Freshman defender Larisa Staub prepares to jump to head the ball for ASU against Colorado this weekend. The game ended in a 2-2 tie, and the Sun Devils will play again on Nov. 7 at UA. (Photo by Arianna Grainey)If not for some questionable officiating, the ASU soccer team probably would have walked away with a win against Colorado.
Instead, ASU (8-7-2, 3-4-2 Pac-12) was forced to settle for a 2-2 tie against Colorado (12-4-2, 4-3-2 Pac-12).
The Buffaloes trailed 2-1 in the second half when a foul was called in the box on ASU in the 71st minute. ASU’s back line couldn’t believe the call because they thought it was going the other way.
“When we were asking (the official what happened), he just told us to stop talking,” senior defender Kaitlyn Pavlovich said. “He finally said somebody was holding somebody’s shirt but he wasn’t saying who. We were all very surprised. We all thought it was for us to the point where I was like, ‘Thank you ref.’”
Colorado converted on the penalty kick to force overtime. Neither squad scored in the extra time, forcing the draw.
The penalty kick was certainly not the first time in the game that ASU was upset with a call.
In the first half, sophomore forward Cali Farquharson had a goal taken away when a foul was called against ASU. The Sun Devils also believed they should have had a penalty kick when Farquharson fell in the box with two defenders closely defending.
“He wasn’t too eager to ever explain any of his calls,” ASU coach Kevin Boyd said of the referee. “He was angry and offended if anyone questioned a call.”
In the second half the Sun Devils committed 11 fouls and got two yellow cards, giving them four yellow cards for the game. Colorado wasn’t called for a single foul in the second half.
“I think this is my 18th year and I don’t think I’ve had a one-sided affair as that before, with the calls,” Boyd said. “I don’t know what the deal is, but (the official) ought to be ashamed.”
The game didn’t start out too well for the Sun Devils.
Redshirt sophomore goalie Chandler Morris made a bad keeper error on a shot she should have easily saved in the first half.
ASU showed fight, breaking its four-game scoreless drought when Pavlovich scored on a free kick header with 35 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Sun Devils then gained a 2-1 lead when senior midfielder Blair Alderson scored from the far side of the field. The two goals ASU scored were the most it scored since Sept.15 against Southern Utah.
Boyd was pleased with his team's offensive production after it scored only two goals in the prior six games.
“We played hard with passion, created really good chances,” Boyd said. “We were sticking them away, they were just getting pulled back out … I thought we were the better side the whole time.”
After Colorado tied the game, ASU had a dangerous opportunity with around 10 minutes remaining in regulation. Freshman defender Larisa Staub, playing extended minutes at forward, misfired on an open goal.
Reach the reporter at justin.janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
