If its streak continues, the ASU soccer team is going to have a hard time swallowing a goal against.
The Sun Devils have won five straight games by way of shutout. The most recent ones came last weekend when they completed a sweep in Athens, Ga.
ASU's first victory was a 2-0 triumph over host Georgia on Friday night. Sun Devil freshman forward Elizabeth Bogus netted both goals on breakaways after pushing past the defense. ASU freshman midfielder Manya Makoski assisted on the game winner, which came in the 14th minute.
The Sun Devils (6-1-2) recorded yet another shutout Sunday morning, this time a 1-0 win over ninth-ranked Auburn. It marked ASU's first victory of the season against a ranked opponent.
Bogus again scored the game winner, her fourth of the year, in the 22nd minute. The tally moved her into second place in school history for the most game winners in a single season. It also gave her a team-leading six goals.
After freshman midfielder Brittany Cooper sent the ball over the defense, Bogus intercepted an Auburn pass and quickly deposited it into the net.
"We knew [Bogus] was fast, she was just faster than we thought," Auburn head coach Karen Richter said.
Although the Sun Devils were out-shot 8-7, they made the most of their chances. Five of their seven shots, three of which came from Bogus, were right on goal.
ASU freshman forward Haley Stein almost struck for the first time in her collegiate career, which would have put the game out of reach with six minutes remaining. But she shot was stopped by Auburn sophomore goalkeeper Megan Rivera.
The blanking of the Tigers (8-2) extended ASU's shutout streak to 450 consecutive minutes. Sun Devil sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Fitzgerald, who has been in goal for 443:20 during that span, earned her fifth shutout of the year and lowered her goals against average to 0.53.
ASU's five consecutive shutouts ties the school record for the most consecutive games without allowing a goal. The Sun Devils also accomplished the feat in 2000.
"It was another great effort from the entire team," ASU head coach Ray Leone said. "Auburn was a great team and they made us earn everything we got … it was a tough and hard-fought battle."
Neither Georgia (4-5-1) nor Auburn had been shutout before this past weekend.
"This was our first shutout, and [ASU] got it deservedly so," Richter said. "They had a great defensive effort."
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
