TEMPE – Friday night’s 1-0 win for Sun Devil Soccer over Arizona was a long time in the making – literally. But it was worth the hour-long wait as severe weather rolled through the Phoenix metroplex throughout the evening.
Entering the match looking for its first win over the Wildcats (5-8-5, 2-3-3) since the 2022 season, Arizona State had to wait a little longer than normal for the match’s official kickoff as a lightning storm passed through the area in the hours leading up to the scheduled 7:05 p.m. MST start, thus pushing the start time back to 7:25 p.m.
As the teams were getting ready to begin the pre-match international walkout, another bolt of lightning struck within an eight-mile radius caused another delay, one that lasted until 8:41 p.m.
After returning to the pitch and going through a 10-minute warm-up period, the two teams managed to the first 22:55 of the first half, before another lightning strike delayed the match for a third time.
Following the resumption of play at 9:48 p.m., the two offenses tried to take advantage of the pent-up energy as the teams combined for 14 first-half shots, but none found the back of the net.
In fact, no second-half shot attempt got past either goalkeeper until the 66’, when Arizona State’s Kierra Blundell received a cross from Gator DeMark, beat a defender with a quick move to her right and fired a one-timer into the bottom-right corner of the frame to push the Sun Devils ahead.
The Arizona State defense held Arizona to just one shot attempt – an Allyson Brown shot during the 74’ – over the course of the remaining 25 minutes to earn three points on the night, despite a near 4-hour, 20-minute time from originally scheduled start time (7:05 p.m. MST) to the final whistle (11:25 p.m. MST).
Scoring Summary
66’, ASU, 1-0, Goal by Kierra Blundell, Assist by Gator DeMark & Amy Medley
From Head Coach Graham Winkworth
“I’m buzzing right now, absolutely buzzing. You want to win every match, but to beat your biggest rival is always adds a bit more. I’m just so excited for the girls, they deserved it with all of the running they did tonight. I’m really proud of them. I also want to acknowledge and thank and the supporters who stayed with us through all the weather delays and cheered us on when we needed the energy. And I can’t say enough positive things about the stadium workers, who put in the extra time and effort to make sure tonight’s match stayed the course despite the conditions. Tonight’s win is for all of them as much as it’s for the team.”
From freshman defender Gator DeMark
“Obviously, the weather was not in our favor tonight, but I’m just so proud of the girls that we were able to push through the ups and downs and come out on top with the win. I want to thank all the fans so much for showing up and supporting us all night. It was a crazy night with a lot of hours but thank you so much for the people that stayed and cheered us on, because that’s what helped us get through the match.”
Match Notes
- Friday night’s win over Arizona gives Arizona State its fourth conference win this season, the most victories in league play since joining the Big 12 Conference prior to the 2024.
- It’s the first time ASU has won 4-or-more conference matches in a single season five winning win throughout the 2023 season.
- For just the seventh time in the series history, the Arizona State defense clamped down on Arizona’s offense and held the Wildcats without a goal.
- As a result of Friday’s clean sheet, Kennedy Zorn becomes the first Sun Devil to be credited with a 90-minute clean sheet against the Wildcats since Chandler Morris accomplished the feat in a 1-0 ASU win in Tempe on Nov. 7, 2014.
- Of the now seven all-time clean sheet wins for ASU over UA, six have occurred in matches played in Tempe.
- With her second-half goal on Friday evening, Kierra Blundell scored her eighth goal on the season, the most by a Sun Devil in a single season since she scored a team-leading nine as a true freshman throughout the 2024 campaign.
Up Next
Arizona State (9-6-3, 4-5-1) will have its Big 12 Conference Tournament fate come down to Thursday, Nov. 5, when the Sun Devils travel to Provo, Utah to play No. 16 BYU (11-3-3, 7-1-2) at 7 p.m. MST.
ASU will travel to the Beehive State just one point back of West Virginia (9-4-3, 4-4-2) for the eighth and final spot in the league’s postseason conference. A win for the Sun Devils over the Cougars combined with a loss or tie for the Mountaineers at Cincinnati (4-8-5, 2-5-2) on the same day would result in Arizona State’s first postseason conference tournament berth since the 2024 season.
Follow Us
For the latest information on the team, follow @SunDevilSoccer on X, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @TheSunDevils on X, Instagram and Facebook.