LUBBOCK, Texas – A 20-shot performance by the Texas Tech offense was too much for the Sun Devil Soccer defense to withstand as the Red Raiders found the back of the net twice to earn a 2-0 win at John Walker Soccer Complex on Friday night.
Arizona State played a near flawless first half against a Texas Tech (7-0-4, 3-0-1) offense that entered the match averaging 14.60 shots per match. That was until Lauren Alvarez broke the 0-0 tie during the 41’, when the freshman midfielder scored her first career goal that Sun Devil goalkeeper Kennedy Zorn was unable to gather as the shot split between Lucy Fazackerley and Amy Medley on the defensive backline.
Zorn initially deflected the shot, but it trickled into the net despite an effort from defender Natalie Drotzmann to keep it out.
The one-goal advantage stood for Texas Tech until Taylor Zdrojewski was fouled inside the 18-yard box that drew a penalty kick opportunity, an opportunity that was converted by Kaitlyn Giamette as she shot into the bottom-right corner of the frame while Zorn dove to the left.
Scoring Summary
41’, 1-0, TTU, Goal by Lauren Alvarez, Unassisted
78’, 2-0, TTU, Penalty Kick by Kaitlyn Giametta
From Head Coach Graham Winkworth
“Tonight, we did not get the result we hoped for. It was a very disappointing start to the match for us.
Our opponents came on to the pitch 9-or-10 minutes after the scheduled time and the girls were made to stand around waiting. We would have liked to start the game as well as Texas Tech did, but that was not to be.
However, the response after the halftime break was awesome. We were the team on the ascendency for the next 30 minutes and were very unfortunate not to equalize. As the game went on, we continued to take more risks, which - of course - can leave us more vulnerable to counter attacks which is what happened for the second (goal). Credit to the Texas Tech girls for getting the result. They were much the better team in the first half.
But I love the character of our team. We sit in the top half of the league after three consecutive (conference) matches on the road and around the top 35 nationally, too. We are very excited to get back home in front of our fans this coming week and hope that we can get a lot of people out to support this Thursday and Sunday.”
Match Notes
- By earning a starting assignment on Friday night, second-year Sun Devil Miki Hayashi started a match against a conference opponent for the first time since arriving in Tempe prior to the 2025 season.
- Hayashi played the first 37:03 of the match, before giving way to Mechal Green.
- A pair of freshman Sun Devil defenders turned in a career high in minutes played as Mya Angus and Amy Medley played xx and xx minutes, respectively.
- Third-year Sun Devil Ella Kettles turned in a season-best 90-minute outing as well, ninth of her career and first since Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025 against Oklahoma State.
- Ella Kettles’ team-high two shots on goal tied the Ottawa, Ontario, Canadian’s single match best, which she last achieved on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026 against Grambling.
- Arizona State’s one corner kick attempt throughout the match’s 90 minutes was the fewest by a Sun Devil team since Oct. 30, 2024, when ASU did not have one against Kansas during the Big 12 Soccer Tournament.
- It’s the first time it’s happened during the regular season since Oct. 13, 2024 at TCU.
- Despite the result, the Arizona State defense held Texas Tech’s All-Big 12 forward Taylor Zdrojewski without a goal, becoming the first Big 12 team to do so this season.
- It’s the first time Zdrojewski has been held without a goal against a conference foe during the regular season since Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, when UCF and Texas Tech played to a 0-0 tie after 90 minutes in Lubbock.
Up Next
After playing its previous three Big 12 Conference matches on the road, Arizona State (7-3-2, 2-2-0) will return to Sun Devil Soccer Stadium, where it will square off against Iowa State (4-5-3, 0-3-1) for its next conference fixture at 7 p.m. MST on Thursday, Oct. 8.
The Cycles are coming off a 1-1, 90-minute tie against Utah in Ames on Thursday, Oct. 1.
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