Sun Devils fall in nail-biter to No. 6 Michigan

(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)

With 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Arizona State women’s lacrosse head coach Taryn VanThof called her second timeout. The Maroon and Gold trailed No. 6 Michigan 10-9 after allowing the go-ahead goal moments before and failing to have strong attacking chances on a man advantage.

The Wolverines entered Tempe with the best scoring defense in the nation, but they struggled to stop shots from going in on Tuesday. However, they came up big when the moment mattered the most.

Junior goalkeeper Erin O’Grady saved two shots on goal before smothering the ball in traffic as the buzzer sounded at Sun Devil Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium. Michigan (5-0) maintained its unbeaten season and handed ASU (3-2) its second loss of the season.

“To be the best, you have to beat the best,” VanThof said. “We saw a solid 30 minutes from us in the Stony Brook game. We pulled together a solid 60 (today). You know, a few mistakes here and there, we wish we could take back in such a tight game with a No. 6 team. But we’re not peaking yet, and I think that’s the best part.”

While the Sun Devils recorded ample possession time in the attacking third to start the game, they were hounded by the Wolverines. After the Maize and Blue broke the deadlock, graduate attacker Shannon Urey equalized for the Sun Devils on a bounce shot with 28 seconds left in the quarter.

From there, the game turned into a sequence of runs. The Maroon and Gold scored two unanswered before the Maize and Blue responded to tie up the game at three. But ASU regained the lead off of two goals in the man-up position. This resulted in Michigan head coach Hannah Nielsen burning her team’s first timeout. The score remained the same at halftime.

“We talked about being present in every moment,” VanThof said about her team’s mindset entering the game. “Little moments matter throughout the whole 60 minutes. It’s not one moment that’s gonna make or break. But it’s gonna be those moments that you string together that give you momentum to really put yourself in a great position at the end.”

After senior attacker Mina Scott extended the Sun Devils lead, the Wolverines responded. They completed a 3-0 run, equalizing the game on a bounce shot within the first minute of the fourth quarter.

Nonetheless, the Maroon and Gold also had an answer. They led 9-7 as Michigan called its second timeout of the game with 4:17 remaining. Nielsen’s side exited the break on the attack, scoring three goals in the next three minutes to pull off the road victory.

Both goalkeepers performed well on Tuesday afternoon. O’Grady, who was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 20, saved 11 shots. While ASU’s junior goalkeeper Katie Vahle, who made her collegiate debut in the 2022 season opener against the Wolverines, posted nine saves.

“She stood on her head,” VanThof said about her goalkeeper. “We asked a lot of her in the shots she was gonna see today. Michigan’s a fiery team. They shoot the ball when they get hot. She made the saves and killed the momentum when we needed it most.”

Additionally, Vahle limited junior attacker Kaylee Dyer, who came into the matchup as Michigan’s leading scorer, to no goals. But another junior attacker, Jill Smith, thrived against the Sun Devils’ netminder. She scored six goals, including the game winner from the free position. Junior attacker Jane Fetterolf and sophomore attacker Calli Norris both scored two goals.

On the other side, the Maroon and Gold had seven scorers. Leading the pack was Scott, who recorded her fourth hat trick of the season.

The Wolverines succeeded the most in free-position shots. They went 3-for-6, which included the game winner, while the Sun Devils went 1-for-1. The visitors also outshot the hosts 25-24.

ASU did win the shots on goal battle 20-19 and went 16-for-16 on clearances. Additionally, VanThof’s side caused four turnovers, which was three more than their opponent. The Maroon and Gold also played more disciplined. They received two green cards and two yellow cards while the Wolverines received five green cards and one yellow card.

The Sun Devils return to action at Sun Devil Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium on Sunday when they host No. 11 Florida (1-2) at 11 a.m. MST. ASU has never beaten the Gators, losing 21-10 at home in 2022 before falling 17-12 on the road last year.

After a solid performance against the sixth-ranked team in the country, VanThof believes her team can pick up impressive results as it continues to grow.

“We talk about believing in ourselves a lot, and we believe,” said VanThof, who spent six years at Florida as an assistant coach. “Now we have to show everybody else that there’s a reason why we believe. We have it, and we’ll do it.”