Devils in Detail
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ASU Soccer: Sun Devils Fight Hard but Fall Short to No. 3 Stanford

By Gigi Micketti

Oct 15, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky poses for a photo during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky poses for a photo during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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Thursday night the Sun Devils fought a good match against Cal but lost control in the second half, letting up two goals and losing 2-0.

Entering their game against Stanford, ASU was looking to get some offensive momentum going with freshman forward Olivia Hernandez, in hopes of making up for the missing presence of offensive leaders Jazmarie Mader and Aly Moon.

The Devils hung back in the first half focusing on shutting down Stanford’s star midfielder Andi Sullivan.

ASU couldn’t maintain as much possession as they normally do in the first half but were successful in holding off the advancing Cardinals and keeping them shut down and ending the first half in a deadlock.

At the end of the first half, Stanford led the Devils by double the shots but were left with only one shot on goal.

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Beginning the second half of play, dangerous runs were made by Stanford’s left back Tegan McGrady who was able to get numerous crosses in to set up opportunities for the Cardinals in the Devil’s box. One of McGrady’s crosses took a deflection within the 18 yard box and a hand ball was called against Devil’s defender Taylor Coon.

The Cardinals were given a penalty kick and scored thanks to a strike from Andi Sullivan, putting Stanford up 1-0 in the 52nd minute.

Stanford then increased their lead in the 64th minute as a deflection in the box led to another goal from Sullivan, Cardinals extended their lead over the Devils to 2-0.

Unlike many of the similar situations the Devils faced this season, ASU was able to gain momentum from these goals and create some dangerous plays against Stanford.

Soon after Stanford’s goal, senior midfielder Lucy Lara took a free kick in the Cardinal’s territory which was tapped in by fellow senior, Larisa Staub, in the 67th minute.

Though the Devils were able to create some dangerous plays in the Cardinal’s box, they were unable to execute leaving them with a 2-1 loss against the No. 3 team in the nation.

The Devils played one of the best games they have all season and did so without their top two offensive players. Staub and Lara were able to work well together to build up plays through the midfield that created great opportunities for the Devils to put themselves in scoring position.

A great effort was given from senior goal keeper Ashley March who made her season debut against the Cardinals. March was able to save numerous would-be goals from the aggressive Stanford offense and her defensive line was able to trust her presence behind them.

In reference to her performance, March said, “It was the greatest experience ever…so to be able to come out on my senior day and make an impact that meant a lot to me.”

Next: ASU Hockey: ASU Unable to Gain Momentum Against Harvard

The Devils will be facing off in their rivalry match against the University of Arizona this Friday at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. Kick off will be at 3 p.m. and can be seen live on Pac-12 Network.