ASU Soccer: Sun Devils use heat to their advantage

(Photo: Steve Rodriguez/ASU Athletics)

Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. game in Tempe was a competition between three components: The Sun Devils, the Beavers, and the scorching desert sun. ASU’s 1-0 victory was the result of an energy shift in the Devils’ favor, Oregon State’s fatigue, and ASU’s fresh legs.

The largest contributor to the outcome of this game was the Beavers inability to perform in the heat. Just 23 minutes into the game the first water break of this season was called by the referees in order to keep the girls healthy and hydrated.

The fatigue produced by the heat resulted in a lot of cheap lazy play such as jersey pulling and obvious obstruction. The refs tried to account for this by keeping calls tight but this just created what appeared to be an inconsistency in calls and a lack of flow in the game.

The devils kept fresh legs coming off the bench throughout the game.They did this to beat the usual lull in the game created by the midday heat and create offensive opportunity. With a constant flow of subs up top, the Devils were able to send long balls over the top in hopes that one their forward beating Oregon’s back line to the ball. They also added a lot of seam splitters to their attacking strategy in order to take advantage of their speed and comfort in the heat to their advantage.

One key substitution which changed the feel of the game was when ASU put in midfielder Mackenzie Semerad. There was a clear boost in energy and speed with Semerad on the pitch in her ability to cover more ground than the visibly fatigued Beavers.

ASU forward Cali Farquharson, who has been playing on an injured ankle, created big momentum late in the game. Farquharson injured her ankle on Friday against Oregon, but it was clear that once the adrenaline kicked in for her on Sunday she was ready to go. Farquharson, looked quick and powerful when she drove in the game winning goal in the 75th minute.

This game was huge for the Devils since it extended their undefeated streak to nine games.Head coach Boyd described this weekend’s play as “a bit off” but was pleased with the end of this game as they appeared to be playing more like themselves and seemed to be beginning to bounce back from Friday night’s game where they were clearly not playing up to their level.

You can reach Michelle Minahen on Twitter @Meechmina or via email at mminahen@asu.edu