ASU Women’s Lacrosse: Sun Devils bounce back in Bay Area win

(Photo via Xavier Litman/WCSN)

Arizona State Women’s Lacrosse (3-7, 2-3 Pac-12) has had the Cal Golden Bears’ number (3-8, 1-4 Pac-12) with a seven-game winning streak since 2020. That streak would continue on Sunday in Berkeley, California.

After a tough loss to the Stanford Cardinal on Friday – in which only two of ASU’s starters scored multiple points – the Sun Devils knew they needed to rebound against a team they have played well against over the last few seasons. Behind a sizzling second quarter, ASU would do just that in a 13-9 victory over the Golden Bears.

The Sun Devils outscored Cal 7-3 in the second quarter, led by junior attacker Mina Scott’s two goals in the frame, which helped Scott achieve her second hat trick of the season. The junior scored four goals against Florida on March 5, but this was her second best performance of the season in terms of points with three.

Sophomore midfielder Bella Ingrao was scoreless on Friday against Stanford, but Ingrao came back with a vengeance against Cal, scoring her first collegiate hat trick. The sophomore has scored multiple points in five of her last seven games, but the scoring surge didn’t start until March 3 as she was held scoreless in her first three games of the season. Ingrao also played a vital role in maintaining possession, leading ASU with seven draw controls.

Speaking of firsts, sophomore midfielder Annie Haley had a career high in points with two against the Golden Bears. The midfielder scored three points in her first four games of the season, but she was held scoreless in the last five games before Sunday’s contest. Haley has seen massive growth and more opportunities since last season, during which she played in only three games and didn’t score any points.

Coming off Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors with 13 points combined across two games, graduate midfielder Kaylon Buckner was held scoreless against the Cardinal on Friday, but bounced back with two points against the Golden Bears. The graduate student also led the team with three turnovers and was the only Sun Devil to have multiple turnovers in the game.

ASU sophomore goalkeeper Katie Vahle had a .571 save percentage along with 12 saves, her third game this season with more saves than goals allowed. In all three of those games, Vahle has only allowed single digit goals with double digit saves. The netminder also led the team with three ground balls, a crucial component for the Sun Devils to keep possession.

Vahle allowed five of her nine goals to Cal’s top two goal scorers this season in senior midfielders Maya Lawliss and Amanda Morse, who scored three and two goals respectively. Neither of them had assists, which was common for Cal as seven of their nine goals were unassisted.

Cal sophomore goalkeeper Alicia Souliotis couldn’t match Vahle’s production, struggling in the first half with nine goals allowed and only four saves. Souliotis was replaced in the second half by senior goalkeeper Riley Drullinger, who fared better with a .500 save percentage.

After splitting the Bay Area trip, ASU now returns home to play the same two squads in Tempe on April 7 and 9. With a night-and-day difference between the two games, it should be interesting to see which version of the Sun Devils comes to play at Sun Devil Lacrosse Stadium.