(Photo: Zina Garcia/WCSN)
Arizona State women’s lacrosse returned to the road and ranked play on Saturday afternoon as it faced No. 22 Stanford at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
The Sun Devils were 0-4 against ranked opponents this season heading into the contest against the Cardinal, who have beaten them in 12 of the past 13 meetings, including all of their matchups in Palo Alto.
Stanford (7-3, 3-0 in Pac-12) continued that trend, upending ASU (5-6, 1-2 in Pac-12) 20-8. Here are two takeaways from the defeat.
Sun Devils ambushed at the start of both halves
ASU is no stranger to falling behind early in games. It happened last week against No. 18 USC, as the Maroon and Gold trailed 3-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Sun Devils once again fell behind early against the Cardinal. They allowed two goals from redshirt freshman attacker Aliya Polisky in the first two minutes. Graduate attacker Jay Browne and redshirt sophomore attacker Jordan Case also scored in the first quarter.
Stanford had 15 shots with eight of them on target in the opening 15 minutes. The Cardinal’s penetration caused ASU’s defense to remain ready, especially in net. Junior goalkeeper Katie Vahle made 12 saves in the game, with four in the first quarter.
The third quarter had a similar start. After both teams traded goals to start the second half, the Cardinal scored nine unanswered to force the running clock, leading 17-6 as they entered the final quarter. Stanford outshot ASU 17-2 overall and 16-2 with chances on target.
Overall, the Cardinal outshot the Sun Devils 48-19, and 33-15 with shots on goal. Both categories are the most allowed by the Maroon and Gold in a game under head coach Taryn VanThof.
ASU made the most of their chances on net. Despite four shots, all of which were on target in the first quarter, the Maroon and Gold pushed two shots past Stanford’s sophomore goalkeeper Lucy Pearson. One was from junior attacker Annie Haley’s first goal of the season and the other from graduate attacker Shannon Urey 30 seconds before the first-quarter buzzer.
Junior attacker Anna Thornton scored in the third quarter, converting one of the Maroon and Gold’s two shots on target.
Three-player attack leads Cardinal to victory
Stanford entered the game averaging 18 goals per game at home. The Cardinal’s high-flying attack continued in the final conference matchup against the Sun Devils, with three attackers logging at least six points. Polisky led the way with six goals and two assists. Case and Browne both registered five goals and an assist.
After Polisky broke the deadlock, she scored twice in the second and third quarters. The Cardinals’ leading goal scorer tied a career record with her six goals, and posted a new career-high eight points with her two assists at the game’s conclusion.
Case landed on the scoresheet in all four quarters, scoring two of her season-high five goals in the third quarter. She also led the team with 13 shots, four more than her previous record this season.
Browne played a pivotal role in the Cardinal’s 10-0 run. She scored three goals out of halftime, and forced the running clock when she made the score 16-6. Browne, who was on last year’s All-Pac-12 Second Team, is now third amongst her teammates in goals after Saturday’s outing.
Additionally, redshirt junior attacker Sarah Jaques and junior midfielder Annabel Frist both scored two goals. Jaques, who shot six times, also notched an assist, while Frist took the faceoffs and won 11 draw controls.
The Sun Devils could not find a consistent scorer, with nobody logging a hat-trick. However, two attackers — sophomore Lydia Oldknow and senior Mina Scott — picked up two goals.
ASU returns to action on Tuesday at 9 a.m. MST when it visits Detroit Mercy (3-8). Unlike the Sun Devils, who are on a two-game losing streak, the Titans have found recent success, winning their past three matchups.
