Redshirt senior forward Jessica Domenichelli looks to find an open teammate at a scrimmage against NAU on Aug. 15 in West campus. (Photo by Emily Johnson)ASU soccer had won its last five games heading into Friday night's game against Cal State Northridge, the longest streak for the team since 2003.
Against the Matadors, the Sun Devils bested that streak with a 2-0 win.
The first half was a slow one as both teams fought for possession. ASU managed only two shots on goal and their opponents only tallied one.
It wasn't until the 43rd minute when ASU finally got on the board when redshirt senior forward Jessica Domenichelli notched her first career goal.
CSUN is a very physical team, something that the Sun Devils seemed to struggle with in the past.
“They are an intense physical team,” head coach Kevin Boyd said. “They just play really hard. We have had that problem in the past, but no I don't think that is a problem anymore. I think we handle physical teams really well.”
After starting slow in the first half, ASU started quickly in the second half, scoring their second goal just 12 minutes into the period.
Junior forward Cali Farquharson, coming off her five goal weekend last week, continued her hot streak to put the Sun Devils up 2-0.
The goal, Faquharson's eighth of the season, broke a tie between her and freshman forward Aly Moon for the team lead.
“That’s Cali,” Boyd said. “She’s special. She's just something different. I’m telling people that they need to come see her, because she's here for year and a half, and if they miss her play they are missing something special.”
For the third straight game, junior defender McKenzie Berryhill was left out of the starting lineup. Berryhill has been recovering from injury and while Boyd said the injury is not restrictive, he wants to make sure she makes a full recovery for conference games.
Berryhill plays a key role in the team's defensive formula.
“Based on her play today she will be part of the starting lineup,” Boyd said. “She looked fully back to me.”
The victory wrapped up non-conference play for ASU. The team has won six straight as it prepares to face its first Pac-12 opponent of the season, UCLA, on Friday.
“We’re playing very well right now,” Boyd said. “There have been a couple of things that we've been focusing on. They are simple. It has let the rest of our game come out. I’m pleased with our effort and the soccer we are playing. Right now we are just enjoying our win. We are enjoying what we've accomplished and the way we've performed in our non conference play.”
The Sun Devils host UCLA at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26 in Tempe.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
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