(Photo: Brendan Belfield/WCSN)
After a high-scoring offensive explosion last week, the Arizona State Sun Devils’ offense showed up too late against the Oregon State Beavers.
The Beavers (10-2) defeated the Sun Devils (8-3-1) 2-1 with two quick goals in succession in the first half. Senior forward Nicole Douglas remains ASU’s best offensive threat as she scored a late consolation goal in the 90th minute.
Relying on balls in the box, the Sun Devils couldn’t pick out a player in white in the attacking third. Senior forward Olivia Nguyen’s cross late in the second half was the first accurate cross and it directly led to the team’s only goal of the game.
Nguyen’s cross found Douglas in the box where she made no mistake to cut the deficit. Unfortunately in the last minute of the game, the Sun Devils had no time to jump on the momentum as the final whistle blew. The urgency on offense arrived too late.
Highlighting the lack of urgency from the offense, in the second half Arizona State had 12 shots after just four in the first half.
Before Douglas’ goal, the Sun Devils had several good attempts to score late in the game. The team had seven shots all in the final 10 minutes.
With Oregon State having more possession, ASU didn’t have many quality looks on goal.
The Sun Devils’ best chance in the first half predictably came from Douglas. Staring down four Beaver defenders, Douglas cut the ball onto her left foot and aimed for the upper right corner of the goal before being denied by the Oregon State goalie.
Arizona State head coach Graham Winkworth made a goalie change giving freshman goalkeeper Julia Ortega the first start of her collegiate career. Ortega faced 16 shots with four on target and made three saves.
Oregon State took the lead in the first half off of a botched corner kick where the ASU defense misjudged the cross as a Beaver forward forced the ball into the net. Set pieces have been an issue for the Sun Devils as of late in the PAC-12. Set pieces cost them wins against Washington and UCLA and now Oregon State.
Within a minute and a half, OSU doubled its lead. Oregon State had more possession in the first half which led to more scoring opportunities.
After ASU turned over the ball, the Beavers were quick to act on the counterattack. Junior forward Brianna McReynolds began the attack with a darting, penetrating run from midfield before playing a quick one-two pass to slot the ball into the Sun Devil net.
The first half was end-to-end soccer with each team taking four shots. The only difference was Oregon State putting away its chances. Of the 16 total shots by the Sun Devils, only four were on target
Graduate student defender Jayda Hylton-Pelaia was a bright spot throughout the game. Hylton-Pelaia took on defenders and shut down Beaver attacks. Another positive sign for the Sun Devils was senior midfielder Isabel Dehakiz getting her first start of the season after last season’s injury kept her on the sidelines.
The Sun Devils’ next game is against Oregon away from home on Oct. 10 where they’ll need a win to avoid a losing streak. If the Sun Devils can tighten up the set pieces and play consistently on offense, they can get back on the right track.
