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Bumps, bruises and even black eyes tell the story of a hard-fought postseason, but coming out on the wrong end of a 5-1 decision makes an injury harder to swallow.

That's what the ASU soccer team endured Sunday in a second-round loss to No. 6 Santa Clara (17-4-1), as freshman midfielder Manya Makoski left the game in the second half with an injury.

"I went to head the ball and got kicked in the face," she said. "I wanted to go back in because the rhythm of the game had changed, and I wanted to try to get momentum back on our side."

The loss of Makoski occurred in the 55th minute of the game, and things quickly went south for the Sun Devils (12-7-2), who hoped to knock off the defending national champions.

Before the injury occurred ASU grabbed the lead when Makoski scored in the 42nd minute. With ASU deep inside Broncos territory, junior midfielder Patrice Feulner got off a shot that was blocked, but upon gathering her own rebound, Feulner found a streaking Makoski and centered it for a one-time goal.

Minutes after Makoski left, Santa Clara went on to score three goals in a span of 2:28.

The scoring barrage began when sophomore midfielder Leslie Osborne scored off a scramble at the top of the box. She took a pass from senior midfielder Aly Wagner and fired a shot that was deflected into the far corner for the equalizer.

"They stepped it up and we were a little too panicky," Feulner said. "We definitely didn't play our game in the second half."

The game-winning goal came just 43 seconds later when junior forward Kristi Candau scored her first of two in the game. Candau carried in a Santa Clara rush and put one to the far corner for a 2-1 lead. With consistent pressure, the Broncos got their third goal in the 66th minute when junior forward Veronica Zepeda got a second opportunity and deflected the ball off ASU junior defender Amy Lepeilbet.

The onslaught continued as Candau got her second goal from a header to make it 4-1 before sophomore forward Bree Horvath added the final score on a deflection.

"They were so fresh, and we weren't, but the score does not reflect the game," ASU head coach Ray Leone said. "They just got a big rush, and we did not weather the storm. That's something we will have to learn in the future."

The Sun Devils would not have seen Sunday if it were not for a gritty performance against Washington State on Friday night. After losing a regular season contest to the Cougars, ASU came back for a 2-1 victory. It marked the school's second ever NCAA Tournament win.

Freshman forward Elizabeth Bogus got her first goal in five games to give ASU the early 1-0 lead during the 24th minute. She took a through pass from Makoski and one-timed it past the goalkeeper for her 10th score of the season.

"She's been playing well," Leone said. "Her chances come and go, and Friday she finished a great goal, but Manya and [freshman midfielder Brittany] Cooper were both awesome in that game too."

Cooper lived up to that billing by netting the second goal of the game later in the first half, which extended ASU's lead to 2-0.

In the second half, Washington State made things interesting by cutting the lead in half, but the Sun Devils held on for the victory.

Despite an exit in the second round, Leone said he is proud of his group and the effort they put forth at such a young age.

"The heart and desire they have showed is absolutely amazing," Leone said. "They dug down, finished strong and pushed to get another goal [Sunday]. When you lose, it doesn't matter what the score is, you just want to go out swinging, and they definitely went out swinging."

Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.


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