Late-game chaos leads ASU Soccer to undeafeated non-conference slate

(Photo by: Hazel Foubert/WCSN)

With just over five minutes remaining in the match, Arizona State soccer led Utah Tech by a single goal. However, this match was far from being finished.

ASU captain senior defender Lucy Johnson was called for a foul, setting up a dangerous set piece for the Trailblazers. Senior midfielder Emily Garbett would stand over the free kick, being tasked with playing the ball in from over 40 yards out. With the wind blowing west, the ball played by Garbett would be carried by the heavy gusts, and go over the head of Sun Devil goalkeeper Pauline Nelles.

After Utah Tech’s equalizer, Arizona State continued pushing forward earning a corner kick with 46 seconds remaining. It would be a short corner, with the ball falling to senior winger Keri Matthews, who played it in the box, where junior winger Cameron Valladares fired it into the net to give ASU the winning exclamation point of a 2-1 victory.

“All credit to the girls,” ASU head coach Graham Winkworth said. “They were still looking to win the game (after conceding late).”

Throughout the first half, the Sun Devils were on the attack for the large majority of the opening half. The Trailblazers came prepared to stop the Sun Devil attack and were able to stunt any chance for an ASU goal.

“(We) noticed they were in their half a lot, and not really trying to push forward,” Valladares said.

A large part of the visitor’s game plan was the usage of five defenders at the back for long periods of this match, which gave the Sun Devils almost no room to work within the final third.

As a result of Utah Tech’s defending, Arizona State only notched five shots in the first half. The best opportunity came in the eighth minute, as Lucy Johnson took a shot from long range that came off the crossbar and was collected by Utah Tech’s keeper, junior Brianna Frey. Despite their defensive-minded tactics, the best chance of the half for either team came for the Trailblazers. In the 40th minute junior midfielder, Kyah Le played a ball through to sophomore forward Ella Rusick, who was in space just inside of the 18-yard box but was unable to put the shot on target.

After halftime, Utah Tech was still sitting deep, but Arizona State finally broke the deadlock. After a trailblazer turnover, the ball found its way to junior forward Enasia Colon on the left, who played the ball to the overlapping run of Johnson. Johnson was able to play a first-time ball into the box, where it found Matthews who knocked it in for the opener.

Coach Winkworth credited the goal to a change of tactics, as they switched to a 4-2-4 formation, meaning four defenders, two midfielders, and four forwards, an unconventional formation, but one you typically only see when teams are trying to go all out in the attack.

Even with the lead Arizona State would continue to push for a goal, although their attempts would prove to be ineffective.

Winkworth voiced his frustrations with the lack of shots on target as he “would rather have…12 shots if seven of them were on target, then 21 shots if six of them were off [target].”

The one-goal lead would hold for the majority of the second half until Utah Tech was able to equalize with just under five minutes remaining. Even after conceding the long free-kick ASU wasn’t going to take anything less than a win in Sunday’s match.

“We weren’t losing this game,” Valladares said.

Her aforementioned winning goal off a corner scramble in the last minute of play immediately followed.

This win rounded out an undefeated non-conference schedule for ASU who will enter Big 12 play 5-0-2. To open up conference play, Arizona State has to travel to Provo, Utah, and take on the Brigham Young Cougars.

BYU is one of, if not the Big-12 favorite, and one that will likely take everything from ASU to get a result off of. The Sun Devils hope their Sunday morning win will propel them to a colossal matchup awaiting them in Utah.

“It is good to go in (against BYU) with this win and that confidence,” Valladares said.