Sun Devils succumb to Stanford in Pac-12 Semifinals

(Photo: Zina Garcia/WCSN)

LOS ANGELES — The 2024 Pac-12 tournament was not just a chance to win the final conference crown for Arizona State women’s lacrosse. It was a revenge tour.

After avenging Oregon 19-12 a day before, the fourth-seeded Sun Devils returned to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to face off against top-seeded No. 19 Stanford on Thursday evening. ASU lost 20-8 to the Cardinal in Palo Alto on March 30. Additionally, the Maroon and Gold had lost its last four meetings against the tournament’s No. 1 seed, including an 18-12 defeat in the 2022 conference final.

ASU (9-10, 4-5 Pac-12) could not get past Stanford (12-4, 8-0 Pac-12), losing 20-15 as its season ended in the Pac-12 semifinals for the second consecutive year.

“I’m proud of their effort (and) the fight they put for 60 minutes,” ASU head coach Taryn VanThof said. “You know, things go up and down. Momentum goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t. But they never wavered in their fight and Sun Devils lacrosse.”

After both teams traded 2-0 runs to start the game, the Cardinal retook the lead. Graduate midfielder Katie Haley halved the edge a second before time expired as the Maroon and Gold trailed 4-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Stanford found a groove at the beginning and end of the second quarter with three goals in the first five minutes and scoring twice in the final two. The tournament’s top seed led 10-6 at halftime.

The Cardinal strengthened their advantage throughout the second half, holding an eight point lead in the fourth quarter before the Sun Devils scored the contest’s final three goals. Stanford will advance to the conference finals against either No. 23 Colorado or USC after missing out last year.

Despite the loss, ASU won the draw control 26-13. Most of those were won by senior defender Zoe Mazur, who was recently named to the Pac-12 All-Conference First Team. Her 19 draw controls broke the program and conference single-game records. Additionally, Mazur finished her time in college with the Pac-12 career record of 330.

“(She) did phenomenal on the draw for us and gave us so many opportunities,” VanThof said.

The Maroon and Gold remained competitive on the offensive, posting 38 shots with 28 on target. On the other side, Stanford shot 41 times, with 29 testing ASU’s junior goalkeeper Katie Vahle.

While the Sun Devils made many ventures towards the eight-meter arc, they also frequently lost possession in that area. The Cardinal caused 14 turnovers while the Sun Devils only forced five. Additionally, Stanford’s sophomore Lucy Pearson made 13 saves.

“I don’t think we got as many that we needed to take advantage of from a shooting space perspective or a movement perspective,” VanThof said. “We could have shifted to give ourselves some more opportunities off that.”

Redshirt sophomore attacker Jordyn Case tallied a double hat trick and an assist, while fellow attacker Aliya Polisky showed why she was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year with a five-goal performance. The Cardinal also had two midfielders, senior Ailish Kelly and sophomore Rylee Bouvier, who both notched hat-tricks, with Bouvier doing so off the bench.

The Sun Devils had two attackers, graduate Shannon Urey and sophomore Lydia Oldknow, scored four goals. Despite only scoring once, senior midfielder Mina Scott had four assists in her collegiate swan song.

With the Pac-12 disbanding, ASU will transition from to the Big 12 alongside UC Davis, San Diego State, and Colorado. Cincinnati and Florida will join them for the conference’s first year of women’s lacrosse.

The Sun Devils will have a different look next year with 12 spots to fill. They will lose starters like Urey, Scott, Mazur on the attack. The Maroon and Gold will also miss senior defenders Cate Duhig, along with twins Bella and Gigi Gaspar.

But Thursday evening wrapped up a season full of growth for the Sun Devils. After only winning six games last year — Taryn VanThof’s first at the helm — they will wrap up this year with nine victories, including four in the Pac-12.

There may be a new conference and new pieces to the starting lineup. But VanThof’s side will look to continue its growth going into the program’s eighth season.

“We played our toughest schedule that we have ever played and ever seen,” VanThof said. “It prepared us in terms of heart, (and) what it takes for us to compete in the postseason. That’s the biggest takeaway (from this season). The heart that this team has and will continue to have to fight time and time again.”