Three takeaways from ASU’s hard fought draw against UCF

(Photo By: Hazel Foubert/ WCSN)

Ahead of the matchup between Arizona State soccer and UCF, ASU had been unconvincing through its opening two Big-12 matchups, on the road against both BYU and Houston. The Sun Devils’ defense had looked good over the 180 minutes played, but their attack had looked stagnant, despite freshman forward Kierra Blundell’s two goals in the win vs. Houston.

Against UCF, it was a similar story for ASU, in which the Sun Devils defended well, but for large parts of the match struggled to find the back of the net. This match against the Knights left quite a few talking points, as the Sun Devils prepare for a Big-12 homestand.

Change to Starting XI

It wasn’t a drastically different starting lineup for head coach Graham Winkworth’s side, but it did have one notable change; Blundell was replaced by fellow freshman forward Megan Sofield.

It’s an interesting change as Blundell leads this ASU side in points, tallying seven goals and three assists. Her replacement, Sofield, notched 44 total minutes in this one, playing the opening 30 and putting one shot on target.

Winkworth also continued to use sophomore defender Emilie Simpson off the bench, instead opting for junior defender Meighan Farrell, a change first made for the Houston match. Simpson was used to close out the match, helping the Sun Devils preserve the 1-1 tie.

As the Sun Devils return home on Thursday, it’ll be interesting to see what direction Winkworth goes with the starting lineup.

Attacking Inconsistencies Continue

It’s a tale that’s been repeated time and time again through this season. This ASU side struggled to get the attack going, and it’s one that occurred again Sunday. The Sun Devils had a good first half going forward, totaling seven total shots and putting four of them on target.

From its four shots on target, ASU scored its lone goal off a good run by junior forward Enasia Colon, before she took an awkward shot, which rolled past UCF goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson.

The rest of the first-half shots for the Sun Devils didn’t threaten Watson, despite forcing three saves out of the Knights’ keeper. ASU was either taking shots from poor angles or not putting enough behind them.

As for the second half, the Sun Devils didn’t manage a shot until the 88th minute, when Keri Matthews put one over the bar. For a team like ASU only managing one shot – which wasn’t on target – is something that Graham Winkworth will surely be upset with his team for, especially given the chances the Sun Devils had in the last 10 minutes.

We’ve seen ASU play a very attacking style, which wasn’t seen for much of today, but it hasn’t led to results. With eight matches remaining in Big-12 play, the Sun Devil attack will have to get going if they want to make a run in the Big-12 tournament.

Defensive Prowess Continues

Throughout the opening nine matches of this season, this ASU side has defended excellently, only conceding five goals in that span. The defense showed up again Sunday, not allowing any quality chances for the Knights.

UCF did score as senior midfielder Annika Huhta took a long-range shot, that took a wild deflection into the back of the net, leaving junior goalkeeper Pauline Nelles in no man’s land. Knights forward Chloe Netzel entered the match with eight goals in six games. She did tally three shots on goal for UCF, but none made it past Nelles.

One of the biggest moments of this match was in the 82nd minute, when senior defender Olivia Coleman tracked down Netzel, preventing the junior forward from putting a shot on target. Coleman had an excellent match, helping to neutralize the effect of Netzel and the rest of the UCF attack.

As for the rest of the season, the Sun Devils only have to take on two of the top six goal-scoring sides in the Big 12, with four of their opponents being among the bottom six attacking sides. It’s not going to be easy by any means, but ASU has shown the ability to slow down teams with strong attacks.