Tempe, Ariz.-- Arizona State soccer dropped their first match in their last five outings in a hard fought 1-0 loss to the University of Arizona Friday night at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
"Firstly, I want to praise what an amazing senior class we've got," head coach Graham Winkworth said. "We've come so far in two years. We've gone from 146th- to currently 42nd in the RPI, and to do that in two years has come from the leadership of our senior class. I'm really disappointed we did not manage to pick up a victory today for those ladies in particular, but I really want to praise them. Next, I want to praise Arizona. They came out with an excellent game plan. They stopped us from playing very effectively. They had a good plan and for the first twenty minutes we struggled to get out. Once we made some adjustments we were able to get out of it a little, the game was very even, but for those first twenty minutes Arizona's pressure was extremely good."
The Wildcats wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Following a corner kick, University of Arizona defender Samantha Falasco kicked a shot off the front post, assisting Morgan McGarry in front of the net for a 1-0 lead in just the 6th- minute of the match.
"It was a little bit of a frustrating game," senior captain Jemma Purfield said. "By the time we settled down and settled in, we were already down. It was unfortunate being 1-0 down at that point and it is always disappointing in this game since it is a big rivalry. We want to win games and we're playing for a lot on Sunday. Luckily we've got another chance to bounce back."
The Wildcats continued to create opportunities, outshooting the Sun Devils 8-6 in the first half. In the 13th- minute Hanna Clifford put a shot on frame that ended up in the hands of ASU goalkeeper Nikki Panas, who was only forced to make two saves in the match.
As the first half progressed, both teams exchanged runs back and forth, but neither would break onto the scoresheet.
In the 32nd minute, ASU forward Marleen Schimmer nearly tied the game with a free kick that sailed just over the net. Minutes later, Casey Martinez tried her luck from deep but her look sailed wide.
In the closing minutes of the first half Schimmer found herself on the attack again, this time kicking a line drive into the gloves of Arizona goalkeeper Lainey Burdett.
Following the break, Wildcat forward Jill Aguilera launched a deep shot just wide of the net in the 57th minute, to be followed in the 69th minute with a dangerous free kick opportunity that was turned away again by the stifling ASU defense.
The Sun Devils worked hard to find an equalizer in the final ten-minutes, but in the end ASU's comeback effort would come up just short.
"I thought both defenses were very good. Both teams had three shots on goal one of theirs went in and it was a scramble. They've scored a lot of goals. Arizona plays a different brand of soccer to us and they're very good at it. They're dangerous on set pieces we spoke about that unfortunately we weren't able to clear that corner," Winkworth said. "I think for both teams it was a bit of a midfield battle."
The Sun Devils will conclude their 2018 regular season with a matchup against the No.1 Stanford Cardinals Sunday at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium 3:00 MST. Fans can follow all of the action from the final weekend of the regular season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.
"As long as they understand the possibility is alive then we've got a chance," Winkworth said of the match against Stanford on Sunday. "It is possible so we're going to go out there, give it our best, and understand that it is possible to play Stanford and to get a result."
Fans can follow all of the action from Sunday's game by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.
"Firstly, I want to praise what an amazing senior class we've got," head coach Graham Winkworth said. "We've come so far in two years. We've gone from 146th- to currently 42nd in the RPI, and to do that in two years has come from the leadership of our senior class. I'm really disappointed we did not manage to pick up a victory today for those ladies in particular, but I really want to praise them. Next, I want to praise Arizona. They came out with an excellent game plan. They stopped us from playing very effectively. They had a good plan and for the first twenty minutes we struggled to get out. Once we made some adjustments we were able to get out of it a little, the game was very even, but for those first twenty minutes Arizona's pressure was extremely good."
The Wildcats wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Following a corner kick, University of Arizona defender Samantha Falasco kicked a shot off the front post, assisting Morgan McGarry in front of the net for a 1-0 lead in just the 6th- minute of the match.
"It was a little bit of a frustrating game," senior captain Jemma Purfield said. "By the time we settled down and settled in, we were already down. It was unfortunate being 1-0 down at that point and it is always disappointing in this game since it is a big rivalry. We want to win games and we're playing for a lot on Sunday. Luckily we've got another chance to bounce back."
The Wildcats continued to create opportunities, outshooting the Sun Devils 8-6 in the first half. In the 13th- minute Hanna Clifford put a shot on frame that ended up in the hands of ASU goalkeeper Nikki Panas, who was only forced to make two saves in the match.
As the first half progressed, both teams exchanged runs back and forth, but neither would break onto the scoresheet.
In the 32nd minute, ASU forward Marleen Schimmer nearly tied the game with a free kick that sailed just over the net. Minutes later, Casey Martinez tried her luck from deep but her look sailed wide.
In the closing minutes of the first half Schimmer found herself on the attack again, this time kicking a line drive into the gloves of Arizona goalkeeper Lainey Burdett.
Following the break, Wildcat forward Jill Aguilera launched a deep shot just wide of the net in the 57th minute, to be followed in the 69th minute with a dangerous free kick opportunity that was turned away again by the stifling ASU defense.
The Sun Devils worked hard to find an equalizer in the final ten-minutes, but in the end ASU's comeback effort would come up just short.
"I thought both defenses were very good. Both teams had three shots on goal one of theirs went in and it was a scramble. They've scored a lot of goals. Arizona plays a different brand of soccer to us and they're very good at it. They're dangerous on set pieces we spoke about that unfortunately we weren't able to clear that corner," Winkworth said. "I think for both teams it was a bit of a midfield battle."
The Sun Devils will conclude their 2018 regular season with a matchup against the No.1 Stanford Cardinals Sunday at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium 3:00 MST. Fans can follow all of the action from the final weekend of the regular season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.
"As long as they understand the possibility is alive then we've got a chance," Winkworth said of the match against Stanford on Sunday. "It is possible so we're going to go out there, give it our best, and understand that it is possible to play Stanford and to get a result."
Fans can follow all of the action from Sunday's game by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.