TUCSON, Ariz. – If there’s one thing about a Graham Winkworth-led Sun Devil Soccer team, it’s how Arizona State won’t stop playing until the final whistle.
On Thursday afternoon, Kierra Blundell added her name to the Arizona State women’s soccer record book with the third-latest goal scored in regulation as the Langley, British Columbia, Canada native scored the match-tying goal at the 89:42 mark in regulation to secure the Sun Devils’ 1-1 tie to Dartmouth.
Two of the three latest goals scored by a Sun Devil in regulation have occurred with Winkworth at the helm of the program. Blundell’s goal is also the fifth to occur after the 89’ mark over the last 10 seasons, the length of Winkworth’s tenure in Tempe.
With Arizona State chasing a goal for the match’s final 48 minutes following a penalty kick conversion by Dartmouth’s Madison Rose with three minutes in the first half, the Sun Devils attempted 12 of their 18 shots during the second half in search for the match-tying goal.
The Sun Devils appeared to have secured that elusive goal during the 81’, but an offensive foul in the 18-yard box waved off a would-be Blundell goal.
Blundell, Sierra Bergen and Maja Madon continued Arizona State’s search for the equalizer after each of the Sun Devils were credited with a shot attempt over a four-minute stretch from 83’ to 87’. But it wasn’t until the match clock ticked past 89:00 that the moment neared.
After back-to-back throw-ins following a free kick as a result of Kate Ryan fouling Sierra Bergen, Amy Medley attacked the right side of the pitch, before sending a chip into the 18-yard box, where multiple Sun Devils waited.
Bergen outjumped multiple Big Green defenders to bring the ball down to the feet of Blundell, who turned and fired off a shot into the bottom-right corner of the goal with just 18 seconds remaining in regulation.
until the final whistle 🔱 pic.twitter.com/WRar8HE0rk
— Sun Devil Soccer (@SunDevilSoccer) September 4, 2026
From Head Coach Graham Winkworth
“I’m really proud of how our girls didn’t stop playing until the final whistle, which shows a lot of character. It’s also nice to have (Kierra Blundell) back, so she could finish that play at the end of regulation. But our first-half effort today was unacceptable, and we have to do much better, which is on me. We are going to work harder during training to make sure we don’t start matches that way. Today, we hit the target five times on 18 shots, which isn’t good enough and that’s been our thing all season all: we’ve got to find a way to hit the target. It’s OK to have 18 shots, but when you only have five on target, that means you’ve really only had five shots. We must do better in that sense.”
From junior forward Kierra Blundell
“Amy (Medley) sent a good cross into the box, where Sierra (Bergen) was waiting behind me. She’s a beast in the box, so I knew she was going to get at least a touch on it, if not then she was going to score. So, when I saw the ball was going to her, I just wanted to get open, so I could find myself some space. The ball landed in the right space, and then it’s all about just being composed and picking a corner.”
Match Notes
- The top three latest-scored goals in Sun Devil history have all occurred on the road:
- Eva van Deursen (89:57) at Colorado on Sept. 23, 2022
- Karin Volpe (89:47) at Tennessee on Aug. 28, 2009
- Kierra Blundell (89:42) vs. Dartmouth in Tucson on Sept. 3, 2026
- With her 90-minute performance on Thursday afternoon, Natalie Drotzmann has surpassed 4000:00 career minutes played over her four-year collegiate soccer career.
- Drotzmann, in her first season in Tempe as a Sun Devil, will enter her next match having played 4084:40 between her time at San Francisco (2023-25) and Arizona State (2026).
- Thursday afternoon’s result was the first result for Arizona State against a non-Arizona opponent in Tucson since Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, when the Sun Devils beat Utah State, 1-0, in the Wildcat Classic hosted by Arizona.
Up Next
Arizona State (4-0-2) will now return to the friendly confines of Sun Devil Soccer Stadium to play No. 9 North Carolina (10 a.m. MST/ESPN+) on Sunday, Sept. 6. The matchup will be the first meeting between the Sun Devils and Tar Heels’ women’s soccer history, which dates back to 1996 and 1979, respectively.
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