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(08/31/14 8:33pm)
Sophomore defender McKenzie Berryhill heads the ball at a home game in Tempe. (Photo by State Press Staff)
After losing in heartbreaking fashion in Tempe last season, Illinois avenged that result with a convincing 3-1 win over ASU on Saturday.
They found their first task to be much more of a challenge against an improved Illinois team, then last season's matchup when the Sun Devils (2-1-1) escaped with a 4-3 win in two overtimes.
The Illini (3-1) were at an advantage early, with sophomore midfielder Allison Stucky finding the back of the net with just seven minutes gone in the first half. ASU coach Kevin Boyd was upset with the pace and intensity of his team during Saturday's game.
“One of our goals coming into the game was to improve on how we started and we didn’t do that. We started slow again,” said ASU coach Kevin Boyd. “We gave up a goal seven minutes into the game after they were all over us. We can’t keep letting teams do that because once you are down you have to change the way you play in terms of trying to find a goal. Illinois was very good about patiently sitting and waiting and trying to counter, and they did it well.”
ASU fought back in the second half, when freshman midfielder Aly Moon scored the equalizer. Although this would give the Sun Devils a glimmer of hope, Illinois redshirt senior forward Jannelle Flaws scored two goals in quick succession, one in the 55th minute, and another just three minutes later.
“We scored a goal and tied it and then we sat back and for some reason let our foot off the gas, and they didn’t,” Boyd said. “They responded by getting a goal three minutes later and another goal three minutes after that.”
The Sun Devils traveled up north to play Loyola University Chicago on Sunday, bouncing back to beat the Ramblers 3-1.
“We’re happy to have a win.” Boyd said. “In our fourth game on the road, we needed to make sure we came home with a win.”
Junior forward Cali Farquharson played regular minutes again after an injury which had her see minimal playing time in Hawaii. She appeared to be at full strength, tacking on two goals, one in each half, with her first coming in the 20th minute off an assist from redshirt sophomore midfielder Lucy Lara.
Freshman forward Jazmarie Mader got in on the scoring as well, with a header off of a cross by redshirt junior forward Mackenzie Semerad, for her first collegiate goal.
Senior defender Allison Shimer would make sure the Ramblers would get on the scoreboard, chipping the ball in over the outstretched arms of redshirt junior goalkeeper Chandler Morris in the 85th minute. Farquharson then went on to score her second goal of the game a little over a minute later, sealing the win for the Sun Devils.
“We didn’t play great today. We were better than our opponent, but we didn't play great.” Boyd said. “We were just a little bit off in everything.”
The Sun Devils will return home for the first time this season, after four games on the road.
“Thank God,” Boyd said. “We chose to do this road trip to get quality opponents, but we knew it was going to be a big challenge. We are travel weary. It’ll be nice not to be on the road.”
ASU will open its home schedule against Oklahoma State in Tempe on Friday, Sept. 5 at 4:00 p.m. Arizona time.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
(08/28/14 11:17pm)
ASU tries to regain control of the ball as Cal State Northridge player Chloe McDaniel jumps to gain possession. (Photo by Arianna Grainey) ASU soccer's short rest at home gave them time to prepare for another weekend road trip, this time to the Midwest.The Illini (1-1) will be first up for ASU on Friday, intent on avenging their first meeting back in Tempe on Sept. 6 of last year. The Sun Devils beat the Illini 4-3 in double overtime.Junior forward Cali Farquharson scored the winning goal in that game and is one of the keys to making sure ASU (1-0-1) prevails against Illinois and Loyola Chicago.Coach Kevin Boyd had her sit out at practice after an unspecified injury in Hawaii.“Hopefully our choosing to sit her out will reward us by her being well for Chicago,” Boyd said.The offense has shown it can run through freshman forward Aly Moon just as well.Moon was named the Pac-12 women’s soccer offensive player of the week after racking up three goals and an assist in a 5-2 win over Hawaii. “I’m thrilled for her," Boyd said. "We knew all along she was an outstanding talent. I want her to keep scoring hat tricks.”He said ASU expects a challenge on the road because it's playing two good teams."Illinois is a projected playoff team," he said. "In terms of the caliber of opponent, we are up against good ones."Illinois fell 3-1 to No. 16 Notre Dame in its first home game of the season on Aug. 22, but bounced back with a 2-0 win over Louisville on Sunday, Aug. 24.
“Our goal is to get two wins," Boyd said. “And I would prefer to win in regular time; we were up on them each time and they kept coming back.”
The Sun Devils have not played Loyola University Chicago during Boyd's tenure at ASU, but Boyd isn't worried about his staff's inexperience in preparing for the Ramblers.
“This will be a new program for us," he said. "We are going to try and arm our team with knowledge. That's part of the beauty of soccer. Very little of it can be controlled on the sidelines, most of it is player controlled. We need to make adjustments based on what transpires in the game.”Host school Loyola is less intimidating on paper. The Ramblers (1-1-2) started the season with a pair of ties, and fell 3-0 to No. 15 Marquette in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, the Sun Devils get another opportunity to make strides on the road, and both opponents have at least played ranked teams.Players to watchIllinois: Redshirt senior Jannelle Flaws was the team's leading goal scorer in 2013 with 23, and averaged nearly a goal per game, including 2 last season in Tempe. She and now student assistant coach Vanessa DiBernardo ran the Illini attack last season, and without DiBernardo (who scored a goal on a penalty kick against ASU during the teams' last meeting) Flaws will be the Sun Devil's primary target on defense.Loyola-Chicago:Like ASU, Loyola has a young core on offense. But senior keeper Monica Gonyo and her stellar .816 save percentage will look to shut down the potent Sun Devil midfield and forward group.
ASU plays Illinois on Friday, Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. Arizona time, and Loyola University Chicago on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 11 a.m. Arizona time.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
(08/25/14 10:27pm)
Going into this weekend's tournament, ASU soccer head coach Kevin Boyd was worried that one of the greatest challenges of playing in Hawaii would be Hawaii itself.
(08/25/14 2:28am)
Sophomore defender Larisa Staub heads the ball at a home game in Tempe against Utah in the 2013 season. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)
After falling behind the first half, ASU dug themselves out of a hole and rallied to finish their game of the regular season against Texas in a draw.
Texas got off to a quick start, firing off seven shots in the first half.
The first came in a rather unconventional way, via junior keeper Abby Smith, who was summoned out of her net in the 24th minute off of a 45 yard free kick. The goal was just Smith's second of her career, her first coming the previous season on a free kick.
Coach Kevin Boyd said the team was aware of Smith's ability to score on free kicks, but the Sun Devils (0-0-1) were not caught off guard defensively.
“We were prepared for it," Boyd said. "She was not supposed to score on a 45-yard set piece, but we were prepared for it. We knew that it was coming at us.”
Toward the end of the first half, the Longhorns struck again, and freshman forward Olivia Brook found the back of the net in the 43rd minute.
“They absolutely outplayed us in the first half,” Boyd said.
The Sun Devils had their work cut out for them going into the second half, but they would not let the scoreboard affect their mentality.
Junior defender McKenzie Berryhill came out strong, scoring a goal in the 61st minute coming off an assist from redshirt sophomore midfielder Lucy Lara. But she wasn't done just yet. Berryhill went on to score an equalizer off of a penalty kick awarded to the Sun Devils in the 84th minute, tying the game with only six minutes remaining in regulation, as ASU hung on to force overtime.
“I felt it was just a matter of time until we got a goal,” said Boyd. “We got it and then we went and found another one and that was great.”
Both teams had plenty of chances to gain the edge in overtime, but neither could convert, resulting in a hard fought 2-2 tie.
Junior Forward Cali Farquharson only played 16 minutes on Saturday due to an injury. She is currently listed as day to day, hopefully signaling that a full return will occur in the near future. Her absence was felt on the field, but collectively, the Sun Devils managed to find the offensive power to get back into the game.
“Not having her out there made a big difference," said Boyd. “Cali is not only about a goal-a-game player, but she is also unstoppable in one-on-one battles. She is tremendously technical, which means when she gets the ball she holds it, and then beats the first player, and that is something that disrupts defenses."
ASU will look to be more disruptive both on the offensive and defensive ends early on in their next matchup against the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine in Oahu, Hawaii.
The Sun Devils play their final game of the Outrigger Resorts Shootout late Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Arizona time against host school Hawaii.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
(08/22/14 12:49am)
Junior forward Cali Farquharson dribbles past Kansas defenders in the Sun Devils’ 2-2 draw to the Jayhawks on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2012. (PHOTO COURTSEY OF STEVE RODRIGUEZ)
ASU's first contest of the regular season will take place against the Texas Longhorns and Hawaii Rainbow Wahines this weekend in West O'ahu, Hawaii.
ASU finished last season with a record of 9-8-2, closer to that of Hawaii, which finished last season with a record of 8-8-1. The Sun Devils were picked to finish eighth in conference in the latest coaches' poll, and a split or even a sweep of their nonconference opponents this weekend could go a long way in changing the minds of their skeptics.Texas, ASU's first matchup posted a 12-6-2 record last season, going into the tournament. The Longhorns are on the verge of contending in the Big-12, after a third place finish behind West Virginia and Texas Tech in 2013, while Hawaii was fifth in the Big West.Coach Kevin Boyd wants to emphasize defense against Texas, making sure ASU can keep possession and tire the Longhorn defense.“When we play Texas … they’re gonna keep the ball,” Boyd said. “If we don’t defend tighter, we are not going to get it as easily.”
Opposing players to watch
Texas junior forward Chantale Campbell was her team's overall points leader and an offensive catalyst both with and without the ball. This deadly combination poses a major threat to defenders, as she leads the balanced attack of the veteran Longhorn midfield group.
Hawaii senior forward Tiana Fujimoto is the Rainbow Wahine's offensive powerhouse. Last season, she singlehandedly scored more than half of her team's goals and will be a test to ASU's inexperienced back line If the Sun Devils and Longhorns want to beat Hawaii, they should pinpoint their defensive efforts on Fujimoto.
For ASU, Hawaii will be a good initial test of its composure on the road, even factoring in fatigue after a rather lengthy flight. Keeper battle likely overBoyd will probably stick with junior keeper Chandler Morris, who has been the starter the past two seasons. However, freshman Lexi Bounds and redshirt freshman Ashley March gained valuable experience in the scrimmage versus NAU and could see time in one of the Hawaii games in the event of a blowout.The Sun Devils will begin the season on the road in Hawaii against Texas in the Outrigger Resorts Shootout on Friday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m. Arizona time. ASU squares off vs. Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 8 p.m. Arizona time. Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
(08/20/14 9:25pm)
A rush of young talent gave ASU soccer fans optimism this upcoming season, even after a disappointing 2013 campaign. Veteran head coach Kevin Boyd has his work cut out for him as he tries to mold an inexperienced team into a contender.
(08/16/14 3:35am)
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