TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State Lacrosse team pushed California to the brink before dropping the contest in overtime, 12-11, Monday night at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium.
A valiant effort from the Sun Devils included four different players recording multi-goal performances and featured several outstanding defensive stretches that took the Golden Bears out of rhythm.
Arizona State led by as many as four at different points of the evening, but they were unable to ward-off a late comeback charge by California to tie the game and force overtime. The Sun Devils outplayed the Golden Bears in many aspects of the game, including a 24-20 advantage in ground balls as well as a 27-22 advantage in shots. ASU's pressure defense impacted the flow of the visitor's offense, resulting in 18 turnovers for the Golden Bears. A sudden-death goal by Cal attacker Nikki Zaccaro just over a minute into overtime clinched the victory.
The Sun Devils would find themselves behind early after Cal took a quick 2-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. Arizona State would appear unphased, responding with one of the most impressive defensive halves of the season. Goalkeeper Berkeley Bonneau and the Sun Devil defense would not allow another goal until the 28:26 mark in the second half, holding the Golden Bears scoreless for nearly 30 minutes of game time.
"We played outstanding defense collectively during that span," Coach Martinez Connor recollected. "That shows what we are capable of doing, the next step is replicating it more often."
The early deficit was quickly erased as Arizona State settled in offensively. Julia Burns sliced through the defense and put the Devils on the board for the first time, scoring her third goal of the season a little over five minutes into the first half. Attacker Emily Glagolev continues to put her teammates in outstanding position to score, this time feeding Kerri Clayton for her 16th goal of the season to even things up at two. With the goal, Clayton has now scored at least one goal in 24 of the 26 games since she became a Sun Devil. Freshman Kaylon Buckner made an aggressive run with the ball to the front of the net, beating the Golden Bears goaltender with a perfectly placed shot to give the home side its' first lead of the game at 3-2.
The pace began to slow down towards the end of the half, but Kylie Kroeger still managed to take over offensively. She was the only goal-scorer for either side over the last 16 minutes of the half, tallying a pair of goals to extend the ASU lead to 5-2, an advantage they would take into halftime.
Another three-goal run by the Golden Bears evened the contest up at nine, with the last 5:43 left to decide a winner. ASU managed to earn the momentum back thanks to Emily Glagolev's second goal of the game, this one giving her team a 10-9 lead. Glagolev wasn't done producing yet, as she delivered a terrific pass to Maria Villanti, who knew what to do with it finishing on her third goal of the season. The assist by Glagolev gave her four points on the night. Excelling in the role of the operator of the offensive unit, the sophomore now has eight assists over her last four games.
"Cal really didn't make too many adjustments from the first half," Coach Martinez Connor mentioned. "Credit to them for being able to execute their game plan more effectively down the stretch."
Participating in their first overtime of the season, the Sun Devils attempted to re-group after nearly pulling off the victory. It was a bit of a role reversal from last season when Arizona State picked up their first ever Pac-12 win in a 12-11 overtime win in Berkeley. The Golden Bears returned the favor, winning via a sudden-victory goal in Tempe to move to 3-1 on the road this season.
Next up, the Sun Devils will have their shot at revenge, as they make the return trip to the Bay Area to take on Stanford and California.
"We see both of these teams next weekend," Coach Martinez Connor remarked. "I know that the team will be hungry to return the favor and make up for the losses at home."
On Friday, March 29th, Arizona State will do battle with Stanford at 7 p.m. The game will be live stream at the following link. Returning to the scene in which they captured their first-ever Pac-12 victory, the Sun Devils make the quick trip across the Bay to Berkeley where they will take on California on Sunday, March 31st at 12 p.m. Live stats for media and the public can be found here.
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.
A valiant effort from the Sun Devils included four different players recording multi-goal performances and featured several outstanding defensive stretches that took the Golden Bears out of rhythm.
Arizona State led by as many as four at different points of the evening, but they were unable to ward-off a late comeback charge by California to tie the game and force overtime. The Sun Devils outplayed the Golden Bears in many aspects of the game, including a 24-20 advantage in ground balls as well as a 27-22 advantage in shots. ASU's pressure defense impacted the flow of the visitor's offense, resulting in 18 turnovers for the Golden Bears. A sudden-death goal by Cal attacker Nikki Zaccaro just over a minute into overtime clinched the victory.
The Sun Devils would find themselves behind early after Cal took a quick 2-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. Arizona State would appear unphased, responding with one of the most impressive defensive halves of the season. Goalkeeper Berkeley Bonneau and the Sun Devil defense would not allow another goal until the 28:26 mark in the second half, holding the Golden Bears scoreless for nearly 30 minutes of game time.
"We played outstanding defense collectively during that span," Coach Martinez Connor recollected. "That shows what we are capable of doing, the next step is replicating it more often."
The early deficit was quickly erased as Arizona State settled in offensively. Julia Burns sliced through the defense and put the Devils on the board for the first time, scoring her third goal of the season a little over five minutes into the first half. Attacker Emily Glagolev continues to put her teammates in outstanding position to score, this time feeding Kerri Clayton for her 16th goal of the season to even things up at two. With the goal, Clayton has now scored at least one goal in 24 of the 26 games since she became a Sun Devil. Freshman Kaylon Buckner made an aggressive run with the ball to the front of the net, beating the Golden Bears goaltender with a perfectly placed shot to give the home side its' first lead of the game at 3-2.
The pace began to slow down towards the end of the half, but Kylie Kroeger still managed to take over offensively. She was the only goal-scorer for either side over the last 16 minutes of the half, tallying a pair of goals to extend the ASU lead to 5-2, an advantage they would take into halftime.
Lia Willis would ensure the Sun Devils got off to a strong start in the second half, securing a draw control and taking it three-quarters of the length of the field, firing one past the Cal goaltender to make the score 7-3. Willis' second goal of the season gave the Sun Devils their biggest lead of the game. As expected, the Golden Bears came out ready in the second half, scoring their first goal in over 29 minutes when Kirsten Swanson found the back of the net. The Sun Devils proved they were ready for a second half battle, as Kerri Clayton scored her second goal of the game and team-leading 17th goal of the season, pushing the lead back to four.Alright Kylie Kroeger we see you ??
— Sun Devil Lacrosse (@SunDevilWLax) March 25, 2019
??: 4
??: 2
?: 6:47 pic.twitter.com/pxJFqgS3ll
Just as the tide started to turn with three consecutive Golden Bear goals to cut the lead to one, a newcomer and veteran combined to stop the run. Freshman Kaylon Buckner scored her second goal of the evening thanks to a brilliant feed from redshirt junior Kerri Clayton, extending the lead to 8-6 with 17:40 left in the game. Emily Glagolev was the beneficiary of another aggressive play by Lia Willis, as Willis drew the attention of the defense leaving Glagolev with some space to work. She made Cal pay with her 11th goal of the season, putting the Maroon & Gold up 9-6 with exactly midway through the second half.Lia Willis is the BUSINESS ??
— Sun Devil Lacrosse (@SunDevilWLax) March 26, 2019
??: 6
??: 3 pic.twitter.com/B7cqbqkmCk
Another three-goal run by the Golden Bears evened the contest up at nine, with the last 5:43 left to decide a winner. ASU managed to earn the momentum back thanks to Emily Glagolev's second goal of the game, this one giving her team a 10-9 lead. Glagolev wasn't done producing yet, as she delivered a terrific pass to Maria Villanti, who knew what to do with it finishing on her third goal of the season. The assist by Glagolev gave her four points on the night. Excelling in the role of the operator of the offensive unit, the sophomore now has eight assists over her last four games.
The Golden Bears would kickstart their comeback with the Sun Devils leading 11-9 with just over two minutes left. A pair of goals in the final minute knotted the score up at 11, sending the game into overtime.??GOAAAAL??
— Sun Devil Lacrosse (@SunDevilWLax) March 26, 2019
NO. 12 just got her 12th goal of the season. ??
???? @emily_glagolev pic.twitter.com/jDknxyc8ro
"Cal really didn't make too many adjustments from the first half," Coach Martinez Connor mentioned. "Credit to them for being able to execute their game plan more effectively down the stretch."
Participating in their first overtime of the season, the Sun Devils attempted to re-group after nearly pulling off the victory. It was a bit of a role reversal from last season when Arizona State picked up their first ever Pac-12 win in a 12-11 overtime win in Berkeley. The Golden Bears returned the favor, winning via a sudden-victory goal in Tempe to move to 3-1 on the road this season.
Next up, the Sun Devils will have their shot at revenge, as they make the return trip to the Bay Area to take on Stanford and California.
"We see both of these teams next weekend," Coach Martinez Connor remarked. "I know that the team will be hungry to return the favor and make up for the losses at home."
On Friday, March 29th, Arizona State will do battle with Stanford at 7 p.m. The game will be live stream at the following link. Returning to the scene in which they captured their first-ever Pac-12 victory, the Sun Devils make the quick trip across the Bay to Berkeley where they will take on California on Sunday, March 31st at 12 p.m. Live stats for media and the public can be found here.
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.