ASU Women’s Soccer: Matadors startle Sun Devils with defensive game plan

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

By: Jonathan Messiha

The Arizona State women’s soccer team (6-2-1) dominated every aspect of their match against Cal State University-Northridge (5-1-3) on Friday night, but failed to convert their possession into goals.

Statistically speaking, the Sun Devils were the far better team, as they outshot the Matadors 22 to 7, although only six of the Sun Devil’s shot attempts were on goal. In a match where Arizona State controlled the tempo and possession, the majority of play occurred in CSUN’s defensive half of the field. Thus, Coach Graham Winkworth and the players believed they should have come away with a victory.

“We dominated the game from start to finish but unfortunately we weren’t as clinical as we hoped to be,” says Sun Devils leading scorer Nicole Douglas. “We had a lot of opportunities to score. We had to take players on and be confident in our ability, but it just wasn’t our game.”

There were a variety of factors leading to the 1-1 final score, but the Matadors came in with a defensive game plan and were able to execute it against the Sun Devils. When Arizona State controlled possession in the attacking half of the field, there were at least eight CSUN defenders inside or around the 18-yard box.

The middle was completely packed, which forced the Sun Devils to play exclusively through the flanks. However, it took Arizona State a while to realize this and make an adjustment for Northridge’s game plan.

“Well they defended with everybody through the middle. We had to be braver and push Lorato and Callie higher and wider. I was having to keep telling them to get wider, get on that sideline because when our wide players are receiving the ball ten yards inside the pitch then the pitch becomes 55 yards instead of 75 yards,” coach Graham Winkworth explained. “So we eventually fixed that and towards the end of the game, Callie and Lowe were getting on the ball and getting on 1v1’s and even though they were playing fullback, they were getting to the end line.”

This was definitely a noticeable adjustment as full backs Callie Durst and Lorato Sargeant seemingly turned into attackers for the last 30 minutes of the match. They were responsible for reviving the Sun Devils attack as they effectively utilized the width of the field, and Durst’s long ball to Marleen Schimmer is what created the penalty opportunity for the equalizer.

The Sun Devils definitely created chances towards the later stages of the match, but only a dismal 27% of shots were on target. For the 63% of possession that Arizona State controlled, there was simply no product of their hard play and dominance. CSUN totaled two shots on goal, yet was able to convert one of these opportunities on a strike from outside the box. Thus the Sun Devils were simply not as efficient in the final third as they hoped to be

“We didn’t hit the target enough. I was looking back and how many saves did their goalkeeper really have to make? Not enough,” coach Winkworth admitted. “If we were to look at the expected goals for this game it wouldn’t have finished 1-1. We would have scored a lot more goals. We weren’t clinical in front of goal. We have top strikers who score on a daily basis, but it wasn’t their night.”

Douglas and Schimmer are these strikers that are known to carry the Sun Devils attack, but they were neutralized this game through the congestion of the pitch. Until Douglas utilized the full width of the field and used her fullbacks to create opportunities, the attacking powers could not penetrate through the middle of the Matador defense.

“I think we tried to force the ball a lot. We’re a team that is able to play soccer and pass the ball around teams,” admitted Douglas. “In areas we’ve done so but in areas we force the ball a lot, which is probably the reason that we drew the game.”

Arizona State continually tried to force balls through the middle, a flawed strategy that kept them scoreless for the majority of the game. Even though the Sun Devils were controlling possession in the Matador half of the field, they didn’t take as many shots as they would’ve liked as they were patiently waiting for a perfect opportunity.

“We were known for taking shots outside the 18, which were less likely to go in,” says defensive midfielder Kylie Miniefield. “To counter that, now I feel like we’re not shooting as much. We want to get the perfect shot on goal and we kind of play too much in the 18.”

The Sun Devils seemed to take their possession for granted in the first half, as complete dominance yielded nothing. They searched for perfect passes to wide open shots, instead of attempting their shots in the groove of play.

The Sun Devils definitely played a higher quality of soccer throughout the match, which is why the 1-1 draw is so disappointing for this offensive juggernaut. This was definitely noticeable to the attendees from the first whistle, as the Matadors played their kick off by immediately kicking the ball to the Sun Devils in their own defensive half. While it was an interesting play, their game plan was visible from the start of the match.

However, once CSUN was on the board, the adjustments were made and the Sun Devils began to play like the top offense they are believed to be. While it was too little far too late, Winkworth and the team acknowledged that they must come out with a hunger for goal and a focus on turning possession into real opportunities.

“It was frustrating,” says Miniefield. “Sometimes it makes you think, ‘what was all this work for?’”

ASU returns to action Friday when they host the Utah Utes (4-3-1) Friday afternoon. The match will kick off at 2 p.m. and air on the Pac-12 Networks.