Takeaways from ASU’s Hard-Fought Loss to USC

After a tough loss against Denver Friday in San Diego, Arizona State Lacrosse (3-2) headed north to Los Angeles, taking on the No. 22 University of Southern California Trojans (4-1). This game would provide the Sun Devils with a chance to grab a bounce-back win against a former conference foe.

Both teams battled back and forth, each failing to pull away from the other. USC led by two goals at the half and would not relinquish that lead despite various efforts from ASU to carve into the Trojan’s lead and shut down their potent offense. In the end, USC would come away with a 16-14 learning on its veteran experience toward the end of the game, putting the Sun Devils to bed.

ASU has the Talent Compete:

Make no mistake, this USC team is legit, and for ASU to be able to hang tight with them for 60 minutes is impressive. The Trojans had already been victorious over fellow Big 12 squad and No. 21 ranked Colorado, a game in which they won 15-6. This should fill ASU with loads of confidence when it does eventually face a Colorado team that was picked to finish above it in the preseason Big 12 poll.

Even just last year ASU was dominated by USC, 16-7 in Tempe. This year the Sun Devils were able to make up a seven-goal difference, a big indicator that this year’s team has the ability to compete with elite teams like the Trojans.

The next step for ASU will be finally getting over the finish line and coming out of these difficult games with victories. However, after Monday’s game, it is clear, this Sun Devil team has the talent to compete with some of the best teams in the country.

Katie Vahle is Elite:

A “hot” goalie can elevate a team to the next level and for ASU Monday, senior goalkeeper Katie Vahle did that. However, vahle might have graduated from “hot” status, she just might be one of the premier goalies in the country.

Against USC, Vahle made a monumental 18 saves on 34 shots, an incredible .529 save percentage. All of this coming off a 16-save performance on Friday vs Denver, Vahle has provided the Sun Devils with a safety blanket in between the pipes, a luxury only so many teams in the country may have.

Vahle taking that step to an elite level puts ASU in a much better position as a team than was perceived at the beginning of the season. If she remains at the level she is currently playing at the Sun Devils will be a team no offense wants to see on its schedule this season.

Got to Get Shots on Cage:

By the numbers, ASU’s offense was phenomenal. They had USC’s number scoring 14 times on just 21 shots leaving USC sophomore goalie Annie Shields with a .333 save percentage, the problem however lied within the amount of shot attempts taken by the Sun Devils. ASU took 35 shots in total meaning they missed the cage with 14 attempts.

In a game lost by only two goals, those 14 shots not on target loom large. Mathematically, if ASU got just three more shots on goal, it would have tied the game and gone to overtime with a top-25 opponent, in turn giving itself a chance at the upset. Instead, they came away with a crushing loss knowing that they could have defeated the No. 22 ranked team if they had just taken a few more shots on target.

The little things like making sure to get shots on goal are what differentiates the good from the elite at this level. Coaches will always preach getting the “little things” in the game right, and ASU learned firsthand just why against USC.

Oldknow Struggled:

Junior attacker Lydia Oldknow had been ASU’s best goal scorer all season up to this point, having scored a hat trick in every game. That streak ended against USC when she was held to a single point, an assist in the first quarter.

It was not as if Oldknow was completely stifled by the Trojan’s defense, she was still able to get off nine shots but none of them found the back of the net. Putting it into perspective, it was the first time Oldknow had not recorded a goal since her Freshman year back in 2023, ironically in a game in which USC was the opponent.

The offense still managed to score 14 goals even with a goose egg from its leading goal scorer, quite an encouraging sign because the odds Oldknow is shut out once again this year are quite slim. Head Coach Taryn VanThof should be encouraged by the offense’s ability to score even with its star slumping.

Value Possession:

The biggest cliché when attempting to pull off an upset is controlling the tempo of the game, something ASU struggled with against USC. In fact, they even turned the ball over 13 times in comparison to the nine times its opponent did, something that will never help an upset bid. When working with such an explosive offense such as USC, it is vital to limit their possessions. If ASU did not have such a quality goalie as Vahle, things could have gotten ugly.

Learning to value possessions is something that will come, especially with a younger group like the one the Sun Devils have. It ties back into the aforementioned “little things”, being able to execute certain parts of the game is what fuels upsets.