Arizona State secured a 2-0 victory over Grambling State on Thursday night at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium, thanks to two second-half goals from senior forward Keri Matthews.
Despite a scoreless first half, the Sun Devils controlled the game’s pace for 90 minutes, maintaining possession and goal opportunities. ASU’s dynamic play lasted all night against the Tiger’s defense, which could not keep up with the Sun Devil’s diagonal runs and constant through balls.
Junior forward Enasia Colon showcased flare on the ball and excellent movement from the wing, which was a clear cause for concern for GSU. Colon led the Sun Devils with eight goal shots, five of which were on target. The freshman supporting cast, forward Megan Sofield and forward Kierra Blundell, also contributed solid link-up play, which proved vital in the second half.
The visitor’s best chance in the match came in the first half when a dangerous corner kick found its way onto the head of a Grambling State player who nodded the ball on target. Fortunately for ASU, junior goalkeeper Pauline Nelles tipped the ball onto the crossbar to prevent an unexpected first-half deficit.
Heading into halftime, ASU head coach Graham Winkworth was displeased with what the scoresheet reflected from his team’s performance. Winkworth looked to change this at halftime with a message for the Sun Devils.
“It was a message of frustration,” Winkworth said. “Ultimately, I felt we were soft, and we were causing more of our own problems than Grambling was, and that’s not good enough.”
Heading back onto the field, the home side remained confident a goal would eventually come as they retained control of the ball in Grambling’s half of the field.
The breakthrough, however, finally came in the 56th minute when Blundell slipped a sleek through ball to Colon, who was in on goal. Grambling State junior goalkeeper Madison Covey-Taylor saved Colon’s shot, but luckily, Matthews arrived on the scene for an easy tap-in. This well-orchestrated play gave the home team a much-deserved 1-0 lead.
After breaking the deadlock, ASU’s attacking line created more chances in the final third. This spacing allowed Blundell to whip in a back post cross that fell on the head of none other than Matthews. Her 65th-minute header gave the Sun Devils the cushioned lead it was looking for to seal the win. Matthews attributes this play to being in the right place at the right time.
“Learning to follow up shots makes all the difference,” Matthews said when asked about her goals for the night. “If I hadn’t followed the shots, I wouldn’t have been there.”
This clean sheet is Arizona State’s third on the season as the unbeaten Sun Devils strive to continue their good form before heading into conference play in two weeks.
The team next faces Ivy League competition, the University of Pennsylvania, which has yet to register a win this season. Fans can expect the same possession-based gameplay from ASU against the East Coast visitors.
“If we can keep possession of the ball well against Penn, we can cause a lot of problems,” Winkworth said.
Arizona State (3-0-2) will play the University of Pennsylvania Quakers (0-2-1) at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 1, at 1 p.m. PST.
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