TEMPE, Ariz. – For much of Thursday night's soccer game between Arizona State and Cal it would have been a challenge for anyone who did not know any better to determine which of the two teams was ranked 18th in the nation and which team entered the night on a four-game losing streak. In the end it would be the No. 18 Golden Bears who came out on top with a 2-0 win, but not before withstanding a battle from a Sun Devil squad that put forth a resolute effort and, for the better part of the first 70-plus minutes, looked like the better of the two squads.
Although the Bears (13-3-2, 6-1-2 Pac-12) outshot the Sun Devils (6-9-2, 1-7-1) 11-8, ASU was able to create more quality looks as it ended the game with a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. However in what has become an all-too-familiar tune for the Sun Devils during their current losing streak, a spirited defensive effort could only do so much and the scenario repeated itself on Thursday as Cal finally broke through in the 75th minute on a long-distance goal and added an insurance goal on a penalty kick in the 84th minute to capture the win.
"I thought we played well in both halves," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said. "We got a little more tired in the second half and that allowed them to have more of the ball. I still think we created the best chances in the game. We had three exceptional chances and that's not even counting the shot that hit the crossbar. I thought we had the three best chances in the game. We didn't score and then they got a 30-yard goal. It would be nice to get some of those occasionally, but we haven't been that fortunate. Their player hit it well but 30-yard goals are uncommon and then they got that penalty kick late. Still, I thought we played really well.
"We were all committed to the game plan and the team is playing for pride and representing our school. We know this is a good team and we tend to respond to challenges. Cal is very good and well coached. We knew it was going to be a tough game and that we would be the underdogs but I think we responded to that challenge really well. This team has responded the best they can in every game now."
ASU's starting lineup vs. Cal included two players – freshman Olivia Hernandez (forward) and sophomore Madison Wolf (midfield) – who were making their first career start. The Sun Devils also welcomed Lucy Lara (midfield) back to the lineup after the team's active leader in career assists missed both of last week's games in Oregon due to injury. Still inactive were ASU's leading goal scorer this season (Jazmarie Mader) and its active leader in career goals and points (Aly Moon).
In the 19th minute Hernandez nearly put the Devils up after she dribbled into the box, made a move to slip a Cal defender and briefly found herself in a one-on-one matchup with Cal goalkeeper Emily Boyd. Hernandez attempted to go low with her shot, but Boyd came off her line and was able to deflect the ball away.
The Sun Devils got another opportunity in the 26th minute when Madison Kmetko sent a sliding shot from the 18 towards goal, but Boyd, who made five saves in the game, made a diving save to knock the ball away.
Less than two minutes into the second half the Sun Devils created another dangerous opportunity when Lara crossed a ball into the box for Jessica Raybe, who went up and got her head on the ball only to see it bounce off the crossbar. Had the ball been on frame the Sun Devils would have gone ahead as Boyd was out of position to challenge the shot.
ASU's next opportunity came in the 56th minute when Madison Stark served a great ball into the box from 35 yards away. Larisa Staub went up in the air and attempted to get a foot on the ball and redirect it into the goal, but was not able to get the strike she wanted and Boyd was able to make the save.
The Sun Devils would get another chance to take the lead in the 62nd minute when Jaimie Salas found Adriana Orozco with a pass at the top of the 18. Orozco made a move to shake off two Cal defenders and, in a situation very similar to Hernandez' in the first half, found herself with a slight window to try and maneuver a shot past Boyd. Orozco attempted to get her shot over Boyd, but put a little too much on it and the ball would just miss its target and went over the crossbar.
Cal had offered very little in the way of offense through much of the first 70-plus minutes and, although it had allowed ASU several forays into its end of the field, the Bears were still unscathed as the 75th minute approached. Everything the Sun Devils had done right up to that point and what they had not allowed Cal to do suddenly became muted when Cal's Kelly Fitzgerald dialed up a long-distance shot and was able to place the ball into the far right post to give the Bears a 1-0 advantage at the 74:47 mark.
With the Sun Devils now in the position of having to chase the game the Bears would take advantage of the situation and add a second goal via a penalty kick in the 84th minute to bring the curtain down on any hopes the Sun Devils had of tying the game and sending it to overtime.
The Sun Devils gave an admirable effort against Cal and, although they did not have their fill complement of firepower, nearly found themselves in position to pull off the upset. While Boyd acknowledged that the Sun Devils were the underdogs on Thursday, he also lamented what role his team might have played in the game under different circumstances.
"I don't love being an underdog to be quite honest. We want to be better than that but we also know the situation that we're in," Boyd explained. "We got Lucy back on the field today and you can see the difference that it makes. She creates something out of nothing quite a bit. We have two other players that have been out injured (Aly Moon and Jazmarie Mader) that do the exact same thing. When all three of them were out, it was really hard for us trying to get chances and get goals and we're still not sticking the ball in the net all the way. We're an underdog more than that because of anything else.
"When I look at it, show me a team in the Pac-12 that can win (conference games) when their three most dangerous attacking players are out. It makes it hard. What you're left with, then, is that your squad has to have more energy and spirit than the other team for the entire 90 minutes and that's what we tried to do today and we came close."
Sun Devil Soccer dedicated its game against Cal to help highlight the ways Sun Devil fans can help ASU go GREEN! Sun Devil Athletics leads the nation with its sustainable initiatives. ASU was awarded the 2016 USG/NACDA Sustainability award for the most sustainable athletics department.
The Sun Devils return to action on Sunday when they host Stanford at 3 p.m. Sunday's game vs. Stanford will be Senior Day. The Sun Devil soccer program will honor senior student-athletes Mckenzie Grossman, Lucy Lara, Ashley March, Larisa Staub and Annie Warren in a ceremony prior to the game.
Although the Bears (13-3-2, 6-1-2 Pac-12) outshot the Sun Devils (6-9-2, 1-7-1) 11-8, ASU was able to create more quality looks as it ended the game with a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. However in what has become an all-too-familiar tune for the Sun Devils during their current losing streak, a spirited defensive effort could only do so much and the scenario repeated itself on Thursday as Cal finally broke through in the 75th minute on a long-distance goal and added an insurance goal on a penalty kick in the 84th minute to capture the win.
"I thought we played well in both halves," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said. "We got a little more tired in the second half and that allowed them to have more of the ball. I still think we created the best chances in the game. We had three exceptional chances and that's not even counting the shot that hit the crossbar. I thought we had the three best chances in the game. We didn't score and then they got a 30-yard goal. It would be nice to get some of those occasionally, but we haven't been that fortunate. Their player hit it well but 30-yard goals are uncommon and then they got that penalty kick late. Still, I thought we played really well.
"We were all committed to the game plan and the team is playing for pride and representing our school. We know this is a good team and we tend to respond to challenges. Cal is very good and well coached. We knew it was going to be a tough game and that we would be the underdogs but I think we responded to that challenge really well. This team has responded the best they can in every game now."
ASU's starting lineup vs. Cal included two players – freshman Olivia Hernandez (forward) and sophomore Madison Wolf (midfield) – who were making their first career start. The Sun Devils also welcomed Lucy Lara (midfield) back to the lineup after the team's active leader in career assists missed both of last week's games in Oregon due to injury. Still inactive were ASU's leading goal scorer this season (Jazmarie Mader) and its active leader in career goals and points (Aly Moon).
In the 19th minute Hernandez nearly put the Devils up after she dribbled into the box, made a move to slip a Cal defender and briefly found herself in a one-on-one matchup with Cal goalkeeper Emily Boyd. Hernandez attempted to go low with her shot, but Boyd came off her line and was able to deflect the ball away.
The Sun Devils got another opportunity in the 26th minute when Madison Kmetko sent a sliding shot from the 18 towards goal, but Boyd, who made five saves in the game, made a diving save to knock the ball away.
Less than two minutes into the second half the Sun Devils created another dangerous opportunity when Lara crossed a ball into the box for Jessica Raybe, who went up and got her head on the ball only to see it bounce off the crossbar. Had the ball been on frame the Sun Devils would have gone ahead as Boyd was out of position to challenge the shot.
ASU's next opportunity came in the 56th minute when Madison Stark served a great ball into the box from 35 yards away. Larisa Staub went up in the air and attempted to get a foot on the ball and redirect it into the goal, but was not able to get the strike she wanted and Boyd was able to make the save.
The Sun Devils would get another chance to take the lead in the 62nd minute when Jaimie Salas found Adriana Orozco with a pass at the top of the 18. Orozco made a move to shake off two Cal defenders and, in a situation very similar to Hernandez' in the first half, found herself with a slight window to try and maneuver a shot past Boyd. Orozco attempted to get her shot over Boyd, but put a little too much on it and the ball would just miss its target and went over the crossbar.
Cal had offered very little in the way of offense through much of the first 70-plus minutes and, although it had allowed ASU several forays into its end of the field, the Bears were still unscathed as the 75th minute approached. Everything the Sun Devils had done right up to that point and what they had not allowed Cal to do suddenly became muted when Cal's Kelly Fitzgerald dialed up a long-distance shot and was able to place the ball into the far right post to give the Bears a 1-0 advantage at the 74:47 mark.
With the Sun Devils now in the position of having to chase the game the Bears would take advantage of the situation and add a second goal via a penalty kick in the 84th minute to bring the curtain down on any hopes the Sun Devils had of tying the game and sending it to overtime.
The Sun Devils gave an admirable effort against Cal and, although they did not have their fill complement of firepower, nearly found themselves in position to pull off the upset. While Boyd acknowledged that the Sun Devils were the underdogs on Thursday, he also lamented what role his team might have played in the game under different circumstances.
"I don't love being an underdog to be quite honest. We want to be better than that but we also know the situation that we're in," Boyd explained. "We got Lucy back on the field today and you can see the difference that it makes. She creates something out of nothing quite a bit. We have two other players that have been out injured (Aly Moon and Jazmarie Mader) that do the exact same thing. When all three of them were out, it was really hard for us trying to get chances and get goals and we're still not sticking the ball in the net all the way. We're an underdog more than that because of anything else.
"When I look at it, show me a team in the Pac-12 that can win (conference games) when their three most dangerous attacking players are out. It makes it hard. What you're left with, then, is that your squad has to have more energy and spirit than the other team for the entire 90 minutes and that's what we tried to do today and we came close."
Sun Devil Soccer dedicated its game against Cal to help highlight the ways Sun Devil fans can help ASU go GREEN! Sun Devil Athletics leads the nation with its sustainable initiatives. ASU was awarded the 2016 USG/NACDA Sustainability award for the most sustainable athletics department.
Sparky rockin' that Zero Waste vest at tonight's Green Game #couture pic.twitter.com/L6pM8se6WC
— Sun Devil Soccer (@ASUSoccer) October 28, 2016
The Sun Devils return to action on Sunday when they host Stanford at 3 p.m. Sunday's game vs. Stanford will be Senior Day. The Sun Devil soccer program will honor senior student-athletes Mckenzie Grossman, Lucy Lara, Ashley March, Larisa Staub and Annie Warren in a ceremony prior to the game.