TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State soccer team topped 12th- ranked Washington State, 3-1, Thursday afternoon at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. The win marked ASU's first win over a ranked opponent since the team defeated then No. 23 Arizona in Tucson to end the 2015 season.
"I thought we have been playing well the last few times out," head coach Graham Winkworth said of getting his team back into the win column. "We were very good against Colorado. I thought we were extremely unlucky to not come away with a win there. We needed to come away with something from this weekend for sure. The team we played today is a very good team and I thought particularly in the second half we were excellent. Front to back I was really proud of the ladies efforts today, particularly in the second half."
With both team's trying to feel one and other out to start to the game, most of the action took place in the midfield. The first shot would not come until the ninth-minute, a low driving shot that goalkeeper Nikki Panas would handle with ease. The Sun Devil defense was stingy against the Cougars first two corners, staying disciplined and dealing with the threat by blocking a pair of shots a little over 14 minutes into the half to keep the game scoreless.
While Washington State found their footing offensively early in the first half, the Sun Devils would quickly respond with a push of their own. Alexia Delgado put a shot on net from a tough angle that required a response from the Cougar goalkeeper, Emma Dahline. Shortly after, Jemma Purfield kept the pressure on with a pair of shots of her own.
Washington State would strike first on a broken play right before the end of the half, as Molly Myers beat Panas for her third goal of the season. With the Sun Devils falling behind with just 14 seconds left in the half, a message was sent at halftime by Coach Winkworth.
"I told the team at halftime that we had to stop being pushed around," Winkworth said of his message to his team at the break. "We are not an aggressive team. We don't want to be the type of team that starts fouling. We want to be a team that entertains, but we can't get pushed around. I felt like we weren't winning enough 50/50 balls, we weren't winning enough headers. I told them that I don't care if we are shorter than the opposition, we still needed to get our heads on the end of a ball and I thought that in the second half we were able to match them physically while still being able to play our style of soccer."
Looking to claw their way back into the match, Nicole Douglas put a shot on net that led to a corner just over a minute into the second half. With 10 minutes elapsed in the second half, it was clear the Sun Devils had come out with a more aggressive mindset, hungry for the equalizer.
The Sun Devil's relentless pressure finally paid off in the 71st minute, when Marleen Schimmer executed a perfect free kick from right outside the penalty box that found its way to the back of the net. The second goal of the season for the freshman was one of high degree of difficulty, but placed in the corner of the net impossible for the Cougars goalkeeper to answer. With the Cougars on their heels, the Sun Devils continued to keep their foot on the gas pedal.
A sequence of passes through the midfield and a perfectly weighted ball that Jemma Purfield would find herself on the end of led to a cross that fell perfectly to the foot of Eva Van Deuersen. The freshman was able to volley it into the net, easily beating the Cougar goaltender who had very little time to react. With Arizona State now leading 2-1, the intensity of the play by the Sun Devil offense picked up as they sensed a potential upset victory over the No. 12 team in the nation.
"I think we started to play a little bit more," Winkworth said of his team's second half offensive production. "I think we were a little shell shocked after giving up a goal with just seconds remaining in the first half. That's something that can knock the stuffing out of you. If they would have scored in the first ten minutes of the second half it could have been very dangerous. The ladies stuck in and once we settled down and started to play a little bit more, we were very good. I thought we did a better job of matching them physically in the second half."
It would not take the Sun Devils long to extend their lead, as senior Natalie Stephens buried a shot to the back of the net after she was able to corral a deflected ball in the box off a previous shot attempt. The Sun Devils would end the second half outshooting the Cougars, 9-5, in a dominating final 45 minutes.
When the dust settled, ASU would leave the pitch with a signature win that snapped a four game slide for the Devils. Statistically, ASU out-shot the visiting Cougars 15-14, including a marked advantage of 10-4 in shots on goal.
ASU will be back in action on Sunday when they host Washington. Kickoff in Sunday's match is set for 1 p.m. PT, and will serve as the team's annual Pink Game. The team will don their pink jerseys, and invite fans to wear pink to the game. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2018 season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter.
"I thought we have been playing well the last few times out," head coach Graham Winkworth said of getting his team back into the win column. "We were very good against Colorado. I thought we were extremely unlucky to not come away with a win there. We needed to come away with something from this weekend for sure. The team we played today is a very good team and I thought particularly in the second half we were excellent. Front to back I was really proud of the ladies efforts today, particularly in the second half."
With both team's trying to feel one and other out to start to the game, most of the action took place in the midfield. The first shot would not come until the ninth-minute, a low driving shot that goalkeeper Nikki Panas would handle with ease. The Sun Devil defense was stingy against the Cougars first two corners, staying disciplined and dealing with the threat by blocking a pair of shots a little over 14 minutes into the half to keep the game scoreless.
While Washington State found their footing offensively early in the first half, the Sun Devils would quickly respond with a push of their own. Alexia Delgado put a shot on net from a tough angle that required a response from the Cougar goalkeeper, Emma Dahline. Shortly after, Jemma Purfield kept the pressure on with a pair of shots of her own.
Washington State would strike first on a broken play right before the end of the half, as Molly Myers beat Panas for her third goal of the season. With the Sun Devils falling behind with just 14 seconds left in the half, a message was sent at halftime by Coach Winkworth.
"I told the team at halftime that we had to stop being pushed around," Winkworth said of his message to his team at the break. "We are not an aggressive team. We don't want to be the type of team that starts fouling. We want to be a team that entertains, but we can't get pushed around. I felt like we weren't winning enough 50/50 balls, we weren't winning enough headers. I told them that I don't care if we are shorter than the opposition, we still needed to get our heads on the end of a ball and I thought that in the second half we were able to match them physically while still being able to play our style of soccer."
Looking to claw their way back into the match, Nicole Douglas put a shot on net that led to a corner just over a minute into the second half. With 10 minutes elapsed in the second half, it was clear the Sun Devils had come out with a more aggressive mindset, hungry for the equalizer.
The Sun Devil's relentless pressure finally paid off in the 71st minute, when Marleen Schimmer executed a perfect free kick from right outside the penalty box that found its way to the back of the net. The second goal of the season for the freshman was one of high degree of difficulty, but placed in the corner of the net impossible for the Cougars goalkeeper to answer. With the Cougars on their heels, the Sun Devils continued to keep their foot on the gas pedal.
A sequence of passes through the midfield and a perfectly weighted ball that Jemma Purfield would find herself on the end of led to a cross that fell perfectly to the foot of Eva Van Deuersen. The freshman was able to volley it into the net, easily beating the Cougar goaltender who had very little time to react. With Arizona State now leading 2-1, the intensity of the play by the Sun Devil offense picked up as they sensed a potential upset victory over the No. 12 team in the nation.
"I think we started to play a little bit more," Winkworth said of his team's second half offensive production. "I think we were a little shell shocked after giving up a goal with just seconds remaining in the first half. That's something that can knock the stuffing out of you. If they would have scored in the first ten minutes of the second half it could have been very dangerous. The ladies stuck in and once we settled down and started to play a little bit more, we were very good. I thought we did a better job of matching them physically in the second half."
It would not take the Sun Devils long to extend their lead, as senior Natalie Stephens buried a shot to the back of the net after she was able to corral a deflected ball in the box off a previous shot attempt. The Sun Devils would end the second half outshooting the Cougars, 9-5, in a dominating final 45 minutes.
When the dust settled, ASU would leave the pitch with a signature win that snapped a four game slide for the Devils. Statistically, ASU out-shot the visiting Cougars 15-14, including a marked advantage of 10-4 in shots on goal.
ASU will be back in action on Sunday when they host Washington. Kickoff in Sunday's match is set for 1 p.m. PT, and will serve as the team's annual Pink Game. The team will don their pink jerseys, and invite fans to wear pink to the game. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2018 season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter.