(Photo: Brendan Belfield/WCSN)
ASU continues their Pac-12 winless streak after a disconcerting road loss to No. 14 Stanford 2-0. The Sun Devils entered with little hope of returning to the NCAA tournament, but winning against a highly ranked opponent could have been their ticket back on track.
However, the dynamic offense and pestering defense from Stanford stomped those dreams early on. The Cardinal boasts one of the most aggressive offensive teams in the conference with their quick shot delivery, and today was no different.
Stanford exploded out of the box, applying pressure on the offensive end that shocked the Sun Devils. Maneuvering passed ASU defenders to attack the box that eventually led to three corner kicks by the 8th minute, the last one finding the back of the net.
Stanford sophomore forward Samantha Williams was the culprit, as she was able to squeeze the ball past an overwhelmed Sun Devils defense to give her squad a 1-0 lead. ASU regrouped after the goal and matched up with the speed of Stanford, but they still didn’t make it easy for freshman goalkeeper Birta Gudlaugs.
Stanford was persistent in the first half hogging the ball on the ASU side of the pitch. The Cardinal was aggressive and efficient in dribbling the ball deep into Sun Devils territory, but after conceding the first goal in the opening, Gudlaugs locked down. The Iceland native started coming to the ball in corner kicks and not allowing Stanford to continue their pursuit.
In the 36th minute, Gudlaugs jumped so high for a corner kick that she landed on a Stanford player’s shoulder, showcasing how aggressive the freshman had become as the game developed. While the midfield defense was weak, allowing a total of six corners and six shots, Gudlaugs was able to slow the damage to only one goal.
The ASU offense was a polar opposite of Stanford, as they could not get any set pieces on the opposing side of the field. The Cardinal defense was unreal, not allowing the Sun Devils to get past midfield most of the first set.
Speed killed ASU as Stanford was able to track down the ball anytime they wanted. Then, when ASU could outlet the ball near the Stanford box, they were immediately doubled and suffocated into losing the ball. The speedy trap defense by the Cardinal held the Sun Devils to zero shots in the first half, no glimpse of offensive pressure at all.
Defensively, the Sun Devils started the second half much better by being the aggressor. They were doubling ball-handlers at midfield trying to make Stanford uncomfortable, something ASU could not do in the first.
However, sometimes good defense is trumped by better offense, as in the 63rd minute, Stanford sophomore midfielder Amy Sayer made a beautiful cross in the box that was placed perfectly for freshman forward Andrea Kitahata to head it in. Perfect ball placement by the Cardinal with nothing the Sun Devils could do but watch as the deficit increased 2-0.
Stanford leads the Pac-12 in shot attempts (22); they attack quickly and often. However, even after succeeding the score, ASU built off the defensive success at the end of the first half and limited a trigger-happy Stanford team to only 12 shots for the game.
While the Sun Devils tightened up inside the 18, Gudlaugs was shutting down anything in it. Besides the sensational header by Kitahata, the freshman goalkeeper relied on her decision-making to halt the bleeding from getting any worse as one critical moment had her sprint towards a ball that seemed to float in the air forever. Stanford got to it first, but Gudlaugs used her body to take the full impact of the kick to block it.
The effort picked up for ASU and finally earned them their first shot attempt in the 70th minute. Senior forward Nicole Douglas was able to penetrate the box and cross a Cardinal defender onto the grass. She loaded a clean kick but sailed just over the crossbar.
That would be the Sun Devils’ best attempt as the Stanford defense was still as strong as ever. The physical play and peskiness of the Cardinal visibly frustrated ASU, causing 12 fouls for the game. The frustration of leaving Stanford without a win, extending the winless match streak to seven, became a reality as the game ended 2-0.
ASU was outworked by Stanford losing a majority of 50/50 balls that were on the pitch. They leave Maloney field still winless in Pac-12 play, and the Sun Devils’ woes are beginning to snowball. With three matches left in conference play, ASU is running out of time to earn their first win. Their next opportunity comes Sunday when they travel to Berkeley to take on California at noon.
