TEMPE, Ariz. – The Sun Devil Lacrosse team battled through adversity to nearly knock-off undefeated Vanderbilt, falling 15-14 to the Commodores on Tuesday evening at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium.
Without two key players to start the game and with another exiting early in the second half, it took some time for the Sun Devils to adjust and find their footing. Once they did, a spirited comeback attempt would ensue, with the Sun Devils scoring the final three goals of the game to pull within one. Despite controlling a majority of the action for the final 15 minutes, including scoring six of the final eight goals, it was not enough as Arizona State dropped their second game of 2019.
"Today we were without two of our regular starters and then one of the them going down during the game," Coach Martinez Connor remarked. "The girls showed that they can battle back in a tight game, which is great."
Vanderbilt opened the scoring just under a minute into the game, but the Sun Devils would respond. Kerri Clayton and Maddy Hunter registered back-to-back goals to take a 2-1 lead, with Hunter's goal assisted by Emily Glagolev, who now has a team best six assists.
Freshman Kaylon Buckner broke a 2-2 tie with a goal ten minutes into the first half. When Vanderbilt countered with five unanswered goals to take a 7-3 lead, the Devils remained unphased and re-grouped with a few schematic adjustments. Maddy Hunter's second goal of the game came right after a timeout from Coach Martinez Connor at the halfway point of the first half.
After the Commodores extended the lead back out to four, Paige McGlothlin's hard work paid off as she began to find some space. The freshman scored back-to-back goals, cashing in on a pair of great feeds from Morgan McCaffrey and Julia Burns. For McCaffrey, it was her first assist of her career. Burns hit Hunter in stride with a pass that gave Hunter an open net and Hunter would deliver. The Commodores captured the momentum back when they built another four-goal lead, but Arizona State would once again show resiliency. Ending the half on a high note, Kate Dougherty cut the lead to three on a goal with 36 seconds left. Assisting on the play was Julia Burns, who entered halftime with two helpers.
A different tone was set the in second half, as both defenses buckled down and adjusted their style of play. The Sun Devils physical brand of defense began to wear the Commodores down, as Vanderbilt managed to produce only half of the goal output they were able to post in the first half.
Kate Dougherty answered Vanderbilt's first goal of the second half with her second goal of the game, keeping the Sun Devils within striking distance. On several occasions, key saves from Berkeley Bonneau got the crowd into it and created momentum for the comeback effort. The goalkeeper finished with a season-high 13 saves, showing off her quickness, timing, and athleticism.
"We just need to continue playing tough for a full 60," Coach Martinez Connor mentioned. "I love how they rallied around one and another, it shows they have fight."
Paige McGlothlin would jumpstart the effort by completing her first-career hat trick, cutting the Vanderbilt lead to 13-9. Julia Burns followed McGlothlin with a beautiful goal of her own, quickly changing direction and spinning past her defender. Kylie Kroeger scored the third of three consecutive goals by Arizona State, with the Devils down by two with less than 11 minutes left in the game. Commodores midfielder Emily Mathewson responded with two goals of her own, despite a couple spectacular denials from Berkeley Bonneau, as the Commodores grew frustrated on the offensive end.
Arizona State completes their five-game homestand to start the season by hosting USC in their Pac-12 Conference Opener on Friday, March 8th at 5 p.m. If you can't join us at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium, the game will be broadcasted live via the ASU Digital Stream. Live stats will be provided for the media and public. There will be plenty of opportunities to see Sun Devil Lacrosse in action throughout the season. 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.
Without two key players to start the game and with another exiting early in the second half, it took some time for the Sun Devils to adjust and find their footing. Once they did, a spirited comeback attempt would ensue, with the Sun Devils scoring the final three goals of the game to pull within one. Despite controlling a majority of the action for the final 15 minutes, including scoring six of the final eight goals, it was not enough as Arizona State dropped their second game of 2019.
"Today we were without two of our regular starters and then one of the them going down during the game," Coach Martinez Connor remarked. "The girls showed that they can battle back in a tight game, which is great."
Vanderbilt opened the scoring just under a minute into the game, but the Sun Devils would respond. Kerri Clayton and Maddy Hunter registered back-to-back goals to take a 2-1 lead, with Hunter's goal assisted by Emily Glagolev, who now has a team best six assists.
Freshman Kaylon Buckner broke a 2-2 tie with a goal ten minutes into the first half. When Vanderbilt countered with five unanswered goals to take a 7-3 lead, the Devils remained unphased and re-grouped with a few schematic adjustments. Maddy Hunter's second goal of the game came right after a timeout from Coach Martinez Connor at the halfway point of the first half.
After the Commodores extended the lead back out to four, Paige McGlothlin's hard work paid off as she began to find some space. The freshman scored back-to-back goals, cashing in on a pair of great feeds from Morgan McCaffrey and Julia Burns. For McCaffrey, it was her first assist of her career. Burns hit Hunter in stride with a pass that gave Hunter an open net and Hunter would deliver. The Commodores captured the momentum back when they built another four-goal lead, but Arizona State would once again show resiliency. Ending the half on a high note, Kate Dougherty cut the lead to three on a goal with 36 seconds left. Assisting on the play was Julia Burns, who entered halftime with two helpers.
A different tone was set the in second half, as both defenses buckled down and adjusted their style of play. The Sun Devils physical brand of defense began to wear the Commodores down, as Vanderbilt managed to produce only half of the goal output they were able to post in the first half.
Kate Dougherty answered Vanderbilt's first goal of the second half with her second goal of the game, keeping the Sun Devils within striking distance. On several occasions, key saves from Berkeley Bonneau got the crowd into it and created momentum for the comeback effort. The goalkeeper finished with a season-high 13 saves, showing off her quickness, timing, and athleticism.
Vanderbilt used back-to-back goals to build their largest lead of the game at five, leaving the Sun Devils with bleak hopes. Those hopes were negatively impacted even more when midfielder Maddy Hunter had to be helped off the field due to injury. The Arizona State coaching staff and team leaders rallied together, mounting a furious comeback attempt that would simply run out of time.Save!! Berkeley Bonneau with a clutch save right before halftime ??
— Sun Devil Lacrosse (@SunDevilWLax) March 6, 2019
??: 7
??: 10 pic.twitter.com/2NhoH8K6kc
"We just need to continue playing tough for a full 60," Coach Martinez Connor mentioned. "I love how they rallied around one and another, it shows they have fight."
Paige McGlothlin would jumpstart the effort by completing her first-career hat trick, cutting the Vanderbilt lead to 13-9. Julia Burns followed McGlothlin with a beautiful goal of her own, quickly changing direction and spinning past her defender. Kylie Kroeger scored the third of three consecutive goals by Arizona State, with the Devils down by two with less than 11 minutes left in the game. Commodores midfielder Emily Mathewson responded with two goals of her own, despite a couple spectacular denials from Berkeley Bonneau, as the Commodores grew frustrated on the offensive end.
The Sun Devils had one last run in them that would threaten Vanderbilt's undefeated record. Lia Willis controlled the draw and took matters into her own hands, sprinting half the length of the field and ripping a shot past the Commodore goaltender to make it 15-12.Julia Burns hits them with the spin move ??? and then scores the goal. #ForksUp
— Sun Devil Lacrosse (@SunDevilWLax) March 6, 2019
??: 10
??: 13 pic.twitter.com/DA7QsuMb12
Kylie Kroeger earned a free-position shot and made things even more interesting, notching her second goal of the game to trim the lead to 15-13 with a little over 6 minutes left. Maria Villanti earned another free-position opportunity for ASU with 1:27 left and the Sun Devils in desperation mode. Villanti came through with her first goal of the season, making the deficit just one for the first time since it was 4-3 early in the first half. The Sun Devils were unable to control the crucial draw and Vanderbilt managed to run out the remained of the clock during their final possession.Lia Willis just going to do it herself, going coast-to-coast to score her first goal of the year.
— Sun Devil Lacrosse (@SunDevilWLax) March 6, 2019
??: 12
??: 15 pic.twitter.com/OdSsYAXS3w
Arizona State completes their five-game homestand to start the season by hosting USC in their Pac-12 Conference Opener on Friday, March 8th at 5 p.m. If you can't join us at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium, the game will be broadcasted live via the ASU Digital Stream. Live stats will be provided for the media and public. There will be plenty of opportunities to see Sun Devil Lacrosse in action throughout the season. 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.