In the 85th minute, sophomore midfielder/forward Enasia Colon had the ball at her feet 42 yards away from goal.
Everyone expected her to pass it. Her head coach, Graham Winkworth. Her teammates on the pitch and bench. More than 500 people in attendance.
Everyone except Colon.
“I did see [junior forward Keri Matthews],” Colon said. “But, I did see the opportunity to take a shot because the goalie was coming off her line. So, I took it, and it went in.”
Colon’s goal, her fourth in four games, helped lift the Sun Devils over the Washington Huskies 2-1 on Thursday night.
That shot was the epitome of an aggressive outing from the Sun Devil attack, which had 14 shots (seven on target), the most they have registered in a Pac-12 game this season.
Their performance included outshooting the Huskies eight to four in the first half, with many of the Sun Devils’ chances having a potent chance to go into the back of the net. They also held the majority of the possession in the first 45 minutes.
“I was really delighted by our first half performance,” Winkworth said. “That was one of the best 45 minutes we’ve played this season.
A goal from freshman midfielder Ella Opkvitne in the 34th minute highlighted the strong first-half play. Graduate student forward Florence Vaillancourt, who bustled down the right flank and into the box, passed the ball towards Opkvitne, who slotted the ball past Washington’s junior goalkeeper Olivia Juarez for her second goal of the season.
The goal capped a superb day for Opkvitne, who had seven shots, with four of them on target, both of which were season records for the Norwegian. She also had the assist on Colon’s game-winning goal. And yet, Opkvitne, who started the season as a holding midfielder, wanted more from her performance Thursday night.
“That was really fun that I scored one goal,” Opkvitne said. “But I really hoped to get another. I had some chances today as well. So, I should’ve maybe scored some more. But I’m really happy and grateful for the play time and to be able to score.”
Throughout the match, the Huskies forced the Sun Devils to play on the left flank in hopes of pushing the ball away from Arizona State’s playmakers, according to Winkworth. But the Sun Devils bombarded Washington with attacks from both sides.
“We needed to get back in the win column, and I’m delighted that we did,” Winkworth said on the victory. “I think, overall, throughout the game, we probably edged it and deserved a result.”
The Sun Devils (7-2-4, 2-1-1) look to keep up their high-flying attack against the Washington State Cougars (8-4, 1-3) on Oct. 8 at 12 p.m. MST in Tempe. Arizona State has scored two goals in each of their past two meetings against Washington State.
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