Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.

ASU soccer defeats Boston University 2-1 in season opener

The Sun Devils edged out the Terriers with goals from Edwards, Orozco.

Edwards and Orozco

ASU soccer freshman forward Christina Edwards celebrates with her teammate, sophomore midfielder Adriana Orozco, in the Sun Devils' 2-1 victory over Boston University on Friday, August 19, 2016 in Boston.


ASU soccer narrowly defeated Boston University 2-1 on the road Friday in its season opener.

Head coach Kevin Boyd spoke with delight about his team's first win of the season, noting that Boston wasn't an easy team to beat.

"This is a really good win because the opponent we played wins their conference pretty much every year and, with the exception of one year, they’ve been in the playoffs 12 years straight," Boyd said.

The first half was played primarily on the Terriers' (0-1) defensive half with early shots and long possessions by the Sun Devils (1-0).

The first goal of the season for ASU came from freshman forward Christina Edwards in the 39th minute of the match.

Edwards's goal was assisted by freshman forward Olivia Hernandez after she chipped the ball over the Boston goalkeeper, allowing Edwards a shot on the left post.

The Sun Devils struck again just minutes later as sophomore midfielder Adriana Orozco scored in the 42nd minute on an assist from Edwards.

After a shot on goal was deflected by Boston University goalkeeper Bridget Conway, the ball dribbled back into the six-yard box where a short two-pass possession allowed Edwards to set up Orozco, who lined a shot towards the right post and into the net.

"I subbed quite a few players there at the end of the first half and it got a little dodgy and scrappy, but low and behold we got two goals during that period of time," Boyd said.

By halftime, possession leaned in ASU’s favor and they posted competitive numbers with eight shots and five corner attempts .

Boston came back fighting at the start of the second half, however, with a quick goal in the 55th minute.

Some miscommunication in the six-yard box from ASU allowed a lofted two-yard shot into the back of the net courtesy of Terriers sophomore forward McKenna Doyle.

"We played well for periods of the first half and we dominated as the stats sheets showed," Boyd said. "But in the second half we’re up 2-0 and Boston came out really aggressive and very urgent and put us under a lot of pressure and I didn’t think we responded to that as well as we could have."

The intensity by Boston University was turned up in the second half. After having no shots in the first half, the Terriers managed to take 10 shots in the second.

"Even though we maybe weren’t at our best we still kept them out of our goal and battled every second to not let them come back into the game," Boyd said.

Boston’s pressure left the Sun Devil defense busy in the last 10 minutes of play with the main objective being to clear the ball up field, but the Sun Devils battled through the second half to secure the first win of the season by a score of 2-1.

"We have guts and we have grit and that’s a trait I’ve been noticing and it came out tonight," Boyd said.

The Sun Devils will stay in Boston for a matchup with Boston College in their second game of the season at 10 a.m. MT on Sunday.


Reach the reporter at kcvalen1@asu.edu or follow @kvalenzuela17 on Twitter.

Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.


Continue supporting student journalism and donate to The State Press today.

Subscribe to Pressing Matters



×

Notice

This website uses cookies to make your experience better and easier. By using this website you consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.