ASU Women’s Lacrosse: Sun Devils’ season comes to an end in Pac-12 tournament loss to USC

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

Competing in the first ever Pac-12 women’s lacrosse tournament on Thursday, sixth-seeded Arizona State fell to the third-seeded and 20th-ranked USC Trojans (10-7), 19-7, bring the Sun Devils inaugural season to an end.

Coach Courtney Martinez Connor called the team’s season finale another bright spot to it’s debut campaign.

“Our girls showed resiliency time and time again,” she said in a release. To have the toughest schedule for a first year program with the amount of travel we did and the amount of ranked opponents we played it will only help give us that invaluable experience and growth for future. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls and where the future of Sun Devil Lacrosse is going.”

Unlike past meetings with the Trojans (14-3 and 19-2 defeats), the Sun Devils scored the first three goals of the game and, after the Trojans went on a 5-0 run to take the lead, responded to tie the score at 5-5 in the tournament quarterfinal. Both teams went back and forth for two goals apiece for tied score. ASU was still level with USC at 7-7 before the Trojans tacked on three straight goals to take a 10-7 halftime lead.

The Trojans pulled away from the Sun Devils in the second half to eliminate ASU from the season-ending event. USC outscored ASU 9-0 in the second period and kept the Sun Devils off the board for the final 38:51 to close out the win.

All seven of the Sun Devils goals came in the first half. Junior co-captain Kerri Clayton, freshman attacker Kate Dougherty and freshman defender Maria Villanti had two goals apiece and freshman midfielder Emily Glagolev added one of her own. Clayton’s pair of goals brought her season total to a team-high 44.

“It was an exciting time to experience another first with our team at the inaugural conference championship tournament,” Martinez Connor said. “I think we came out with a lot of intensity and determination. I was super proud of the quick start we had and that we were overcame some adversity after going down by a couple goals. Unfortunately, the outcome isn’t what we would’ve hoped for but I think our team battled the entire game which is what we ask of them.”

The Sun Devils finish the season with a 6-12 overall record and 1-10 mark in the conference.