(Photo: Xavier Litman)
Ahead by a goal and playing stellar defense with under five minutes remaining, Arizona State (7-4-3, 3-4-1 Pac-12) appeared to be in prime position to sweep the Washington schools and head home winning two straight matches. But then the improbable happened.
The Washington Huskies (9-4-3, 3-4-1 Pac-12) – riding a comeback effort ignited by fifth-year forward Summer Yates – netted two goals in three minutes and change, escaping with a 2-1 victory and stunning the Sun Devils.
Washington dominated the possession early in the match, with its best chance coming in the eighth minute when graduate McKenzie Weinert corraled a lob which resulted in a good scoring chance. However, Weinert was unable to capitalize, as she booted a shot over the net.
Following Weinert’s opportunity, the Sun Devils seemed to pick up their energy. In the 15th minute, ASU was awarded a free kick after graduate midfielder Eva van Duerson drew a foul just outside the Washington penalty area.
Sunday’s match proved extremely physical, as the two sides ended the day with a combined 19 fouls, including two yellow cards.
On the ensuing free kick, junior forward Hannah Leitner lobbed a pass to the edge of the Huskies’ 18-yard box. Junior forward Gabi Rennie received the volley and centered the ball for graduate midfielder Alexia Delgado, who fired a long-range shot into the bottom-right corner of the goal to give the Sun Devils an early advantage.
Washington’s relentless and gritty offense played as advertised, finishing the opening half with three shots on target. For the majority of the contest, however, the Huskies came up empty-handed thanks in large part to the play of freshman goalkeeper Pauline Nelles.
Nelles’ biggest save of the first frame was in the 20th minute when Washington was given a corner kick, allowing senior forward Kyla Ferry to put a header on target, but Nelles was able to keep the ball out and preserve the Sun Devils’ lead.
The second half began with the Huskies almost immediately generating a scoring opportunity. Weinert entered the ASU penalty area with a full head of steam but ultimately ripped a shot off the side of the net.
Washington’s early chance was a foreshadowing for the rest of the half, which saw the Huskies outshot the Sun Devils 17-2 during the final 45 minutes, with five of those shots on target. The ball remained on ASU’s side of the field for the majority of the frame.
Nelles remained sharp throughout the contest, ending the afternoon with six total saves. But during the waning stages of the match, Washington’s sustained offensive pressure finally materialized.
In the 87th minute, van Duerson was given a yellow card for a foul on Yates right outside of the 18-yard box. And Yates would make the Sun Devils pay, as she rifled the free-kick past a diving Nelles to even the score at one goal apiece.
Washington took the lead just minutes later courtesy of fifth-year forward Karlee Stueckle, who put home a rebound after Nelles made a difficult save.
ASU’s final chance came with 16 seconds remaining in the match, as junior midfielder Jazmine Wilkinson launched a try from distance in a last-ditch effort. However, Wilkinson’s shot went wide, which all but sealed a heartbreaking defeat for the Sun Devils.
ASU will look to get back on track during their upcoming three-match homestand, which begins with a date with Oregon on Oct. 23 at 12 p.m. MST.
