Redshirt junior goalkeeper Chandler Morris reaches to block a goal attempt by UCLA. (Photo by Andrew Ybanez)The Sun Devil soccer team got its first taste of conference play, coming off a game where it forced the No. 1 ranked team in the nation to a 1-1 draw and was not satisfied.
Head coach Kevin Boyd was glad with this lack of satisfaction.
“I really liked that there were a lot of downed faces," Boyd said. "I really like that we are bummed out that we didn’t play better and get a win. We didn’t play that well.”
Although Boyd’s words might sound harsh, he knows his team can play better. He said he was impressed with the way his team defended against the reigning champions, only allowing one goal off of UCLA’s 34 shot attempts to get past them.
“I was happy with the way (redshirt junior goalie) Chandler (Morris) played,” Boyd said. “She was very unhappy with herself on that one goal, but I thought she did very well in multiple other situations. I thought that we defended with a lot of energy and heart, and we made everything difficult. Both teams are going to get chances, it’s the quality of the chance that you allow.”
The Sun Devils made sure the quality of those shots were not great. Of UCLA’s 34 shots, only 12 were on goal. After having issues earlier in the season with its back line, ASU proved it is not exclusively an offensive team against the No. 1 team in the nation.
Sophomore defender Mckenzie Grossman attempts to steal the ball during a home game against UCLA on Sept. 26 in Tempe. (Photo by Andrew Ybanez)Junior defender McKenzie Berryhill was a huge part of the team's defensive effort, having been put back into the starting lineup for the first time in three games since getting injured. She played all 110 minutes in the game that took two overtimes to finish.
“Our communication has improved so much from last year,” Berryhill said. “We all get each other. We are on the same page. Our defense is relentless. It all starts at practice. It helps having depth. It's nice to know that if someone goes down or can't give their all, we can sub them out and keep going, so we are never slowing down at all.”
The team is preparing to play Oregon on Friday and Oregon State on Sunday, where it looks to improve on some of the areas where it struggled against UCLA.
“We got to find a way to create more and keep the ball,” said Boyd. "We need to do the things we have been doing really well.”
The Sun Devils host Oregon on Friday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
