Sophomore defender Larisa Staub heads the ball at a home game in Tempe against Utah in the 2013 season. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)After falling behind the first half, ASU dug themselves out of a hole and rallied to finish their game of the regular season against Texas in a draw.
Texas got off to a quick start, firing off seven shots in the first half.
The first came in a rather unconventional way, via junior keeper Abby Smith, who was summoned out of her net in the 24th minute off of a 45 yard free kick. The goal was just Smith's second of her career, her first coming the previous season on a free kick.
Coach Kevin Boyd said the team was aware of Smith's ability to score on free kicks, but the Sun Devils (0-0-1) were not caught off guard defensively.
“We were prepared for it," Boyd said. "She was not supposed to score on a 45-yard set piece, but we were prepared for it. We knew that it was coming at us.”
Toward the end of the first half, the Longhorns struck again, and freshman forward Olivia Brook found the back of the net in the 43rd minute.
“They absolutely outplayed us in the first half,” Boyd said.
The Sun Devils had their work cut out for them going into the second half, but they would not let the scoreboard affect their mentality.
Junior defender McKenzie Berryhill came out strong, scoring a goal in the 61st minute coming off an assist from redshirt sophomore midfielder Lucy Lara. But she wasn't done just yet. Berryhill went on to score an equalizer off of a penalty kick awarded to the Sun Devils in the 84th minute, tying the game with only six minutes remaining in regulation, as ASU hung on to force overtime.
“I felt it was just a matter of time until we got a goal,” said Boyd. “We got it and then we went and found another one and that was great.”
Both teams had plenty of chances to gain the edge in overtime, but neither could convert, resulting in a hard fought 2-2 tie.
Junior Forward Cali Farquharson only played 16 minutes on Saturday due to an injury. She is currently listed as day to day, hopefully signaling that a full return will occur in the near future. Her absence was felt on the field, but collectively, the Sun Devils managed to find the offensive power to get back into the game.
“Not having her out there made a big difference," said Boyd. “Cali is not only about a goal-a-game player, but she is also unstoppable in one-on-one battles. She is tremendously technical, which means when she gets the ball she holds it, and then beats the first player, and that is something that disrupts defenses."
ASU will look to be more disruptive both on the offensive and defensive ends early on in their next matchup against the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine in Oahu, Hawaii.
The Sun Devils play their final game of the Outrigger Resorts Shootout late Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Arizona time against host school Hawaii.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
