Sophomore midfield/forward Enasia Colon provided Arizona State with the tie-breaking and eventual game-winning goal with a strike from just outside the 18 in the 82nd minute. Just minutes later, the Sun Devils (9-2-4, 4-1-1) would add another goal to close out their 2-0 victory over Oregon (0-12-2, 0-6) Friday night.
ASU started Pac-12 conference play 1-1-1, but after the win Friday night, it has won three straight games, its longest win streak of the season.
It was no surprise to see Colon be the hero for the Sun Devils Friday night, as she leads the team with nine goals for the season. Three of her nine goals have been game-winners, and three have been in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Junior forward Keri Matthews assisted both of ASU’s goals Friday night. Matthews now has five assists and 11 points on the season, both second on the team.
The Sun Devils struggled to get going for much of the first half as Oregon put the pressure on early. The Ducks outshot the Lady Devils nine to seven and two to four in shots on goal in the first half. But sophomore goalkeeper Pauline Nelles kept the Ducks off the board with four great saves, as she has done all season.
ASU brought a different level of energy and intensity to start the second half, redirecting the pressure onto the Ducks back four. The Sun Devils would put up 10 shots, four on goal, compared to Oregon’s three with just one on goal in the second half.
Despite a scoreless tie for just over 81 minutes Friday night, the Lady Devils got two shots past Oregon’s freshman goalkeeper Leah Parsons in the final nine minutes to escape Eugene with a much-needed win over the winless Ducks.
Redshirt senior midfielder Hannah Lapeire provided the dagger for ASU just three minutes after Colon put the Sun Devils on top. Lapeire, a transfer from Purdue, beautifully placed a header just past the fingertips of Parsons into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Lapeire’s goal was set up by Colon, who took a shot from nearly 30 yards out that Parsons had to make a leaping attempt to save, providing ASU with a corner. The goal was Lapeire’s first of her career on just her fifth shot as a Sun Devil.
With the offensive attack in the second half, Nelles only had to make one save after a four-save first half. She earned her eighth shutout of the season, doubling her total from all last season and her first shutout in five games.
ASU will need Nelles to continue playing like one of the best goalkeepers in the country and keep its offensive attack strong heading into its next couple of games. The Sun Devils will welcome USC Thursday night, Oct. 19, and UCLA Sunday afternoon, Oct. 22, who are undefeated in conference play, ranked inside the NCAA top 25, and sit third and first in the Pac-12 standings.
The weekend will be a major test for the Sun Devils but also a major opportunity. They’ve shown they can hang around with the top competition after playing Stanford tight in a 2-1 loss. Stanford sits in between the two California teams in the Pac-12 standings and ranks fourth in the country in the NCAA’s top 25. The Sun Devils game against USC will kick off at 7 p.m. MST on Thursday.
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