(Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
Arizona State Lacrosse made the trip to San Diego in hopes of defeating an unranked Denver to move to a 4-0 start on the season, which would have been the best start in program history. Instead, the Sun Devils (3-1) took a hard 21-12 loss against the Pioneers (2-2) in the neutral sited affair.
The Sun Devils began on a promising foot in the first quarter, starting the game off strong, and ending the quarter ahead 5-2. From the second quarter on, the Pioneers dominated the Sun Devils with 19 goals in three quarters compared to the Sun Devils’ seven goals in the same period.
Sun Devil Offense:
Junior attacker, Lydia Oldknow was the high scorer for ASU Friday, where she scored four goals against the Pioneers, bringing her up to 14 goals on the season. Junior attacker, Teagan Ng still leads the team with the addition of three of her own today, counting up to 17 goals on the season. The Ng and Oldknow duo have a combined 31 goals of the total 61 goals for the Sun Devils within the first four games of the season, it is obvious they have a strong impact on the Sun Devils’ ability to score. The strong start from Oldknow however, isn’t a shock since Oldknow was named to the inaugural Preseason All-Big 12 Team. Senior midfielder Bella Ingrao also made a dent in the Sun Devil’s score today with 3 goals of her own, which so far is the most she’s scored in a game this season.
Sun Devil Defense:
The Sun Devils defense seems to have crumbled under the pressure of the Pioneers offense, led by Senior attacker Lauren Black who had the most goals in today’s game from either team, 6. Throughout the game, the Pioneers managed to get 41 shots off against the Sun Devils, however, senior goalkeeper Katie Vahle was able to save 16 of those on her own. Vahle played the full 60-minute game showing her endurance when she’s in her crease blocking shots. The Pioneer’s offense has taken off with 7 goals in the second quarter to gain momentum that carries on throughout the game. In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers collect an uninterrupted 8 goals straight against the Sun Devils who were having a difficult time keeping up with the Pioneer offense.
The Sun Devils seemed to show some signs of coming back from behind in the second half, starting the half with back-to-back uninterrupted goals against the Pioneers. However, the Pioneers took those two goals and responded with eight goals of their own to end the game with a comfortable 9-point lead for the Pioneers.
Big 12 Recognition:
After a 21-1 win against Detroit Mercy last weekend, Sun Devil goalie Katie Vahle was named Big 12 goalie of the week. In the win against Detroit Mercy, Vahle only allowed one goal to get scored on the Sun Devils all game, which is the fewest number of goals the Sun Devils have allowed in a game in program history. In addition to Vahles being named Big 12 goalie of the week, Ng was named Big 12 attacker of the week.
Looking Ahead:
The Sun Devils play again in California to take on the former Pac-12 lacrosse champions, the University Southern California Trojans, on February 24 at 1 p.m. AZT. The last time the Trojans and Sun Devils met, the Sun Devils got burned with a 16-7 loss against the Trojans. In the team’s history playing each other, the Trojans have won a vast majority of the games at 8 wins for the Trojans and 2 for the Sun Devils. The most recent time the Sun Devils beat the Trojans was back in 2022 just barely coming out on top with a 13-12 final score. The Trojans are currently 3-1 coming off a 12-7 win against UC Davis Aggies.
