Baton Rouge, La. – Nicole Douglas netted her seventh goal of the season, helping the Arizona State soccer team pick up a gutsy road win at LSU, 1-0, Sunday afternoon.
Defense ruled the first 45 minutes of play as neither team was able to put a shot on frame in the first half, sending the game to the break with the score reading 0-0.
Coming out of the break, ASU got off to a fast start, creating a pair of early scoring opportunities in the first eight minutes of play.
The game winner would find the back of the net in the 52nd minute when Douglas found herself on the end of an excelent Sun Devil buildup that ended in the game's lone goal. Her goal marks her second game winner this season, and fifth career game winner after tallying three in 2018.
In goals, freshman Giulia Cascapera notched her fifth win of the season, and second shutout of the year. Cascapera has been credited with both of the Sun Devils' road victories this season after anchoring the ASU defense in their season opening win at Cal State Fullerton.
Statistically, Arizona State dominated on the pitch in Sunday's win. The Sun Devils held LSU to just two shots on the day with none on frame. ASU also led the way with six corners, while LSU just had one in the meeting.
The Sun Devils will be back in action this coming Friday when the team closes out non-conference play with a match against CSUN. Kickoff in Friday's contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT, with the Pac-12 Network set to broadcast the match. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2019 season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.
A Word with Winkworth…
On the team's win;
"I was really happy to get the victory, but I was even more happy to get a clean-sheet. I think we worked extremely hard defensively through the game from front to back. Outside of one little scare there in the final minutes of the game, I don't think LSU was able to create anything. I was really happy with the clean-sheet. I have been really surprised to see yet another power-five team show us the respect that have, in sitting back on defense. LSU came out today in a 5-4-1, and I think that is a compliment to us that we must be doing some things right. I am really pleased in the direction that we are heading, but we now have to put two results together in a row. We have got to have a huge 90 minutes next week against CSUN."
On Douglas' game-winner;
"There was some nice build up there. She was very direct on her dribble and did a nice left-footed finish. She showed a lot of composure."
On how the team can improve in their next outing to close out non-conference play;
"We have got to continue to try to erase our errors. We also have to improve in some of our decision making, especially as we continue to play the style of soccer we are playing. We also need to create more movement in the final third. We didn't do that very well in the first half of the game today. We kind of played at a walking-speed, but in the second half we came out and played with a lot more urgency, creating quite a few more chances."
On the growth of the team over the last few seasons showing in one-goal games;
"It is about showing some character. We started eight sophomores and freshmen today. They wanted to play with the grit and determination to grind out a result. As well as we played in the first 30 minutes of the second half, those last 15 minutes of the match was about managing the game, making better decisions and showing a little bit of fight. The ladies managed to do that quite well today."
Match Notes…
Defense ruled the first 45 minutes of play as neither team was able to put a shot on frame in the first half, sending the game to the break with the score reading 0-0.
Coming out of the break, ASU got off to a fast start, creating a pair of early scoring opportunities in the first eight minutes of play.
The game winner would find the back of the net in the 52nd minute when Douglas found herself on the end of an excelent Sun Devil buildup that ended in the game's lone goal. Her goal marks her second game winner this season, and fifth career game winner after tallying three in 2018.
In goals, freshman Giulia Cascapera notched her fifth win of the season, and second shutout of the year. Cascapera has been credited with both of the Sun Devils' road victories this season after anchoring the ASU defense in their season opening win at Cal State Fullerton.
Statistically, Arizona State dominated on the pitch in Sunday's win. The Sun Devils held LSU to just two shots on the day with none on frame. ASU also led the way with six corners, while LSU just had one in the meeting.
The Sun Devils will be back in action this coming Friday when the team closes out non-conference play with a match against CSUN. Kickoff in Friday's contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT, with the Pac-12 Network set to broadcast the match. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2019 season by following @SunDevilSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.
A Word with Winkworth…
On the team's win;
"I was really happy to get the victory, but I was even more happy to get a clean-sheet. I think we worked extremely hard defensively through the game from front to back. Outside of one little scare there in the final minutes of the game, I don't think LSU was able to create anything. I was really happy with the clean-sheet. I have been really surprised to see yet another power-five team show us the respect that have, in sitting back on defense. LSU came out today in a 5-4-1, and I think that is a compliment to us that we must be doing some things right. I am really pleased in the direction that we are heading, but we now have to put two results together in a row. We have got to have a huge 90 minutes next week against CSUN."
On Douglas' game-winner;
"There was some nice build up there. She was very direct on her dribble and did a nice left-footed finish. She showed a lot of composure."
On how the team can improve in their next outing to close out non-conference play;
"We have got to continue to try to erase our errors. We also have to improve in some of our decision making, especially as we continue to play the style of soccer we are playing. We also need to create more movement in the final third. We didn't do that very well in the first half of the game today. We kind of played at a walking-speed, but in the second half we came out and played with a lot more urgency, creating quite a few more chances."
On the growth of the team over the last few seasons showing in one-goal games;
"It is about showing some character. We started eight sophomores and freshmen today. They wanted to play with the grit and determination to grind out a result. As well as we played in the first 30 minutes of the second half, those last 15 minutes of the match was about managing the game, making better decisions and showing a little bit of fight. The ladies managed to do that quite well today."
Match Notes…
- With the win, ASU is now 1-0 all-time over LSU.
- With the second half goal, ASU has now outscored opponents, 14-5, following the halftime break this season.
- Douglas' goal marked her 16th as a Sun Devil, and pushes her season total this year to just three shy of her total goal scoring output from a season ago.
- With today's win, ASU improves to 2-1 on the season in games decided by one goal.