mackenzie Semerad led ASU with two shots. Moon and junior forward Larisa Staub also posted shots for the Sun Devils. Staub’s attempt in the 88th minute produced ASU’s only shot on goal for the game.
Senior goalkeeper Chandler Morris contributed to the defensive effort that helped the Devils stay close for much of the game as she came up with four saves.
The Sun Devils return to action on Sunday (1 p.m.) when they close out their current three-game homestand against Cal. Sunday’s game vs. Cal will be ASU’s annual Pink Out game in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink cotton candy and pink lemonade will be available for purchase; fans can bid on the pink jerseys worn by the team via a silent auction during the game and there will also be a drawing for a pink soccer ball signed by the team.