Arizona State (6-3-1, 1-1-0) was unable to pull off an upset falling 2-1 against No. 3 Stanford (8-0-1, 2-0-0). The Sun Devils kept the game competitive but conceded a goal in the 81st minute to Stanford’s sophomore midfielder Jasmine Aikey.
Stanford got off to a hot start, tallying all five of the game’s first shots. In the 28th minute, freshman forward Erica Grilione put the Cardinals on the board with her third goal of the season.
Arizona State failed to match Stanford’s offensive intensity as they got off to a slow start as didn’t take their first shot until the 50th minute.
Once their offense found rhythm, the Sun Devils immediately capitalized. In the 52nd minute, ASU’s graduate student forward Florence Vaillancourt netted a goal in the top right corner to make it even.
The Sun Devils physical defense kept Stanford at bay while the offense struggled to put up numbers. ASU seemed like they were going to pull away with the draw or win, but Stanford continued to battle back.
The Cardinals gained their opportunity to fight through ASU’s defense in the 81st minute, allowing Aikey to notch in the game-winner. By the time Stanford scored, Arizona State was too worn out, and it was too late in the game to rectify the Cardinal’s lead.
Despite keeping it close, Arizona State struggled to match Stanford’s offensive attack. The Sun Devils were outshot 22-5 and lost the possession battle 67%-33% to the Cardinals.
Nonetheless, Arizona State’s ability to compete and keep it close against No. 3 ranked Stanford is an accomplishment in itself. They’ll look to bounce back on Sunday against the California Golden Bears in Berkeley at 1 p.m. MST.
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