In what would become a piece of history for Arizona State University, the ASU women’s soccer team picked up its first conference win Thursday night against the University of Houston Cougars. This win also marked the universities second time meeting in a game and ASU’s first win historically against the Cougars.
The Sun Devils entered the match with a record of 5-1-2 after coming off a frustrating loss to Brigham Young University the previous week. Still, they looked confident in a needed bounce-back win against a strong University of Houston team, who entered with a record of 3-3-1.
The first 15 minutes of play saw multiple back-and-forths between the two teams, with both teams showing an extremely defensive approach. Arizona State’s leading goal scorer, freshman forward Kierra Blundell, was shut down for the majority of the first half by five Cougar defenders in the backfield, a strategy that resulted in hardly any action for Houston goalkeeper redshirt sophomore Olivia Dietrich.
Similarly, Arizona State displayed a keep-away approach, playing junior goalkeeper Pauline Nelles far out of the goalbox and utilizing her as a fifth passing option for the defense.
Some consider The strategy extremely questionable, as Nelles was practically at midfield throughout the game. Interestingly, the Houston Cougars never contested passes to Nelles and instead allowed her to roam the pitch without pressure.
With 27 minutes remaining in the first half, the Cougars managed to catch a break with a free kick after an ASU yellow card from junior defender Grace Gillard. In what looked to be the first scoring opportunity for either team, sophomore midfielder Aryanna Jimison would take the shot for the Cougars. From about 27 yards out, Jimison smashed the freekick just off the crossbar and out of play, saving ASU from a momentum shift in favor of Houston.
The defensive power struggle continued for most of the first half until the 10th minute, in which a beautiful passing play from freshman forward Megan Sofield led to Blundell. The powering shot went past the Cougar goalkeeper and off the left post, burying it in the back of the net.
This goal marked Blundell’s sixth of the season, doubling the number from the leading Cougar goal scorer, senior midfielder Juliet Moore. Following the ASU lead, the Cougars quickly implemented a strategy change, and they displayed a much more aggressive approach.
When the teams returned from halftime, the difference in team morale was clear. The Sun Devils walked onto the field smiling and laughing, while the Cougars seemed sullen and serious. It was clear Houston came into the second half with a plan.
The attack started quickly, with Jimison getting multiple shots off in the first five minutes. However, she was unable to capitalize on any of them. Incredible defense from Nelles and senior defender Olivia Coleman kept ASU on top as the Sun Devils looked for their next attack.
After 20 minutes of turnovers and poor ball control in the second half, Blundell was taken down in the goalbox during an attack and was awarded a much-needed break for ASU in the form of a penalty kick.
The one-on-one Blundell and Dietrich matchup saw both Blundell’s kick and Dietrich’s dive go left. However, Blundell’s dart of a kick was too much for Dietrich, who was unable to save the penalty. The goal marked insurance for Arizona State and put the game out of reach for Houston.
The final minutes of the game represented the story as a whole, with the Cougars creating many opportunities for themselves that they could not capitalize on with multiple fouls, tripping over themselves, and a strong ASU defense.
While ASU could not create nearly as many opportunities on offense as the Cougars, they capitalized on the ones they had, which made the difference in the match.
After the loss to BYU last week, ASU regains its season momentum and improves its record to 6-1-2, as well as taking its conference record to 1-1. The Sun Devils will remain on the road as they take on the Golden Knights of the University of Central Florida (3-1-2, 1-0 Big 12) next.
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