The Arizona State Sun Devils (7-2-3, 2-2-1 Big 12) got their first Big 12 home win on Sunday night as they defeated Cincinnati (5-6-1, 1-4 Big) at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium.
Three juniors scored on the night for ASU. Midfielder Enasia Colon recorded her sixth goal of the season in the first half before forward Cameron Valladares and defender Grace Gillard added the finishing touches after halftime. Cincinnati graduate student forward Ellie Flower bagged a consolation goal five minutes from full-time to deny the Sun Devils a shutout.
The win was ASU’s first at home in Big 12 play as the Sun Devils improve to a 2-2-1 conference record.
“It was a very professional performance,” ASU assistant coach Ross Alexander said after the game. “We were disappointed by the performance on Thursday night and the best way to respond is to play the next game.”
The Sun Devils impressed in the first half, outshooting Cincinnati 8-1 while obtaining the majority of possession. The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute as Colon guided a cross from freshman forward Kierra Blundell into the net. The Florida native has scored six goals this season and tallied six assists for the Sun Devils.
“Whenever [Colon] is in the game, she’s got something special,” Alexander said. “You don’t know when it’s going to come or what it’s going to be, but she has moments that turn the game on its head. When you got players like that, it makes the difference.”
The Sun Devils continued their first-half dominance after halftime as Valladares netted her fifth goal of the season. A loose ball inside the penalty box was flicked on by Colon to an open Valladares, who smashed her effort into the net less than four minutes into the half.
ASU put the game beyond doubt at the hour mark as Gillard scored her first goal as a Sun Devil. A long range free kick from Colon was met by the English defender in the air, looping the ball into the bottom corner for ASU’s third goal of the night.
Cincinnati created more chances in the latter part of the game, forcing ASU junior goalkeeper Pauline Nelles to make two saves in the second half. The Bearcats got their goal in the 85th minute as Flower tucked a through-ball past Nelles to make the score 3-1.
“I think there’s little things,” Alexander said on what needs to be improved in the final 10 minutes of the game. “We made a lot substitutions which disrupts the flow, so from a coaching perspective we can look at.”
The win marked the Sun Devils’ second in Big 12 having defeated Houston earlier this month. This was the first win at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium in the Big 12 for the Sun Devils, after falling to West Virginia 1-2 on Thursday.
“West Virginia was a frustrating game,” Colon said in her post-match interview. “I put in some work on the sidelines and watched film to figure out what I have to do better. You can see it on the field: the combinations and small plays between everyone. We’ve been working on it and can’t wait to see more.”
The Sun Devils will finish their three-game home stand on Friday as they host Utah at 7 p.m.
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