(Photo: Jack Harris/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils (2-1) late comeback was short-lived as they fell to the San Diego State Aztecs (2-0) 14-13 on the road Saturday afternoon as the Aztecs pulled away in the final two minutes of the game.
“It was a tough battle today and the girls were certainly tested on both sides of the ball,” said head coach Courtney Martinez Connor in a team release. “San Diego State is a tough and aggressive team but our girls showed they had a lot of fight of them even after being down three goals.”
The Sun Devils took the lead within two minutes with the help from their leading goal scorer and co-captain Kerri Clayton, who found the back of the net four total times on Saturday, bringing her season total to 16, a team high.
However, ASU’s lead did not last long as SDSU junior midfielder Jill Haight put one past Sun Devil goalkeeper Berkeley Bonneau.
The Sun Devils and the Aztecs traded goals in the first half until junior midfielder Harlowe Steele made SDSU a 6-5 lead. She finished with a game-high 5 goals.
Arizona State had 17 fouls in the first half, which has become an early season issue for the upstart Sun Devils. Freshman attacker Graci Fulkerson had a green card and a yellow card in the first for the Sun Devils, along with a goal in the first and two goals in the second. SDSU’s Ryli Quinn also had a green card.
In the second half, freshman attacker Julia Burns got the scoring started for the Sun Devils before Clayton got her second of the night, giving ASU a 7-6 lead.
SDSU continued to answer back though, leveling the score 13-13 with just over 2 minutes left to play, when junior midfielder Natalie Peel scored her second goal of the night propelling the Aztecs to a 14-13 lead.
“I was happy with our fight until the very end and I hope this game will build upon our experience the next time we’re in similar situation so that the outcome can be different.”
This is the Sun Devils first loss of the season, but they are still excited to keep moving forward as they get another game under their belt.
Added Martinez Connor: “Every game we’re continuing to learn in-game situations during this inaugural season and the girls are becoming more confident as different situations are thrown at them.”
