TEMPE – It can all happen within a blink of an eye and leave everyone wondering what happened.
With 15:40 remaining in the first half of Sun Devil Soccer’s eventual 1-0 victory over LSU, a program that reached the Sweet Sixteen of last season’s NCAA Tournament, sophomore Addison Baltodano, who had entered the match just a mere 113 seconds prior, took advantage of a heavy touch off the foot of a Tiger midfielder.
Baltodano, a Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection in 2025, sprinted towards the loose ball, then began to dribble the ball across the pitch, before LSU’s Amy Smith took down the Sun Devil and received a yellow card as a result. The physical play – one of seven fouls called against the Tigers during the first half – against the Chandler, Ariz., native resulted in a direct free kick from, roughly, 40 yards from goal.
With a four-woman wall standing 10 feet away, Emmie Ennis stepped up and delivered a ball into the 6-yard box, where both Lucy Fazackerley, who scored on a set piece against Texas a week ago, and first-year Sun Devil Natalie Drotzmann were working against Tiger defenders to find a way onto the end of the kick.
However, while the pair of Sun Devil defenders were running, attempting to get a head on the ball, LSU goalkeeper Audur Scheving became distracted by the 5-foot-11 Fazackerley and 5-foot-9 Drotzmann and could not react in time to Ennis’ kick, allow the ball to find the back of the net for Ennis’ first goal since Oct. 25, 2025 at Pepperdine while a member of the Saint Mary’s women’s soccer program.
With Fazackerley and Drotzmann being the closest two Sun Devils to the frame when the ball was kicked, Thursday night’s referee crew wanted to go to video replay to look at the potential go-ahead goal. And after a handful of minutes, it was determined neither Fazackerley or Drotzmann touched the ball thus resulting in an Arizona State goal.
The Sun Devils’ one-goal advantage remained unthreatened for – nearly – the remainder of the match until LSU’s Ryleigh Albin connected with the left woodwork in the 87’. Albin’s shot – from nearly the same place on the pitch as Ennis’ free kick during the first half – beat an outstretched Kennedy Zorn in net but connected with the frame and ricocheted towards the edge of the 18-yard box.
LSU’s last effort came seconds later, though, when Tiger head coach Sian Hudson requested a video replay of a uncalled challenge in the 18-yard box between Drotzmann and Brielyn Knowles that could have resulted in a potential LSU penalty kick. But VAR determined there was no foul and Arizona State held on for the final three minutes to secure its third win on the young campaign.
Scoring summary
30’, 1-0, ASU, Goal by Emmie Ennis, Unassisted
From head coach Graham Winkworth
“I'm really happy because we earned back-to-back clean sheets, and it's not, like, we are playing easy teams, either. Like, Buffalo, I think they finished third in the MAC last season. LSU was a Sweet 16 team last season as well. So, back-to-back clean sheets feels wonderful, and it's not just the back line as well, it's everybody. You see the outside backs running lengths of the field constantly. You see the forwards chasing down their back line, and so, I’m really, really happy with the work that the girls put in, for sure.”
From senior midfielder Emmie Ennis
“We train a lot to capitalize on our opportunities and set pieces are one of those things. I just wanted to put the ball in a direction that would result in the most success, while hoping someone would find a way to get on the end of it.”
Match Notes
- When combining last Thursday’s tie against Texas and this Thursday’s win over LSU, Arizona State has earned a result against two current SEC women’s soccer programs for the first time since 2010, when the Sun Devils tied then-No. 19 South Carolina, 1-1, after two overtime periods on Sept. 5 then beat Tennessee, 4-2, five days later on Sept. 10.
- It’s the first time ASU has earned two results over two current SEC women’s soccer programs in matches played at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium in Tempe since 2003, when the Sun Devils tied Vanderbilt, 1-1, in double overtime on Sept. 12, before blanking Kentucky, 4-0, on Sept. 21.
- With Thursday night’s win, Arizona State is now unbeaten through the first four matches to open a season for the eighth consecutive year.
- Thursday evening’s result marked the first time the Sun Devils have beaten a SEC program at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium in Tempe since Sept. 7, 2014, when ASU upset then-No. 6 Texas A&M, 2-1.
- As a result of the win, Graham Winkworth (80) joined Kevin Boyd (90) as the only Arizona State women’s soccer head coaches to win 80-or-more matches during their time at the helm of the Sun Devils.
- Boyd (2007-16) is the program’s all-time winningest head coach with a 90-85-23 mark.
- Thursday’s match marked the first time Arizona State has earned back-to-back clean sheets since turning in three consecutive against UNLV (Aug. 28), New Mexico State (Aug. 31) and Pepperdine (Sept. 4) during the latter stages of non-conference play in the 2025 season.
- Arizona State are now unbeaten in their last 26 consecutive regular season matches against non-conference opponents at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium in Tempe.
- The Sun Devils, with Thursday night’s outcome, avenged their last regular season home non-conference loss: a 5-2 loss against then-No. 17 LSU on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021.
Up Next
Arizona State (3-0-1) will look to maintain its unbeaten start to the 2026 on Sunday, Aug. 30, when Cal Poly (2-1-1) visits Sun Devil Soccer Stadium for the first regular season match between the Sun Devils and Mustangs. The contest is slated for a 7 p.m. MST kickoff and can be viewed on the ESPN+.
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