(Photo: Patricia Vicente/WCSN)
TUCSON – Arizona State held on against No. 21 Texas Tech late efforts that saw the Red Raiders cut a 3-0 deficit to 3-2. The win caps off a two-game series in Tucson that sees ASU leave undefeated with a win against Nebraska on Thursday as well.
Entering Sunday’s match, the Sun Devils looked to continue to rebuild after that disheartening loss to now No. 7 LSU that saw them lose 5-2. The recovery started with a win against Nebraska, but today was their first ranked challenge since the loss.
The defense was the main story to begin the game from both sides. Limiting the opportunities for an ASU squad that ranks 12th in the nation in goals scored was a priority for this Texas Tech team. Texas Tech made sure to make their pressure felt by cutting passing lanes, controlling possession time, and pressuring the ball.
Main strikers early on for the Sun Devils like senior forward Nicole Douglas and senior forward Cori Sullivan could not infiltrate the box as many Red Raiders poked the ball loose or cleared the ball with outlet passes.
However, ASU would match its energy on the defensive side as many Sun Devil defenders used their bodies to block or deflect shots. One key tackele came from graduate student defender Jayda Hylton Pelaia who made a nice sliding dive to knock the ball loose on a rushing Raiders offense.
Both goalkeepers as well stepped up big as the action started to pick up. ASU freshman goalkeeper Birta Gudlaugs was a vocal leader calling out sets and keeping the tempo high. She stole balls out of midair and on the ground halted all of the TTU shots in the first half.
When it looked like it would be scoreless entering the half, junior forward Dai Williams glided the ball into the middle of the box, where graduate gtudent forward Olivia Kearse-Thomas took advantage. She emerged in a hole in the defense and fired the shot into the left corner of the goal at the 43rd minute, giving ASU a 1-0 lead.
While the first half was a defensive showdown, the second half began faster and more explosive for the Sun Devils.
After a penalty by Texas Tech, Douglas and ASU expanded their lead to 2-0. Not disappointing from the penalty spot, as she slid it right past the TTU Senior goalkeeper Sydney Malmstrom in 52nd minute.
The Sun Devil attack came right back seven minutes later as sophomore midfielder Jazmine Wilkinson scored her first goal of the season, bloating the ASU lead to 3-0.
While the game looked poised to a blowout, spectators could hear Texas Tech coach Tom Stone from the stands yelling to motivate his players.
“Hey, there’s still 30 minutes left; let’s go!” Stone yelled.
The Texas Tech faithful that made the trip to Tucson started to roar as the Red Raiders began to play with some energy. In the 63rd minute, after a corner kick that saw multiple deflections off players, TTU Senior forward Kristen Davis loaded up a rocket that rolled past Gudlaugs.
Before ASU could even breathe, Texas Tech drew a penalty kick from outside the box that saw Senior midfielder Charlotte Teeter sail one right above the fingertips of the Iceland native as the lead cut 3-2 at the 70th minute mark.
The following 20 minutes of action saw a lot of the first half, as the defensive intensity increased from both sides, limiting shot opportunities.
While allowing the two quick goals, Gudlaugs had a spectacular game for ASU, recording six saves in the second half alone. After that disappointing performance against LSU, the freshman reaffirmed her place as an elite goalkeeper for ASU.
The last opportunity for the Red Raiders was a corner kick in the 88th minute that saw Gudlaugs jump up and snatch it to secure ASU the 3-2 victory to close their time in Tucson.
The Sun Devils get an impressive victory over a ranked opponent to put ASU back in the mix of national ranking. Back-to-back exceptional wins should give this club some momentum as they travel to Colorado College on Sept. 17th.
