ASU Soccer: Portland Pilots soars over Sun Devils in First Round

(Photo: Hailey Sasnett)

The Arizona State Sun Devils walked off the pitch for the final time in the 2022 season, but the emotions after this match were unlike any other.

Graduate forward Nicole Douglas, graduate midfielder Alexia Delgado, graduate midfielder Eva van Deursen and graduate forward Olivia Nguyen have all been stalwarts for the Sun Devils since 2018 and their respective college careers have officially come to an end.

Losing in the tournament is obviously disappointing, but the way the Sun Devils lost pours more salt into the wound. ASU had four shot attempts, four fewer than the Portland Pilots’ eight shots on goal.

The Sun Devils were unable to get the ball across midfield consistently throughout the match in their 3-0 tournament loss to the Pilots. Portland is known for its defense, allowing only 17 goals in 19 matches this season, which ranked them second defensively in the West Coast Conference.

The Sun Devils were unable to get much pressure in the first half with only one shot attempt, which was on goal, from junior midfielder Jazmine Wilkinson. Portland’s vaunted defense certainly looked the part in the first half.

On the other hand, Portland was aggressive on offense with seven shot attempts and three of them on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Pauline Nelles looked impressive with three saves, which was crucial considering the lack of offense on the other end.

Portland had its three shots on goal before Arizona State had its first.

Freshman midfielder Ruby Settle scored in the 57th minute off a header from a cross by freshman defender Isabella Yakel, taking a 1-0 lead.

Despite allowing the goal, the Sun Devils still had 30 minutes to score a goal and even it up. They had a chance to erase that lackluster start and shift the momentum.

Any hope was lost when junior forward Nedya Sawan scored in the 75th minute off an assist from senior midfielder Selmth Licina to extend the lead 2-0. This goal gave Portland the cushion they needed considering they had as many goals as ASU had shots on goal at this point in the match.

The Pilots just needed to see the ball hit the back of the net to ignite their offense.

Three minutes later, Sawan and Licina connected again in reversal roles. Licina scored in the 78th minute off Sawan’s assist to cement the lead at 3-0. ASU was placed with the insurmountable task of scoring three goals in 12 minutes just to get the match to overtime.

Portland sophomore goalkeeper Bre Norris had a clean sheet in the first postseason match of her career. Conversely, Nelles allowed three goals in the second half despite maintaining a shutout in the first half.

The Sun Devils made progress this season by making the tournament considering they missed it last season. The Sun Devils surpassed their preseason expectations with the media poll ranking them 10th in the Pac-12.

Uncertainty looms for the Sun Devils in the offseason with the difficult task of replacing the core four. It may be unknown what will happen in the future, but what is known is the impact this 2022 squad has made.