TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State Lacrosse team opened their second season at the Division I level by defeating Kennesaw State, 14-7, Friday night at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium.
A day that began with a warmup with Warriors' All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson ended in a resounding Sun Devil victory. A strong second half led by a balanced offensive attack pushed Arizona State past Kennesaw State for the second consecutive season.
Attacker Kerri Clayton picked up where she left off last season, getting the home side off to a hot start thanks to a pair of goals in the opening 50 seconds. Kennesaw State would answer back on a 3-0 run of their own, as the young Sun Devils began to settle in.Having a little pregame catch with @StephenCurry30 pic.twitter.com/YniYaNcrci
— Sun Devil Lacrosse (@SunDevilWLax) February 8, 2019
"The jitters were certainly there at the beginning of the game and it showed," Coach Martinez Connor stated. "At one point, I looked out onto the field and I think eight of the 12 players on the field were freshman. With that comes growing pains, but they are all more than capable."
Both teams would exchange goals throughout the first half, but the Sun Devils found themselves on top 5-4 at the break.
After a slow start in the 1st half the Sun Devils were able to rally in the second half. Freshman Morgan McCaffrey got the scoring started, finishing on a feed from Julia Burns to put the Sun Devils ahead 6-5.
"Morgan McCaffrey, who literally played basically the whole 60, was a huge force between the 30s," Coach Martinez Connor mentioned. "She was all over the place, running players down, checking from behind, causing turnovers, and getting ground balls. She did an outstanding job."
After attacker Taylor Carson tacked on another goal to make it 7-5, the Sun Devils turned up the pressure with a physical style of defense. They held the Owls scoreless for an eight minute stretch in the second half. Kennesaw State attacker Emily Napierala found Abby Squires on a fast break as the Owls finally broke the scoring drought. It was all Sun Devils from that point on, as they began to control the action. ASU featured a balanced scoring attack, with four players scoring at least two goals. An offensive explosion helped the Arizona State close out the game on a 7-1 run.
"When it mattered towards the end of the game, they rose to the occasion, were able to stretch the lead, and got into a little bit of a grove," Coach Martinez Connor remarked.
Offensively the Sun Devils got contributions for all over the place, as there were seven different goal scorers. Attacker Kerri Clayton led the team with four goals, while Taylor Carson recorded the team's other hat trick. Midfielder's Kaylon Buckner and Kylie Kroeger scored two goals each. Buckner's two goals were the first of her collegiate career.
"Kaylon Buckner hit her stride in the second half when we moved her to the draw," Coach Martinez Connor added. "She just felt a little more confident and pushing the ball in our fast break. I think that was a great move for us to do."
Freshman midfielders Paige McGlothlin and Morgan McCaffrey each recorded their first collegiate goal, while attacker Julia Burns distributed 2 assists. Defensively the Sun Devils caused 11 turnovers. Goalkeeper Berkeley Bonneau recorded 9 saves between the pipes and kept the home side in front with several timely saves.
The Sun Devils next game will be a tilt against Columbia on Friday, February 22nd at Sun Devil Lacrosse/Soccer Stadium. There will be plenty of opportunities to see Sun Devil Lacrosse in action throughout the season. If you can't make it out to a game at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium, or miss one of our four games on Pac-12 Network, you can still keep up to date with the latest information and updates along all season by following our Instagram/Twitter (@SunDevilWLax) as well as liking our Facebook. Visit TheSunDevils.com for additional information on Sun Devil Lacrosse.