TEMPE, Ariz. – It wasn't the result that Arizona State wanted, but the Sun Devil women's soccer team battled valiantly for over 97 minutes in Friday afternoon's season opener.
Taking on an Ohio State club that made the round of 32 in last year's NCAA Tournament, Arizona State was able to answer an early Buckeye goal and keep the lid-lifter square at 1-1 all the way through regulation. Ultimately, however, the visitors from Columbus were able to escape with a victory after forward Meghan Kammerdeiner found the back of the net in the match's 98th minute.
"I can't fault the girls for their effort," said first-year head coach Graham Winkworth. "They worked extremely hard today."
The Sun Devils (0-1-0) pulled even after benefiting from their first goal of the year at the 30 minute mark. It was freshman forward Olive Jones who cashed in, heading the ball into the net off a corner taken by Jemma Purfield.
Jones, a Phoenix native who played the most minutes out of any Sun Devil in last week's exhibition victory, is already off to quite the start playing for the team she grew up rooting for.
"It's always nice for a striker to get their first one," Winkworth said after the mach. "Hopefully that will settle her nerves. She's been banging them away during the preseason so I knew it wasn't going to take long."
A stout defensive effort from Arizona State in the second half helped keep the match tied. The Sun Devil defense was able to keep Ohio State's (1-0-0) opportunities to a minimum, and goalkeeper Megan Delaney did a great job of saving all six shots that came her way in the final 45 minutes.
Sophomore Christina Edwards and junior Angela Boyle created two opportunities in the final 40 seconds of regulation, but both attempts at a near-buzzer beating win ended up banging off the woodwork. The home team also had a great chance for a golden goal on one of the first touches of overtime, but midfielder Jemma Purfield's shot was just a touch high and bounced off the crossbar.
Kammerdeiner and the Buckeyes ultimately broke through soon thereafter, ending the match with an unassisted goal in the 98th minute.
Despite coming up on the wrong end of the scoreline, Arizona State had more shots (15-9) and shots on goal (6-5) than Ohio State.
A sellout crowd of 1,070 was on hand for the season opener, a number that brought a smile to Winkworth's face when asked about the boisterous and vocal supporters.
"They were absolutely brilliant," said the head coach. "I appreciate them coming out today and being so vocal."
The Sun Devils have a quick turnaround as they will face Beijing Normal University on Sunday morning with game time scheduled for 11 a.m. at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
All fans who attend Sunday's match will be admitted free of charge. It will also be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
Taking on an Ohio State club that made the round of 32 in last year's NCAA Tournament, Arizona State was able to answer an early Buckeye goal and keep the lid-lifter square at 1-1 all the way through regulation. Ultimately, however, the visitors from Columbus were able to escape with a victory after forward Meghan Kammerdeiner found the back of the net in the match's 98th minute.
"I can't fault the girls for their effort," said first-year head coach Graham Winkworth. "They worked extremely hard today."
The Sun Devils (0-1-0) pulled even after benefiting from their first goal of the year at the 30 minute mark. It was freshman forward Olive Jones who cashed in, heading the ball into the net off a corner taken by Jemma Purfield.
.@SunDevilSoccer ties the game on a beautiful header! #Pac12Soccer
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) August 19, 2017
Watch live: https://t.co/kyGnfV2fzj https://t.co/BKAaLOgMIm
Jones, a Phoenix native who played the most minutes out of any Sun Devil in last week's exhibition victory, is already off to quite the start playing for the team she grew up rooting for.
"It's always nice for a striker to get their first one," Winkworth said after the mach. "Hopefully that will settle her nerves. She's been banging them away during the preseason so I knew it wasn't going to take long."
A stout defensive effort from Arizona State in the second half helped keep the match tied. The Sun Devil defense was able to keep Ohio State's (1-0-0) opportunities to a minimum, and goalkeeper Megan Delaney did a great job of saving all six shots that came her way in the final 45 minutes.
"Nope" - @megan_delaney, probably. ??????https://t.co/P7AQjIXrii
— Sun Devil Soccer (@SunDevilSoccer) August 19, 2017
Sophomore Christina Edwards and junior Angela Boyle created two opportunities in the final 40 seconds of regulation, but both attempts at a near-buzzer beating win ended up banging off the woodwork. The home team also had a great chance for a golden goal on one of the first touches of overtime, but midfielder Jemma Purfield's shot was just a touch high and bounced off the crossbar.
Kammerdeiner and the Buckeyes ultimately broke through soon thereafter, ending the match with an unassisted goal in the 98th minute.
Despite coming up on the wrong end of the scoreline, Arizona State had more shots (15-9) and shots on goal (6-5) than Ohio State.
A sellout crowd of 1,070 was on hand for the season opener, a number that brought a smile to Winkworth's face when asked about the boisterous and vocal supporters.
"They were absolutely brilliant," said the head coach. "I appreciate them coming out today and being so vocal."
The Sun Devils have a quick turnaround as they will face Beijing Normal University on Sunday morning with game time scheduled for 11 a.m. at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
All fans who attend Sunday's match will be admitted free of charge. It will also be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.