Sun Devils advance to Pac-12 semifinals with win over Oregon

(Photo: Zina Garcia/WCSN)

LOS ANGELES — A big city, a big stadium, a big matchup. Arizona State women’s lacrosse was ready for the spotlight.

The fourth-seeded Sun Devils started their final Pac-12 tournament campaign against the fifth seeded Oregon Ducks at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday evening. The Maroon and Gold came in fresh off a 21-11 Senior Day victory against UC Davis on Saturday while Oregon dropped its final game of the season 20-8 on the road to Colorado.

Additionally, ASU was out for revenge in the City of Angels, as it lost to Oregon 20-12 in Eugene earlier this year. The Sun Devils (9-9, 3-4 Pac-12) seized the moment, beating the Ducks (8-7, 2-5 Pac-12) 19-12 to advance to the conference semifinals.

“It was electric,” ASU head coach Taryn VanThof said of her team’s performance. “From the sidelines to on field…It was great to see the execution, it was great to see (them) sharing the ball, sharing the wealth, some great defensive stops and saves in cage. It was overall Sun Devils lacrosse.”

The Sun Devils had a Hollywood-like start, winning possession and entering the attacking zone on numerous occasions. They led 3-0 with 8:54 left in the first quarter when Oregon head coach Jessica Drummond called timeout.

Drummond’s side got on the board with a goal from senior attacker Haley Cummins, who barely beat the shot clock, and junior defender Alex Matsuoka as she was falling to the ground. But ASU continued to hold its momentum, leading 6-2 at the end of the first quarter.

VanThof’s side doubled its goal total in the second quarter, leading 12-5 at halftime, but the Sun Devils were not done scoring. They started the third quarter on a 5-0 run, forcing the running clock. Freshman attacker Emma Heenan made it 18-6 to set the program record for goals scored in a tournament game.

“We talked about coming out strong and having a third quarter that we’re proud of,” VanThof said. “We played our best third quarter yet. So, it was great to see.

“We gotta peak at the right time. You can’t peak too early, you can’t peak too late, you miss your opportunities. We afforded ourselves an opportunity in the Pac-12 tournament.”

While the Ducks won the fourth quarter 6-1, the advantage allowed VanThof to give 19 bench players some minutes. As they did against UC Davis last Saturday, the Sun Devils ended the game with reserves throughout the lineup.

ASU outmatched Oregon 32-26 and 26-19 in shots on goal. It also won the draw control battle 22-13 and caused eight turnovers.

The Sun Devils also played a clean game. While they committed 33 fouls in their previous face off against Oregon, the Maroon and Gold only had 10 on Wednesday evening. On the other side, Drummond’s players fouled more, with 28 calls against them.

Senior attacker Mina Scott, fresh off her double hat trick performance last Saturday, led the way with four goals and two assists. Graduate attacker Shannon Urey, who did not score last week, found the back of the net four times.

While it was a quiet day for junior goalkeeper Katie Vahle, she still came up big with seven saves on 16 shots faced. She was replaced by senior Flynn Murphy with less than seven minutes remaining in the contest.

Cummins also had four goals, being the only starter from the Ducks to notch a multiple goal outing. Senior Morgan McCarthy, who was recently named Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year, and sophomore midfielder Anna Simmons scored once. They each tallied five goals in the home win against the Maroon and Gold earlier this season.

The Sun Devils return to action on Thursday at 4 p.m. PST when they play No. 19 Stanford, the tournament’s top seed, in the conference semifinals. Along with reaching Saturday’s championship game, they will look to avenge a 20-8 regular season defeat to the Cardinal, which happened in Palo Alto.

“Our focus tonight flips over, right?” VanThof said. “It’s (a) quick celebration, then we gotta be ready to roll. So, we take a look at film, we take a look at scout. It’s coming out strong and it’s playing to our highest level.”