(Photo: Jacob Franklin/WCSN)
Sophomore attackman Jake Marthens double-overtime winner helped the No. 13 Arizona State University men’s club lacrosse team slip past No. 21 Virginia Tech 10-9 on Monday in Glendale.
After the Sun Devils (3-4) killed a Hokie (3-3) man-up opportunity in the first overtime, a long ASU possession was capped off when junior midfielder Ryan Bradway fed Marthens with a behind-the-head pass, allowing Marthens to fire the game-clincher past Hokie senior goalie Bryan Cooper.
Marthens finished the game with six goals, including the game-winner, to bring his season total to 16 scores.
“We missed a shot initially and then I saw (Bradway) pick up the ball,” Marthens said. “He tried to throw it to me at first and then I saw that he wanted it so I just kept my eye on him and I knew he was going to do something to make a play.”
Despite the Sun Devils leading 7-1 in the second quarter, and 8-3 at halftime, the Hokies stormed back in the second half, capping off their comeback with senior attackman Ryan Cleary’s goal with just 21 seconds left in regulation.
“(Virginia Tech) is a phenomenal team, but I think a lot of it was our execution,” ASU head coach Todd MacRobbie said of the Hokies’ comeback. “We started having turnovers. A lot of the mistakes were on us. I don’t think it was anything different that they did, I think it was more about us.”
Bradway added two goals of his own to help the Devils jump out to their big first half lead. Junior midfielder Tommy Carasco and freshman midfielder Emerson Roth also tallied scores for ASU during its first half run.
“I’m just happy we won,” Marthens said. “I don’t care who scores what as long as we get a ‘W’ at the end of the game I’m happy.”
Virginia Tech, who also lost in double overtime on Saturday night at Grand Canyon University, used third quarter goals from freshman midfielder Drew Cendana, senior midfielder Tim Nordbrook and sophomore attackman Sullivan Warner to get back into the game, cutting ASU’s lead down to 8-6 entering the final fifteen minutes.
Cleary finished a near five-minute fourth quarter possession for the Hokies with a goal to draw VT within one, before Danny Riley tied the game with just under six minutes to play.
Bradway’s second goal of the night, which put ASU back in front with 3:48 to play in regulation, was cancelled out by Cleary’s second goal for the Hokies, knotting the score at 9-9 in the last minute of regulation.
Sophomore goalie Johnny Perlite made several crucial saves for the Sun Devils in overtime, highlighted by a couple game-saving stops during the Hokies’ man up opportunity following sophomore midfielder Ben Parietti’s penalty.
With the win, the Sun Devils finished their four game home stand with a 2-2 record, and have just one home game remaining this season, an April 15th date against their rival Arizona Wildcats.
Starting with their game this coming Wednesday night at Utah Valley, the Sun Devils begin a string of five straight road games, but will have Monday’s dramatic win in their back pocket as the leave the state.
“One game is not a trend,” MacRobbie said. “What they do the next game, and then the next game, and then the next game is what is going to build a trend.”
