This article was originally published on March 27, 2023.
Eight goals allowed in the first two quarters caused significant difficulty for the Arizona State Sun Devils (2-6) to pull off a comeback, as they fell 17-13 Sunday to the red-hot Colorado Buffaloes (4-5).
The Sun Devils were handed their second Pac-12 Conference loss Sunday afternoon in a very tough and aggressive game that saw the Buffaloes outwork and grind their way to victory. Besides the third quarter, Colorado dominated, as they got important defensive stops and capitalized on their offensive chances.
The Buffaloes were very good at being patient and moving the ball around the perimeter in the offensive zone until they found a gap through ASU’s defense, which they were able to use to generate quality scoring chances. Not only was Colorado’s offense buzzing, but its ability to shut down most of the ASU attack throughout the game allowed them to continue to build on their lead.
Despite the loss, it wasn’t all negative for the Sun Devils. Graduate attacker Kaylon Buckner recorded a career-high of goals in a game with six. Buckner also leads the team in goals with 23.
“Buck’s even stepped up as a leader for us on the field”, ASU coach Taryn VanThof said. “She kind of instills that confidence in the unit around her and that in turn gives her that confidence to put the ball in the net.”
Right off the bat, ASU controlled possession like they have to start off most games so far this season. However, the Buffaloes’ defense left no space for the Sun Devils to get any quality looks.
Great defense led to offense for Colorado as they managed to score four times in the first quarter. Fifth-year attacker Charlie Rudy led the way for the Buffaloes’ offense, racking up a first-quarter hat trick.
The Sun Devils tried to push back in the first quarter, but the aggressive defensive system Colorado set up plugged up any easy entry to the offensive zone.
“It’s all about spacing right, and really exposing them. The more we can get them moving and the more we can create back side and inside opportunities to get them running from one side of the eight to the next is when you’re going to find those openings left and right,” VanThof said.
Less than two minutes into the second quarter, sophomore midfielder Bella Ingrao finally broke through the Buffaloes’ defense and got the Sun Devils on the board with her sixth goal of the year.
Buckner potted her first goal of the game four minutes later to bring the Sun Devils within two.
What looked to have been a complete turnaround from the Sun Devils was shut down quickly as Colorado answered with four more goals to take an 8-2 lead going into halftime.
The Buffaloes won almost all of the draws, allowing them to be able to take possession of the ball right away and get to work in the offensive zone.
“I think it’s something we need to work on, just coming out with that fire and that heart in the beginning of the game, and take it through the full 60 minutes,” Buckner said.
The Sun Devils trailed by six but they certainly did not let the scoreboard dictate the way they were going to finish out the game.
ASU came out of the half a completely different team in terms of generating offense. They stayed resilient and tried chipping away at the Buffaloes’ lead, scoring seven goals in the third quarter. Buckner tallied three more goals while Ingrao collected her second. Freshman attacker Teagan Ng, junior attacker Mina Scott, and graduate attacker Katie Brodsky all scored in the third quarter as well.
The Sun Devils found their game offensively, but defensively they couldn’t figure it out. Regardless of the seven goals ASU managed to score in the third quarter, they also allowed Colorado to score five as it took a 13-9 lead after three quarters. Junior midfielder Ashley Stokes scored two out of the five and was one of four Buffaloes to record a hat trick.
ASU scored two quick goals to start off the fourth quarter as they found themselves only down by two with 12:59 left to play. Buckner scored off a free position and Brodsky added one more with her sixth of the year.
Four minutes into the last quarter, the Sun Devils exhibited some of the best lacrosse they have played all year. They were winning draws, taking the ball up the field, capitalizing on their chances, and then repeating. The Buffaloes weren’t able to make it into the attack zone with the domination the Sun Devils were showcasing.
Unfortunately for ASU, it wasn’t able to sustain that constant ball control for the rest of the fourth quarter.
With four minutes left, ASU trailed by three and was presented with a man-advantage opportunity. They didn’t manage to capitalize but instead allowed Colorado to score short-handed to make it 16-12.
Sixth-year attacker Sam Mcgee scored her sixth goal of the game with 22.2 seconds left as the Buffaloes finished out this one hard, outlasting what could have been a miracle comeback by ASU.
This was the fourth time in seven games that the Sun Devils gave up 17 goals.
“I think that the number of goals, it was a first-half effort,” VanThof said. “I think if we put some more in the back of the net offensively it helps our defense in waves and to gain momentum. We had that momentum in the second half but it wasn’t enough. We got to start to piece it together in the first.”
The Sun Devils hope to bounce back as they hit the road next weekend, taking a trip over to the Golden State to play two important Pac-12 matchups against Stanford and California.
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