(Los Angeles, CA) For the second straight game the Sun Devil soccer team’s prolific offense was held scoreless in a 4-0 loss at top-ranked UCLA on Thursday.
The Bruins (12-0, 4-0 Pac-12) scored two goals in the first six minutes of the game and added a third less than five minutes into the second half to put the Sun Devils (6-2-2, 2-2 Pac-12) in a difficult hole any team would find difficult to rally from, let alone doing it against the No. 1 team in the nation on its home field.
“Congratulations to UCLA; they were incredible tonight,” ASU head coach Graham Winkworth said. “They’re a fantastic team and obviously disappointed with the result; it’s never nice to lose a game, but (we started Pac-12 play) in the altitude of Colorado followed by the four California schools and we’ve already got six points from those games, so it’s all about perspective.
“Overall, I’m very happy with where the season is, but disappointed tonight. I thought there were a lot of positives. Certain players came off the bench and made an impact and I’m really proud of them. We’ve got some players that came back from injury as well and played their first minutes of the season, so I’m happy for them to get through the game safe. I thought Pauline (Nelles) was fantastic in the goal and there were some other performances that were great, so, we’ve got to look at those positives and stay together as a team. Our culture is number one, and I think we’ll grow from this result.”
For the Sun Devils, Thursday’s loss was their second straight after having their five-game winning streak snapped in last Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Stanford. Prior to the loss to Stanford, the Sun Devils averaged 4.2 goals per game during their winning streak. The common dominator in the last two games? Trying to score goals against not only the top two teams in the Pac-12 in goals against average, but also two of the best in the nation: UCLA (first in the Pac-12 and 22nd in the nation, 0.545 GAA) and Stanford (second in the Pac-12, 33rd in the nation, 0.667 GAA).
“We’re not going to have as many chances against teams of UCLA and Stanford’s (defensive) level as we did in some of the other games,” Winkworth said. “So we have to make sure that we’re clinical. On the opportunities that we do get, we’ve got to be more aggressive in the penalty box than we were, particularly on some set pieces today. We have to be more aggressive on those.”
The Bruins started fast, posting three shots on goal in the first five-plus minutes of the game. Freshman goalkeeper Pauline Nelles came up with a brilliant save on the first shot. UCLA’s next two shots found their intended target to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the game’s sixth minute.
Nelles, a freshman who has started ASU’s last nine games, went on to make six saves in the against UCLA.
On the offensive end, ASU found it found it difficult to get going. Their task became even more difficult when UCLA added another goal in the 50th minute to go up 3-0.
The Sun Devils would end up recording five shots in the game, with only one of those – an attempt by freshman in the 88th minute – being on frame.
Sophomore defender Olivia Coleman made her 2022 debut for the Sun Devils, her first action since sustaining a season ending injury last season. At the time of her injury last season, which occurred right before the start of Pac-12 play, Coleman was a starter on ASU’s back line. Also playing for the first time this season was freshman Brianna Nunley.
“It’s great because as these players come back from injury, it will increase our depth,” Winkworth said. “Delighted for OC (Olivia Coleman) because I obviously remember when she had her injury about a year ago. And so I’m delighted that she’s back out there because she worked so incredibly hard. It was nice for Bri (Nunley) to get out there as well. She’s not been playing because she’s had an injury, so delighted for her to get out there as well.”
The Sun Devils return to action on Sunday (12 p.m.) when they play at No. 8 USC. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Network.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Steve Rodriguez
Click on Logo
