(Photo: Alex Roddier/WCSN)
Returning from a four-game road trip to open the season, Sun Devil women’s lacrosse (3-2) secured a 18-14 win over the Marquette Golden Eagles (3-3) in their first game of 2020 back in the Valley of the Sun.
After a quiet five minutes to start the game, the Sun Devils opened up what would become an offensive race, with both teams going on several runs over the course of the afternoon.
Kerri Clayton scored first and continued to be the team’s pinnacle of offense, putting up five goals and two assists in another dominant showing. Clayton leads the team with 21 goals through five games, with 11 of those coming in ASU’s last two matchups.
“Playing on our own turf is the best feeling so to come out with a hard-fought win is a great time,” Clayton said. “Being on the road is hard, but it’s fun and it makes it all worth it. It was a great win.”
The rest of the Sun Devil attack was able to add to the onslaught of goals just as well. Carley Adams recorded a hat trick within the first 20 minutes of play. Freshman Anna Winkeler also recorded a hat trick in a five-point outing. Junior Emily Glagolev continued to shine with ball movement and vision around the fan with two goals and three assists.
After a competitive first period, Arizona State led by a goal 7-6 at halftime due to a goal from Glagolev in the final seconds. The Sun Devil offense came out firing on all cylinders after the break and the team went on a run that saw five players score six goals, solidifying a lead they would not look back from.
Head coach Tim McCormack got his first victory in front of a home crowd. While the team came away with an encouraging win, they also showed there were improvements that could be made. The team committed 39 fouls that saw them face 18 free position shots.
“Our two things we talk about on the defensive end are discipline and control. So when you see 18 eight-meters and however many fouls, you question that a little bit,” McCormack said. “We’ll go back to the table on that and make sure that we continue to preach it and square that stuff away. But it happens sometimes too. Sometimes you find yourself on that side of it and you’ve got to be able to withstand, and we were able to do that.”
The team was able to withstand their costly penalties with help from goalie Berkeley Bonneau. Bonneau was able to stuff 12 out of 26 shots, making several key saves against free position shots.
“We just kinda got angry,” Bonneau said about the defense overcoming their mistakes. “That’s our thing, we get mad, in a good way, and then we go out and kill it. And that’s what we did, and it felt great.”
The Sun Devils regained their winning record as they improved to 3-2 on the season. They are set to continue a six-game home stand at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium on March 2 at 2 p.m. against the Fresno State Bulldogs, their final game before PAC-12 play begins.
