Arizona State (10-4-4, 5-3-1) allowed goals in the first 10 minutes of each half to Utah (6-6-6, 2-4-3) and was shut out for just the fifth time this season in a 2-0 loss to the Utes Thursday night.
The Sun Devils were coming off an impressive 1-1 weekend where they traveled to USC and beat the eleventh-ranked Trojans. They then visited UCLA, where they lost a heartbreaker in the final minutes of the game to the No. 2 Bruins.
The loss to the Bruins snapped the Sun Devils’ five-game win streak and sat them in fifth place in the Pac-12.
ASU could not get back in the win column on Thursday either. With the four teams ahead of them playing each other, they had a chance to move up in the standings with a win.
Arizona State now remains fifth in the conference, tied with California, with two games left this season.
Utah came ready to play Thursday night, jumping on the Sun Devils early and outshooting them seven to three in the first half. Sophomore goalkeeper Pauline Nelles made four saves in the first half, doing her best to keep the Sun Devils in the game early, as she’s done all season.
However, in the 80th minute, Utah’s sophomore forward Kelly Bullock got one past Nelles for her fourth goal of the season. In the 33rd minute, freshman midfield/forward Ella Opkvitne had ASU’s lone shot on goal of the game, but it was saved by Utah’s junior goalkeeper Kasey Wardle.
In the second half, the Sun Devils turned up the pressure on the Utes, outshooting them four to two.
They were unable to get any of those shots on goal. In the 50th minute, Utah’s senior forward Taliana Kaufusi scored her sixth goal of the season to put the Utes up 2-0.
ASU would get three shots off in the 10 minutes following Utah’s second goal, but none were on target.
Sophomore midfield/forward Enasia Colon led the team with two shots on the night, and Nelles recorded her ninth game of the season with at least five saves and her third in the last four games.
Bullock had a goal and an assist Thursday night to add to her six points over the last three games for the Utes.
Sophomore defender Ryann Cull assisted both goals for the Utes, which were her first two assists and points of the season.
ASU has just two games left to finish out the regular season, against Colorado and then its in-state rival Arizona.
The Sun Devils will remain on the road for those two games as they end the regular season with a three-game road trip.
Both are games the Sun Devils need to win, with both Arizona and Colorado sitting towards the bottom of the conference table.
ASU will travel to Boulder to face Colorado on Sunday at 11 a.m. MST. The game can be viewed on the Colorado Live Stream.
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