(Photo: Brendan Belfield)
Arizona State (8-2-1) fell just short of what would have been a massive upset over No. 3 UCLA (9-0-1) on Sunday afternoon.
The Sun Devils battled the Bruins all game long but ultimately came up empty handed in overtime, dropping the match 4-3.
The Sun Devils and Bruins both started the game scorching hot. The two sides went back and forth during the first half, tallying six total goals within the first 30 minutes of the game. There was no lack of excitement for the fans who packed almost every seat in Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
From the start, UCLA backed up its ranking as one of the top teams in the country, taking the lead in a mere five minutes and 28 seconds for junior forward Mia Fishel to notch UCLA’s first goal. That was the beginning of what would be a must-see first half.
Instead of rolling over to a highly ranked opponent, Arizona State immediately fought its way back into the game. Only four minutes after UCLA’s first goal, Arizona State took advantage of a free-kick as senior midfielder Eva Van Deursen lofted the ball into the box where sophomore midfielder Jazmine Wilkinson headed the ball into the goal, tying the game at one.
“It was just a team effort,” Wilkinson said. “Everyone did their job well and it made me open for that header.”
The Sun Devils rode the momentum from Wilkinson’s goal, striking again less than two minutes later by way of their star senior forward Nicole Douglas. Douglas swiftly navigated her way through three different Bruin defenders before sneaking a goal into the corner of the net. Douglas’ dribbling moves combined with the goal, left everyone speechless for a moment as they observed what was a remarkable display of skill.
“I saw there was a loose ball and you know, we want to be first on every single loose ball, so I made that happen,” Douglas said.“I have self confidence and I thought, you know, I’m just going to go for it.”
The goal was Douglas’ 13th of the season, giving her the most individual goals in the nation. The senior has scored in every single game for the Sun Devils this season.
Douglas added to her great day only 12 minutes later by assisting on a goal scored by Van Deursen. In a crowded box, Van Deursen and Douglas ran a classic “give and go” that gave the Sun Devils a 3-1 lead over the Bruins.
An upset looked likely as Arizona State carried all the momentum, but UCLA had other plans.
UCLA regained all of the momentum they had once lost after capitalizing on what was a very costly Arizona State mistake. Fifth-year midfielder Marley Canales launched a corner kick at Arizona State freshman goalie Birta Gudlaugs, but Gudlaugs was unable to make the save as it bounced off of her and rolled into the goal. The self-inflicted wound ended up being as costly as it looked.
With a newly discovered energy, the Bruins swiftly made their way towards the goal. Less than a minute after the Sun Devils’ mistake, junior defender Kylie Kerr kicked the ball off of the goal post allowing sophomore midfielder Dasia Torbert to head the ball into the net, tying the game at three. The play was as hectic as you could imagine, and would go down as the last score in the first half.
The two halves were night and day when compared to each other, with the second half being the complete opposite of the first half.
“It was a game of two halves, the first half we attacked very well, scored some lovely goals, second half we defended really well, which we didn’t in the first half,” Arizona State head coach Graham Winkworth said.
During the halftime break, UCLA was able to make some strategic adjustments that would end up changing the style of play in the second half.
“UCLA changed the way they were playing,” Winkworth said. “They shifted from a 4-4-2 diamond to a 4-2-3-1…it kind of closed the game off and that’s why the second half was boring.”
What was an explosive first half turned into a defensively dominated second half that produced zero goals for either side. With neither side scoring, the game required an overtime period to be played.
Overtime was only underway for five minutes and 28 seconds when UCLA put the nail in Arizona State’s coffin. Gudlaugs ran up to the front of the box to attempt to intercept a UCLA shot, but was not able to come up with the ball. The ball landed in front of 5th-year midfielder Olivia Athens who quickly slipped the ball into the net, giving the Bruins a 4-3 overtime victory over their Pac-12 foe.
The devastation was visible as seemingly every white and maroon jersey fell to the ground in a heartbreaking manner. The opportunity to upset one of the best teams in the country had vanished.
“Obviously we’re devastated,” Winkworth said. “You’d almost rather get smashed than lose in that fashion.”
Despite the loss, it’s not all negative for the Sun Devils, they sit at a record of (8-3-1), proved they could compete with the nation’s best, and have plenty of more opportunities to improve this season. Their next opportunity may provide a way to remove the bitter taste of Sunday’s loss as they travel to Corvallis to play Pac-12 opponent Oregon State on Thursday.
