Flagstaff, Ariz. – The Arizona State Soccer team captured their second consecutive victory, defeating Northern Arizona, 1-0, Friday evening at Lumberjack Stadium.
The win improved the Sun Devils to 4-2 on the season, moving their record to 2-0 on the road in the process. Arizona State has a 2-0 record this season against opponents out of the Big Sky Conference, handling Montana 3-1 at home in the season opener. ASU now leads the all-time series against NAU, 11-1. The shutout represents the second consecutive road clean sweep and third overall for Coach Winkworth's side in 2018.
A slight tweak in the formation by Coach Winkworth paid dividends and allowed the Sun Devils to get off to a quick start on the road in the altitude of Flagstaff, as Jemma Purfield forced a Lumberjack save just 30 seconds into the game. An early corner kick, a little over a minute into Friday's contest, threatened the NAU defense, before being cleared by a defender. "I thought the team was extremely well prepared in the fact that we came out with a different formation, Coach Winkworth said, "and it took Northern Arizona a little bit by surprise."
Controlling a majority of possession through the first four minutes of the game, a great sequence of passes led to a chance from 15-yards out from Marleen Schimmer. She took a clean touch, turning and firing a perfectly placed shot to the bottom corner of the goal to put the Sun Devils up 1-0 with 40:30 left in the first half. Madison Wolf was credited with the assist on Schimmer's first goal of her collegiate career.
"It was good to get a quick goal." Coach Winkworth reflected. "It was a beautiful team goal and an excellent run from (Madison) Wolf and a dummy by Alexia (Delgado) leading to a brilliant strike from Schimmy (Marleen Schimmer)."
The Lumberjacks looked to respond quickly after falling behind, testing goalkeeper Nikki Panas' positioning with a long-distance shot. Panas comfortably made the save and initiated a Sun Devil counter. Purfield continued to apply pressure seven minutes into the first half, firing the third shot of the half for the visiting side slightly wide of the goal.
In a similar scenario to the goal she scored against Montana earlier in the season, Nicole Douglas' relentless movement almost led to a mistake by the Lumberjack goalkeeper 18 minutes into the first half. Later in the period, Douglas nearly was able to get on the end of a long ball from midfield, with the pass sailing just over her head as she leaped up to connect.
Midway through the first half, Panas made a decisive move off her line to thwart a pass over the top of the defense off a set piece in one of NAU's rare opportunities. The Lumberjacks earned a corner with 11 minutes to go in the opening half, but the Arizona State defense was up for the challenge, clearing the entrance before a Lumberjack could threaten. A counter attack built off the clearance culminated in a Jemma Purfield scoring chance, which she placed on net requiring a response from the NAU goalkeeper.
The scoring opportunities would come in bunches to end the half, as the Sun Devils finished the first 45 minutes strong. Douglas made an athletic play on a header inside the penalty box, managing to get enough power behind her shot to place it perfectly under the crossbar. Jumping up and stretching full extension, the Lumberjack goalkeeper get a hand on the shot preventing the Sun Devils from taking a 2-0 lead.
Casey Martinez would fire two shots on net in the final three minutes as ASU continued to apply pressure, giving the Sun Devils six shots on goal at the end of the half. "I was very happy with the chances that we created, but it would have been nice to have an insurance goal," Winkworth added.
Following the same script as the first half, the Sun Devils came out attacking in the second. Purfield used a free kick opportunity to bend one on net, but the NAU goalkeeper was just able to punch it out of bounds resulting in an ASU corner kick.
A beneficiary of the formation change, Kylie Minniefield impacted the game in several ways. She was a big reason why the Sun Devils were able to maintain control of the possession for a majority of the night, while also making several significant defensive plays thanks to her relentless effort. Her performance was one that Coach Winkworth pointed to as a key to the win this evening, "Kylie played fantastic tonight with great effort and intensity," Coach Winkworth said. "She was a big reason why we were able to shut them down and earn the victory."
Back-and-forth play would ensue as the half moved along, with the Sun Devils able possess the ball with intelligent passing. Discipline defensive structure from Coach Winkworth's team prevented Northern Arizona from establishing a rhythm and creating any offensive momentum. "We were limiting Northern Arizona's opportunities, so I was pleased with our team defending as well," Coach Winkworth stated.
As a result of quick passing through the midfield, Jemma Purfield broke free and sent a rocket on net for her fourth shot on goal of the night. The subsequent corner kick from Casey Martinez created stress on the Lumberjack defense before being cleared to the sideline.
"I was really pleased because the box score says we hit the target nine times out of ten chances," Coach Winkworth referenced when asked about his team's offense attack. "It shows that we were being very efficient in front of goal. I think we could have tested the goalkeeper more with some of those shots, but we are hitting the target and that was important."
Later in the second half, a dangerous through ball trickling into the penalty box was dealt with by a diving Nikki Panas before a Lumberjack could get on the end of the pass. Panas got some help from a sprawling Sun Devil defender with under 10 minutes to go, preserving the shutout and averting a potential Lumberjack scoring opportunity. The Arizona State defense held strong, playing courageously down the stretch to hault several NAU attacks to maintain the 1-0 lead and pick up their fourth victory of the season.
After a difficult travel schedule in which they found themselves in South Dakota earlier in the week, the Sun Devils will be back in action this Sunday afternoon when they return home to match up with another opponent from the Big Sky in Weber State.
"It is very difficult because it is very different where we played on Monday against South Dakota State," Coach Winkworth said about the travel challenges this week. "The grass was long, the field was big, and the conditions were very different. Then we come to the altitude where the grass is short and the field is very small, so that was a significant factor. I was very proud of the way the team adapted from game to game, but we are excited to get back to Tempe and entertain our own fans on Sunday afternoon."
The match at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT. Fans can stay up to date with the Sun Devils all season long by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter.
The win improved the Sun Devils to 4-2 on the season, moving their record to 2-0 on the road in the process. Arizona State has a 2-0 record this season against opponents out of the Big Sky Conference, handling Montana 3-1 at home in the season opener. ASU now leads the all-time series against NAU, 11-1. The shutout represents the second consecutive road clean sweep and third overall for Coach Winkworth's side in 2018.
A slight tweak in the formation by Coach Winkworth paid dividends and allowed the Sun Devils to get off to a quick start on the road in the altitude of Flagstaff, as Jemma Purfield forced a Lumberjack save just 30 seconds into the game. An early corner kick, a little over a minute into Friday's contest, threatened the NAU defense, before being cleared by a defender. "I thought the team was extremely well prepared in the fact that we came out with a different formation, Coach Winkworth said, "and it took Northern Arizona a little bit by surprise."
Controlling a majority of possession through the first four minutes of the game, a great sequence of passes led to a chance from 15-yards out from Marleen Schimmer. She took a clean touch, turning and firing a perfectly placed shot to the bottom corner of the goal to put the Sun Devils up 1-0 with 40:30 left in the first half. Madison Wolf was credited with the assist on Schimmer's first goal of her collegiate career.
"It was good to get a quick goal." Coach Winkworth reflected. "It was a beautiful team goal and an excellent run from (Madison) Wolf and a dummy by Alexia (Delgado) leading to a brilliant strike from Schimmy (Marleen Schimmer)."
The Lumberjacks looked to respond quickly after falling behind, testing goalkeeper Nikki Panas' positioning with a long-distance shot. Panas comfortably made the save and initiated a Sun Devil counter. Purfield continued to apply pressure seven minutes into the first half, firing the third shot of the half for the visiting side slightly wide of the goal.
In a similar scenario to the goal she scored against Montana earlier in the season, Nicole Douglas' relentless movement almost led to a mistake by the Lumberjack goalkeeper 18 minutes into the first half. Later in the period, Douglas nearly was able to get on the end of a long ball from midfield, with the pass sailing just over her head as she leaped up to connect.
Midway through the first half, Panas made a decisive move off her line to thwart a pass over the top of the defense off a set piece in one of NAU's rare opportunities. The Lumberjacks earned a corner with 11 minutes to go in the opening half, but the Arizona State defense was up for the challenge, clearing the entrance before a Lumberjack could threaten. A counter attack built off the clearance culminated in a Jemma Purfield scoring chance, which she placed on net requiring a response from the NAU goalkeeper.
The scoring opportunities would come in bunches to end the half, as the Sun Devils finished the first 45 minutes strong. Douglas made an athletic play on a header inside the penalty box, managing to get enough power behind her shot to place it perfectly under the crossbar. Jumping up and stretching full extension, the Lumberjack goalkeeper get a hand on the shot preventing the Sun Devils from taking a 2-0 lead.
Casey Martinez would fire two shots on net in the final three minutes as ASU continued to apply pressure, giving the Sun Devils six shots on goal at the end of the half. "I was very happy with the chances that we created, but it would have been nice to have an insurance goal," Winkworth added.
Following the same script as the first half, the Sun Devils came out attacking in the second. Purfield used a free kick opportunity to bend one on net, but the NAU goalkeeper was just able to punch it out of bounds resulting in an ASU corner kick.
A beneficiary of the formation change, Kylie Minniefield impacted the game in several ways. She was a big reason why the Sun Devils were able to maintain control of the possession for a majority of the night, while also making several significant defensive plays thanks to her relentless effort. Her performance was one that Coach Winkworth pointed to as a key to the win this evening, "Kylie played fantastic tonight with great effort and intensity," Coach Winkworth said. "She was a big reason why we were able to shut them down and earn the victory."
Back-and-forth play would ensue as the half moved along, with the Sun Devils able possess the ball with intelligent passing. Discipline defensive structure from Coach Winkworth's team prevented Northern Arizona from establishing a rhythm and creating any offensive momentum. "We were limiting Northern Arizona's opportunities, so I was pleased with our team defending as well," Coach Winkworth stated.
As a result of quick passing through the midfield, Jemma Purfield broke free and sent a rocket on net for her fourth shot on goal of the night. The subsequent corner kick from Casey Martinez created stress on the Lumberjack defense before being cleared to the sideline.
"I was really pleased because the box score says we hit the target nine times out of ten chances," Coach Winkworth referenced when asked about his team's offense attack. "It shows that we were being very efficient in front of goal. I think we could have tested the goalkeeper more with some of those shots, but we are hitting the target and that was important."
Later in the second half, a dangerous through ball trickling into the penalty box was dealt with by a diving Nikki Panas before a Lumberjack could get on the end of the pass. Panas got some help from a sprawling Sun Devil defender with under 10 minutes to go, preserving the shutout and averting a potential Lumberjack scoring opportunity. The Arizona State defense held strong, playing courageously down the stretch to hault several NAU attacks to maintain the 1-0 lead and pick up their fourth victory of the season.
After a difficult travel schedule in which they found themselves in South Dakota earlier in the week, the Sun Devils will be back in action this Sunday afternoon when they return home to match up with another opponent from the Big Sky in Weber State.
"It is very difficult because it is very different where we played on Monday against South Dakota State," Coach Winkworth said about the travel challenges this week. "The grass was long, the field was big, and the conditions were very different. Then we come to the altitude where the grass is short and the field is very small, so that was a significant factor. I was very proud of the way the team adapted from game to game, but we are excited to get back to Tempe and entertain our own fans on Sunday afternoon."
The match at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT. Fans can stay up to date with the Sun Devils all season long by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter.