(Photo: Brendan Belfield)
Arizona State (8-6-2) could not overcome California (7-4-3) and stormy northern California weather, falling 1-0 in a defensive battle on Sunday afternoon.
Nothing seemed to go Arizona State’s way on or off the field. Arizona State was called for seven fouls and was tasked with playing in cold, wet conditions rarely seen in Tempe.
The Sun Devils fired 10 shots but none of them found the back of the net. Scoring is normally not an issue for Arizona State with senior Nicole Douglas, one of the nation’s top offensive talents, leading the charge. However, Douglas and the Sun Devils posted their second straight game without a goal.
Despite the scoring drought, Arizona State remained competitive in the game. The game was knotted at zero until freshman Ayo Oke put the Golden Bears in front with a goal minutes before the end of the first half. The goal came on a Cal breakaway and was Oke’s first goal of her collegiate career.
The bright spot for Arizona State was its defense, who has now held opponents to two goals or less in each of its last five games. Freshman goalkeeper Julia Ortega was a large part of the defensive effort as she tallied six saves in the game. Ortega, a native of Moraga, California, shined in a game played only a few miles from her hometown.
The victory marked the Golden Bears’ third straight victory while for the Sun Devils, times have been tough. The Sun Devils last victory came September 17th against Colorado College. Since then, the Sun Devils have spiraled down a stretch of six losses and two ties. The rough stretch leaves the Sun Devils winless in Pac-12 play, sitting just ahead of Arizona at the bottom of the conference standings.
Arizona State’s next opportunity to claim its first Pac-12 win will come on Thursday October 28th when Colorado visits Tempe.
