ASU Women’s Lacrosse: Sun Devils fall to Gators in first-ever matchup

(Photo: Paige Cook/WCSN)

No. 11 Florida handily defeated Arizona State 21-10 Sunday afternoon in Tempe, gaining its first-ever win over ASU in a historic matchup between two state schools far from the traditional home of lacrosse in the American northeast.

ASU’s loss, its fifth of the season,  marks the fifth time that the Sun Devils have lost against a Top 20 team. 

Arizona State got off to a rough start as they were unable to contain the high-powered Florida offense, trailing 7-2 at the end of the first quarter. Arizona State permitted 14 shots on goal, while only attempting four of their own. In the remaining three quarters, the largest margin of shots between the teams in a given period was three. Nevertheless, Florida kept up the pressure, matching their scoring mark of seven goals in the second quarter.

“[Florida is] incredibly skilled and incredibly athletic, so they capitalized on [our lost possessions,]” Arizona State head coach Tim McCormack said. 

The team’s struggles early in the game have reinforced the importance of playing a full 60 minutes for McCormack and graduate attacker Carley Adams. 

“When this entire team plays a full 60 and plays an entire game the way the coaches prepare us the way we’re supposed to play, there’s really no one that can stop us and that’s why I feel like we can go up against any team,” Adams said after Sunday’s loss.

ASU’s biggest issues on Sunday were limiting turnovers and fouls, two categories in which they are among the worst in the country. Arizona State turned the ball over 20 times to Florida’s 11 and committed 32 fouls, three more than their opponent. Losses like this are tough to process for McCormack and his Sun Devils, nevertheless, he looks back on his team’s values for a resolution.

“You have to stick to everything that got us to this point, … double down on our core values, and … don’t second guess anything,” McCormack said.

“We just play our game,” Adams said. “We support each other all over. … We’ll get better.”

Adams, who now leads the team in goals with 22, scored four against the Gators on Sunday. Hailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, just 300 miles from Gainsville, home of the Gators, the contest meant a little bit more than usual to the attacker.

“This one meant a lot, and we learned a lot,” Adams said. “We’ve got a lot to get better from here.”

For the Gators, sophomore midfielder Danielle Pavinelli led offensively with seven goals on 10 shots. Redshirt junior midfielder Paisley Eagan had three goals and led the team with four assists. 

Although the defense struggled Sunday afternoon, ASU looked solid in draw controls, earning 19 compared with only 14 by the Gators. 

Several Sun Devil Alumni were also present as part of the team’s alumni weekend, most notably Berkeley Bonneau and Kerri Clayton.

“Those guys started this thing and laid the foundation for the program and our core values, everything,” McCormack said. “I was really proud to see them come out here.”

Arizona State is now 4-5 on the season and 3-2 against the Pac-12. They will head to the east coast next weekend for matchups against Stony Brook and Rutgers before returning to Tempe for a rematch against the Bay Area schools the following week. 

“We have a lot to learn from,” Adams said. “We’ll get better every game. … We have a lot of games left to play.”

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