What slump?
Senior forward Devin Marshall awoke from an early-season funk with a brilliant performance in the Sun Devil Classic, scoring four goals in two games and winning tournament MVP.
Marshall entered the weekend’s matches with one goal in three games, the one coming Sept. 1 against Stephen F. Austin.
“She needed to get that first goal,” said ASU coach Kevin Boyd. “She got the one at Stephen F. Austin and that just cracked it. She just needed to remember that she’s a goal scorer — not like she didn’t know that, she just needed that reminder — and then needed that drive to go get goals.”
Marshall dominated through the air, scoring two of her goals on headers, both on crosses from senior attacking midfielder Holland Crook.
Playing high has always put Marshall, listed at 5-foot-9, in a conundrum with the injury risk associated with leaping in the air.
She has missed 12 games in the last two seasons, and seemingly draws more contact than any other ASU player and also has picked up two yellow cards.
“I think because I’m not afraid of getting hit or hurt,” Marshall said of her air dominance. “I’ve had plenty of concussions. I still have yet to have that fear in my head, which may be a good thing or a bad thing, I haven’t quite figured it out.”
Lightning alters play
It was a surreal scene when lightning delayed the Arizona-Kansas game on Friday.Fans lined up along the wall near the entrance of the stadium, one of the only places in the stadium with cover from the rain. Kansas players and coaches took cover in a room accessible along the wall.
Jayhawks players went in and out of the indoor area and talked with family and friends who made it out to Tempe for the Sun Devil Classic.
Everyone was waiting for official word on new start times. The first time was 5:37 p.m., which was about half an hour from the original delay, but it was quickly pushed back, and warmups eventually began around 6:15 p.m.
Boyd said his team was in the ASU locker room, listening to music and just hanging out during the Arizona-Kansas delay.
The delay sent some spectators home, but those who stuck around got a show. Arizona tied Kansas with the help of junior forward and former Sun Devil Alexandra Doller’s header in the final five minutes of the second half.
Afterward, ASU and Illinois played in an exciting high-scoring affair. Both Marshall and Cali Farquharson scored two goals.
Farquharson nailed the game winner with less than four minutes remaining in double overtime. Marshall slipped the ball to Farquharson who put the ball in the net.
All parties in the Sun Devil Classic were fatigued from the day’s delay and double-overtime games.
When Sunday came around, Boyd said both ASU and Kansas were exhausted, but it was ASU’s ability to overcome the tiredness that was the difference in their 4-0 shutout win.
Reach the reporter at justin.janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
