(Photo: Connor Gleason/WCSN)
TEMPE – Thunder, rain, and wind all worked together to scare off a rival. Fans scattered, but the weather couldn’t silence the Sun Devils.
After storms halted play for more than 45 minutes, Arizona State (9-6-3, 4-5-1 Big 12) faced Arizona (5-8-5, 2-3-3). The Sun Devils knew what was at stake. Win, and stay alive in hopes of a tournament appearance. Lose, and they’d have more issues than just the weather.
The question was never if third-year forward Kierra Blundell would score again. It was only a matter of when. What better time than in the Territorial Cup?
It finally happened: Blundell scored the game-winner in the 65th minute against the Wildcats. Delays or no delays, Blundell’s wait for her first goal since Oct. 11 ended when the Sun Devils needed her most, propelling them to a 1-0 Friday night victory.
“To beat your biggest rivals is always that little bit more,” head coach Graham Winkworth said
ASU started the game, but by the 22nd minute. Play halted; the referee signaled towards the bench, ushering the players to shelter.
Some may have seen it as a blessing, others as a curse. Winkworth saw it as an advantage. He implemented a completely new system against the Wildcats, which got the job done.
“We only used 11 players, so we played a different system because I felt like the players who were available put the strongest 11 players on the pitch together,” Winkworth said.
The Sun Devils went the entire game without making a single substitution. Much of that had to do with the extended periods they spent off the field.
Winkworth could have very well used a substitution in the late minutes of the game. However, in sports, momentum is everything. He chose to simply ride the wave.
“Sometimes they’re getting into the game for five minutes,” Winkworth said. “You’re not necessarily emotionally involved in something defensively, and I would hate for a substitute to go in, switch off on one key moment, and then we lose the game.”
Winkworth executed that perfectly, and his handling of it delivered the result he needed. All 11 starters did their job. With Blundell playing hero, she added to her tally, reaching eight goals on the season.
Over the last few games, Winkworth applauded his team’s effort despite some tough losses; effort was never the issue.
“I love the effort from the 11 that played,” Winkworth said, “It was so energetic, and the girls fed off of it, and ran and ran and ran, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
At the start of the game, the bleachers were packed with fans; this territorial cup meant something more to the players, coaches and fans.
Yet, the delays killed the energy in the stands. Still, the fans who stayed behind showed their emotion when the referee signaled the game was over, gathering around the field to sing Sweet Caroline
“I thought the fans have been wonderful all season,” Winkworth said. “It’s nearly midnight, and there are still students out here bringing the atmosphere, bringing the energy, and we wouldn’t have won the game without them.”
After losing their last two matches to Baylor and Colorado, both by two goals, the Sun Devils found themselves in a tricky spot. Needed a win to keep their tournament hopes alive.
The Sun Devils put their best foot forward, and with Winkworth on the sideline coaching them, they found their footing once again.
“We keep the gap a little bit on West Virginia, which means we take it to the last weekend,” Winkworth said.
The Sun Devils will now look to get back on the road in their final regular-season matchup. No. 16 BYU will take on the Sun Devils next week.
“We can enjoy this night and stuff, but now it’s looking ahead to BYU and wanting to beat them,” first-year defender Gator Demark said.
At the end of the night, despite the long delays, Winkworth manipulated them in his favor for his starters.
All that matters is the win, and they got the job done.
“I’m just so proud of the girls that we were able to push through the ups and downs and come out on top with the W,” Demark said.
For the Sun Devils, they left it all out there, and with the Big 12 tournament just around the corner, they ought to keep this as their identity.
“Let’s go out there and have no regrets at the end of the game,” Winkworth said.
