Friday night in Tempe, numbers and statistics took a back seat to effort at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
In its first Pac-10 Conference game of the season, the ASU soccer team was defeated by in-state foe UA, 2-1.
In front of a season-high of 1,053 onlookers, players lacked the intensity that is often necessary to win such hotly contested games, coach Kevin Boyd said.
“It’s passion, aggression and the desire to win that came out, and we came up short in that area,” Boyd said. “That’s what’s really disappointing.
“They outworked us at home in a rivalry game and that’s a very poor sign. We’ve had good character all year and that wasn’t it today.”
Friday night’s double overtime loss not only snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak for the Sun Devils (6-3-3, 0-1 Pac-10), but it also marked the first time in four meetings that ASU has lost to the Wildcats (8-4-0, 1-0).
“We’re in a crucial part of the season,” Boyd said. “These games absolutely are deciding who is going to playoffs, specifically out of the Pac-10.”
The only Sun Devil goal in Friday’s matchup came on a header from midfielder Carly Kallas in the first half. The junior connected on a pass by sophomore midfielder Jill Shoquist, giving the Sun Devils the advantage until late in the game.
Kallas’ score continued her historical advantage against UA.
“It’s always great to score on your rivals,” she said. “I was just excited because this is my third year in a row scoring [against] them. I got really excited about that, but obviously it wasn’t enough.”
Though the Sun Devils outshot the Wildcats, 18-17, UA’s deciding goal came in the 106th minute of the game. UA’s first goal earlier in the game ended ASU junior goalkeeper Briana Silvestri’s 335-minute scoreless streak.
“This is where it matters. This is what we train for and to come in and have an outcome like that, it’s just really disappointing,” Kallas said. “We just have to put it aside and move on.”
The Sun Devils will attempt to turn things around on their home turf when they take on UCLA on Friday.
Reach the reporter at emiley.darling@asu.edu
