ASU Soccer: Sun Devils split first two spring games

(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)

The Sun Devil soccer team kicked off its spring schedule with a win over New Mexico and a loss later on in the day to BYU.

Despite getting off to a slow start against New Mexico, the Sun Devils were able to rally, and get the win with ease.

Rachel Ometer, who is listed as a defender but played as a striker, netted two goals in the first half assisted by junior midfielder Tommi Goodman and redshirt sophomore Lucy Lara respectively.

Junior forward Cali Farquharson also scored a goal of her own to seal the game.

Against BYU, Arizona State came out a little slow again and by the time they found their form it was too late.

“We weren’t focused in the first half… As soon as we got out there focused and playing hard, everything else cleaned up,” head coach Kevin Boyd said.

The Sun Devils came back strong, but weren’t able to find the back of the net and the game ended 2-0.

Regardless of closing out the day with a loss, Boyd said that it was less about the results, and more about getting that in-game experience.

Here are some takeaways from the two games:

Attack:

Overall, the Sun Devil attack is still as dangerous as ever. The two-forward formation they utilize allows them to move the ball fairly easily up top.

There are some finishing issues inside the box, but some of them may just come down to bad luck, such as the shot from sophomore forward Larisa Staub that hit the post in the second half of the BYU game.

The team struggled a bit to find open players on corners, as most of them were snuffed out by the opposing defense. This could be the result of rust, however, as it takes in-game experience to really work on set pieces and corners.

Farquharson is still the spark of the Sun Devil offense. Though she only netted one goal in two games, Farquharson showed a great deal of ball control and chemistry with the players around her.

Midfield:

Slow starts to seem to be a nagging plague to the Arizona State midfield. As BYU proved, tough opponents will create deficits, and you have to be mentally engaged to overcome them.

Mentality seems to be the main culprit in this situation, according to coach Boyd, who was confident that this wasn’t who ASU really is. Regardless of the cause, it led to simple turnovers, and missed opportunities.

Still, the midfield does hold a large amount of potential.

Lara particularly is a big bright spot. The redshirt sophomore showed a very physical and dominant presence. Even when under pressure, Lara was able to keep the ball and find the feet of an open teammate.

Goodman and redshirt junior Mackenzie Semerad also proved to be dangerous on the transition. Both made penetrating runs on the weak side and were able to feed smart balls into the box.

Goodman also seems to posses an engine mentality. The junior fights for every ball until the very last whistle. She may be the decisive factor in getting one more goal in the closing seconds tight games.

Defense:

The Arizona State back line looked very sturdy against the Lobos, but seemed to not have enough space to play against BYU. Even junior defender Mackenzie Berryhill, who normally controls the speed of game on her side, seemed rushed.

Again, mentality seemed to be a big factor as many defenders seemed to loose their cool after just the first goal. BYU was granted free kick after free kick around the box because of this.

Defending corners also seemed to be a problem. Although they did fairly well against New Mexico in this sense, every corner by the Cougars was an immediate threat. One led to BYU’s first goal in the 11^th minute.

Berryhill is still the leader of that backline and looked as dominant and as calm as ever. Her ability to read attacking plays helped the Sun Devils stop more than one attempt on goal.

Freshman defender Taylor Coon also impressed. Her no nonsense style of defense made it difficult for the Lobos to create an attack anywhere around her, and her passing seemed to find Sun Devil feet almost every time, regardless of distance.

Yet, it was freshman goalkeeper Ashley March who impressed the most. She made a number of great saves, including a slide tackle save on a one-on-one opportunity outside of the penalty box.

The team:

All in all, the Sun Devils have the potential to be a dangerous team in the Pac-12. Spring has allowed Boyd to play a lot of Sun Devils who have not seen much game time, and many have already started to show promise.

“I think right now we’re just watching them. Letting them get out, play, and try to make a mark for themselves,” Boyd said.

The Sun Devils will take the field again on March 28^th, against UTEP at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium at 1 p.m.

You can reach the author on Twitter @tonymarro11, or via email at aamarroq@asu.edu