ASU Soccer: Sun Devils start slow, take victory over Florida Gulf Coast

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

Arizona State women’s soccer held their own on Sunday afternoon, with a 2-1 win over the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at the University of Arizona Tournament in Tuscon.

Coming off a hard loss from a last-minute goal in the 89th minute against Texas Tech in Friday’s game, the Sun Devils were determined to reverse their luck with a stronger offensive presence and overall victory.

The game didn’t begin as the Devils had hoped, however as ASU goalie Nikki Panas immediately took the brunt of the Eagles’ offense. FGCU attacked swiftly and racked up five shots, two on net, in the first half. ASU fell behind their opponents in significant numbers, with only one shot on net and minimal ball possession.

FGCU controlled possession in their attacking third for the majority of the first 45 minutes, but found it difficult to break the Sun Devil back line. Panas, considered to be one of the best goalies in the country, had a solid first half as well and kept her Sun Devil teammates in the game.

With a little too much foul play and not enough focus on clean passing and offensive attacks, the Devils ended the half tied 0-0. ASU’s head coach Graham Winkworth pumped some life into his team at halftime though, as his team emerged and quickly demonstrated significantly more energy in their play.

The first goal came in the 56th minute from junior and 2017 Mac Hermann Candidate Jemma Purfield. Starting from Arizona State’s defensive end, freshman Amanda Jones sent Purfield on a long ball past midfield, where Purfield was able to chip the ball past the goalie’s outstretched fingers into the back right corner.

Up 1-0, the Sun Devils gained a boost of confidence and again scored in the 64th minute to put yet another notch in the scoreboard. Junior defender Angela Boyle hit a rebound from Florida’s goalie and found the back of the net with a hard shot to the top, putting Arizona up 2-0.

Only 10 minutes later came the Eagles’ response, as freshman Cassidy Morgan scored her first career goal with a swift tap from inside the box off a corner kick.

Determined to hold their lead, ASU continued to dominate possession for the rest of the half. Sun Devil strikers even managed to test the Florida keeper with several on-target shots.

Second half brought what seemed like an entirely new team as Arizona outshot FGCU 11 to 7 by the end of the 90 minutes. The Sun Devils kept up a strong back line, as well as kicked up the energy to raid the Florida wings from all angles, giving them a 2-1 victory.

The Sun Devils return home on Friday, September 15, where they will take on Hawaii at 7 pm.

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