ASU Soccer: Sun Devils beats No. 22 WSU due to a solid second half

ASU soccer came back and defeated No. 22 Washington State after three goals in 10 minutes gave them the momentum and lead they needed to win the game.

The Sun Devils grabbed their first win of the year against a ranked opponent due to the three goals they scored in span of 10 minutes which No.  22 Washington state was not able to respond to.

The first goal, which equalized the game, came in the 73rd minute when freshman forward Marleen Schimmer was able to finish a free kick outside the 18-yard box to the near post.

Five minutes later came the second in a play where freshman forward Nicole Douglas found senior defender Jemma Purfield making a run on the wing, who crossed it near post and found freshman midfielder Eva Van Dursen in the box who finished it in.

Four minutes later freshman defender Isabel Dehakiz crossed a free kick which hit off the crossbar that Douglas tried to finish but was deflected to senior forward Natalie Stephens who tapped it in for the final goal.

This game was not just a offensive display for the Sun Devils. In the first half early on, both teams moved the ball well and created chances but both defenses stepped up in the final third.

Both teams had their chances in the half with free kicks and corners. Washington State was able to open up the score with freshman forward Molly Myers beating a defender to open up space right outside of the box and shot it far post where sophomore goalkeeper Nikki Panas could not reach.

Head coach Graham Winkworth described the first half as one where Wazzou physically was winning the game.

“In the first half we were pushed around. We allow them to push us around,” Winkworth said.

In the second half it seemed more of the same as the first half with both teams possessing the ball and creating chances but nothing came from it.

The Sun Devils caught a break when what appeared to be Washington State’s second goal was disallowed due to offsides.

Then, the period in which the Sun Devils scored three goals in span of ten minutes came along in the 73rd minute.

In the 86th minute, senior defender Maddy Haro of Washing State appeared to have gotten a neck injury when her and junior midfielder Kyle Miniefield collided. This injury caused a 10-minute delay of the game.

The Sun Devils after the delay was able to see the game out and come out with the win.

Purfield talked about their mindsets during that delay in order to finish the game with the win.

“We said we had to stay focus,” Purified said. “We were asking what is our job and what we we had to do.”

The Sun Devils hope to keep their winning ways this Sunday at they stay home to face Washington at 1 p.m. PT.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.