Eventually, the ball had to find the net.
By the time the dust settled, the ASU women’s soccer team walked away with a 7-0 dusting of the Lumberjacks in the season opener on Friday night.
ASU dominated the game from the start, but had some trouble finishing. Still, with 14 shots and just one goal in the first half, the Sun Devils knew it wouldn’t be long before they would score an avalanche of goals.
“It’s a matter of time when it’s like that,” head coach Kevin Boyd said. “That’s the frustrating thing about soccer. Sometimes you do everything; it just won’t go into the net.”
Initially, Jasmine Roth started ASU’s scoring 5:18 into the game when a hard cross into the box snuck in at the far post.
But it would be over 40 minutes before ASU scored again.
Boyd told his team at halftime that if they played as well after the break, they would score at will.
“The (halftime) conversation was if we play the exact same and focus a little bit more on the finish, you will score four goals.”
Sophomore forward Devin Marshall jump-started the flurry of second half goals by weaving the ball around the NAU goalie to set up an easy tap in.
Cook scored ASU’s next two goals, and by that time the game was just about decided.
“I think the first half we were all nervous, it’s still the first big game that we’ve had out here,” said forward Sierra Cook. “We were just a little off. In the second half, we just came together, and focused on that, and we put them away.”
Just for good measure, freshman forward Alexandra Doller came off the bench to add two more in her first game for ASU.
Fellow freshman Sarah Van Horne also scored in her debut as a Sun Devil in the 75th minute. In a span of 28 minutes, ASU piled on six goals.
“I’ve said all along we were much more dangerous in our attack this year,” Boyd said. “One game doesn’t tell you the whole year obviously, but it gives an indication of what we’re capable of.
“We have more (goal-scorers) coming from more directions this year, and that’s the difference.”
ASU’s defense was hardly needed because of the stellar possession game by the Sun Devils.
“We were moving it around really good,” Doller said. “We just wore them down. I think our fitness level was better.”
Without the ball, NAU did not have many opportunities to get on the scoreboard. The Lumberjacks took just one shot all game, compared to 28 for ASU.
“It’s a good start with all our fans out here,” Devin Marshall said. “It’s a good way to get everyone to come watch.”
The Sun Devils now defeated NAU for the fourth consecutive year. The team also tied a school record with seven goals. The mark has been achieved two other times in ASU history.
Boyd said the team couldn’t get carried away after a blowout win to start the season.
“I don’t want us to get lost in one game. We’ve got to come down to earth tomorrow, start focusing on our next opponent, which we will do.”
Reach the reporter at jmjanss1@asu.edu
