A split was all the Sun Devil women's soccer team (6-7-1, 2-1-1) could manage in California over the weekend, upsetting No. 14 Cal 1-0 (8-3-2, 1-1-1) Friday but falling short to No. 10 Stanford 2-1 (9-3-2, 1-1-1) Sunday.
The Sun Devils entered their first match versus Cal riding the momentum of a strong showing against Pac-10 foes No. 4 Washington on Oct. 8 and Washington State on Oct. 10, but also carrying a dismal 0-4-1 record against nationally ranked teams this season. Despite what seemed to be a reawakening for the ASU offense with five total goals against both Washington teams -- more than the squad had accumulated in its previous five games -- it would prove to be a defensive battle.
Both teams struggled to find scoring opportunities, with the Sun Devils only managing to get off four shots in the first half. The game's only score came from Brittany Cooper in the 30th minute when she found the back of the net off of a 22-yard free kick.
Cal attempted a second half run, firing off five more attempts, but a stellar eight-save performance by goalkeeper Kim Bingham kept the Sun Devils on top for the victory.
ASU then traveled to Stanford, hoping to collect its third victory in a row against the struggling Cardinal who sat winless in Pac-10 play. Stanford funneled its frustrations into an early and energetic offensive attack, earning the contest's first goal just less than 11 minutes in on a play by senior Martha West following a free kick.
The Sun Devils answered at the 40:30 mark when Cooper, assisted by Alissa Oldenkamp, lobbed in her team-leading sixth goal of the season. The contest went to the half knotted at 1.
With only 10 minutes remaining in regulation play, Emilee Shim made a cross into the ASU box and worked the ball past Bingham for the go-ahead goal. The Sun Devils were unable to even the score in the game's final minutes and dropped their first game against a Pac-10 opponent.
Reach the reporter at jason.samuels@asu.edu.
