Tucson, Ariz.-- The Arizona State soccer team (2-2-0) battled, but came up just short in their first match away from Sun Devil Soccer Stadium this season, dropping a tightly contested match to Baylor at Mulcahy Soccer Stadium Friday afternoon.
"I felt that we were the stronger team in the first half," head coach Graham Winkworth said. "We were creating the better chances and playing a reasonable style of soccer, but in the second half we unfortunately resorted to playing the style of soccer that our opponent plays, and they are much better at it. They like to play the long ball, and the game turned into a kick fest. They are an extremely aggressive team and I thought we handled it well in the first half, and we didn't in the second."
The two sides traded jabs early, with ASU controlling possession, but neither team was able to create a real opportunity through the first few minutes of the match.
The Sun Devils would see their first scoring opportunity in the 13th- minute of play when freshman midfielder Alexia Delgado made a great cut and fired a shot just wide of the goal.
"I thought Nikki did well with her hands today making saves," Winkworth said of his keeper's performance. "Some of her decision making with her feet is something we will need to improve on. That is something we have got to work on with all of our goalkeepers. I felt that at times we went too long too quickly and that was playing into Baylor's style of play. She did do a good job of shot stopping today for sure."
While both teams continued to press, neither would break the scoreless draw, sending the game to halftime tied at zero.
Following the break, Baylor came out on the attack, earning a corner kick in just the third minute of the second half.
The lone goal in Friday's match came in the 58th- minute when Baylor's Julie James cashed in on a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box.
The match stands as one of the more physical matches the Sun Devils have played in to this point in the season with both teams combining for 28 fouls in the match.
"I do want to praise the team for how much they ran today," Winkworth said of his team's effort. "I asked for two things from them today. One was to run, and the other was to be courageous in the style of soccer we play. Today they ran their socks off. They worked extremely hard and we have got to continue to do that, but we have to be braver and more courageous in playing our style of soccer."
The Sun Devils will look to get back on track on Monday afternoon when they head to Brookings, South Dakota to take on South Dakota State. Kickoff in Monday's match is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be streamed on GoJaks.com with live stats available through stat broadcast. Fans can also follow all of the action from the season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter.
"I felt that we were the stronger team in the first half," head coach Graham Winkworth said. "We were creating the better chances and playing a reasonable style of soccer, but in the second half we unfortunately resorted to playing the style of soccer that our opponent plays, and they are much better at it. They like to play the long ball, and the game turned into a kick fest. They are an extremely aggressive team and I thought we handled it well in the first half, and we didn't in the second."
The two sides traded jabs early, with ASU controlling possession, but neither team was able to create a real opportunity through the first few minutes of the match.
The Sun Devils would see their first scoring opportunity in the 13th- minute of play when freshman midfielder Alexia Delgado made a great cut and fired a shot just wide of the goal.
Baylor, a team who reached the NCAA's Elite Eight a year ago would quickly counter as Raegan Padgett would force Sun Devil keeper Nikki Panas to make one of her six first-half saves just minutes later.15'| Sun Devils get their first look on goal, but the ball sails just wide.
— Sun Devil Soccer (@SunDevilSoccer) September 7, 2018
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"I thought Nikki did well with her hands today making saves," Winkworth said of his keeper's performance. "Some of her decision making with her feet is something we will need to improve on. That is something we have got to work on with all of our goalkeepers. I felt that at times we went too long too quickly and that was playing into Baylor's style of play. She did do a good job of shot stopping today for sure."
While both teams continued to press, neither would break the scoreless draw, sending the game to halftime tied at zero.
Following the break, Baylor came out on the attack, earning a corner kick in just the third minute of the second half.
The lone goal in Friday's match came in the 58th- minute when Baylor's Julie James cashed in on a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box.
The match stands as one of the more physical matches the Sun Devils have played in to this point in the season with both teams combining for 28 fouls in the match.
"I do want to praise the team for how much they ran today," Winkworth said of his team's effort. "I asked for two things from them today. One was to run, and the other was to be courageous in the style of soccer we play. Today they ran their socks off. They worked extremely hard and we have got to continue to do that, but we have to be braver and more courageous in playing our style of soccer."
The Sun Devils will look to get back on track on Monday afternoon when they head to Brookings, South Dakota to take on South Dakota State. Kickoff in Monday's match is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be streamed on GoJaks.com with live stats available through stat broadcast. Fans can also follow all of the action from the season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter.