(Tempe, AZ) A pair of two-goal performances by Keri Matthews and Enasia Colon punctuated a scoring explosion in the second half as the Sun Devil soccer team opened its season with a 4-0 win over Wright State on Thursday night.
The offensive fireworks produced by the Sun Devils came in the immediate aftermath of a lightning delay that extended the usual 15-minute halftime.
Forty-eight seconds into the second half Matthews beat Wright State goalkeeper Kiera Sarka for the game’s first goal.
ASU doubled its advantage early in the 49th minute when newcomer Suzuka Yosue passed to Matthews, who tucked a shot from the far side of the 18 into the goal to extend ASU’s lead to 2-0.
Like Matthews, Colon’s two goals came less than three minutes apart. In the 74th minute, Colon took a pass from freshman Savannah Maley, beat a pair of defenders and got her shot past Sarka.
Colon closed out the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 77th minute to cap ASU’s 4-0 win.
Pauline Nelles, who missed last year’s season opener due to her participation with the German National Team at the U20 World Cup in Costa Rica, posted her fourth career shutout. The Sun Devil defense made it a relatively easy night for Nelles as the sophomore keeper had to face only one shot and one corner kick.
On the flip side, although the Sun Devils ended the contest with 25 shots, it was their efficiency that was the difference between the first and second halves. Despite overwhelming advantages in shots (13-0), shots on goal (4-0) and corner kicks (4-1), the Sun Devils (1-0) were not able to produce any goals. In the second half, ASU’s 12 shots produced five shots of goal, four of which found the back of the net.
The Sun Devils came out as the aggressors taking six shots in the game’s first five minutes. Maley had a good look off a corner in the 14th minute but her header was high. Moments later, Matthews sent an excellent pass into the box but the Devils were not able to convert. Maley, who had ASU’s first two shots on goal, had an excellent look in the 19th minute but Sarka, who made five saves in the game, was in the perfect spot to make her second save of the contest.
The Devils appeared to score the first goal early in the 35th minute when sophomore Andrea Kraetzer’s header found the back of the net. Unfortunately for ASU, an infraction called on the Sun Devils, negating the goal and the game remained scoreless.
Right before the half, freshman Florence Vaillancourt got behind the defense but once again Sarka was in position to make the save and the game remained scoreless at the intermission.
Maley (four) and Colon (three) combined for seven of ASU’s 13 shots in the first half. Maley (two) and Vaillancourt (two) accounted for all four of ASU’s shots on goal.
The lightning delay commenced just as the second half was about to start. Fortunately for both teams, the weather did not caused any further disruptions.
The Sun Devils return to action on Sunday (7 p.m. MST) when they host SEC foe Mississippi State. The game can be seen live on Pac-12 Networks.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Liesl Babicka
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