(Photo: Becca Striffler/WCSN)
Coach Graham Winkworth has coached the Sun Devils for four seasons, but he has never had a victory more important than the team’s Friday night 1-0 victory over the USC Trojans at Sun Devil Stadium.
“This is the biggest win I’ve had here at ASU,” Winkworth said in his postgame press conference. “It’s a huge win for us, and I’m excited for everyone associated with the soccer program.”
The Sun Devils’ only goal came via a header from junior forward Nicole Douglas, which was assisted by junior midfielder Alexia Delgado on a corner kick. Douglas currently leads the Pac-12 in goals with six, and Delgado leads the conference in assists with five.
“We outworked our opponents,” Douglas said postgame. “We wanted to show the Pac-12 what we’re capable of this season.”
While the offense played well for the Sun Devils, the defense played even better. The Trojans got 15 shots off against ASU, but only two of them were on goal. Great defensive tackles by freshman Lucy Johnson and sophomore Lieske Carleer took off a bit of pressure from sophomore goalkeeper Giulia Cascapera, who kept a clean sheet against the Trojans.
Cascapera felt confident that her team would pull through once the clock hit the 70th minute. “The 70th minute was huge,” Cascapera said. “I feel like we were all pulling together, putting in so much effort, so many tackles.”
The Arizona State Sun Devils move to 5-0 on the season with the improbable victory, while the USC Trojans are now 1-1. Coach Winkworth’s squad looks to stay undefeated as they will take on the Washington State Cougars in Sun Devil Stadium on March 5.
