(Tempe, AZ) Sun Devil Lacrosse (8-4, 1-0) snuck away with a 14-12 win over Cincinnati (8-6, 0-1) to claim their first Big 12 Conference win, and a program-best 6-0 start at home this season. ASU was fueled by Teagan Ng’s five goals, and Jordyn Behar’s five assists in the team’s first come-from-behind win when trailing entering the fourth quarter this season.
The morning provided a few milestones including junior attackers Lydia Oldknow and Teagan Ng each hitting the 100-goal mark in their careers after Oldknow tallied two and Ng notched five. Jordyn Behar became the program’s single-season assist leader, needing just two to do so, she dished out five today and sits at 46 on the year.
In an impressive defensive effort, senior goalkeeper Katie Vahle secured 14 saves in goal, good for her sixth game this season with double-digit saves. The defense held Cincinnati’s Lauren Ottensmeyer, who was third in the NCAA in goals coming into the matchup, to just one goal on a free position shot.
How it Happened
The first five minutes saw the majority of the action for the first quarter. Jordyn Behar got the offense rolling by scoring the opening goal of the game and was followed by Anna Thornton who was able to shake her defender to find the back of the net. Cincinnati jumped on their chance to respond by scoring a breakaway goal the very next possession. Behar landed the last goal of the quarter after a missed free position attempt to give Arizona State a 3-1 lead.
It was a quiet second quarter for ASU, as UC tacked on four unanswered goals and took a 3-5 lead due to a scoreless effort for the home team.
A back-and-forth scoring affair commenced in the third. ASU came out strong, halting UC’s initial attack, quickly flipping the field, and connecting with midfielder Tegan Lowery for a goal within the first 30 seconds. Ten goals proceeded to be scored in the quarter, with both teams netting five each, keeping the Sun Devils within two and ending the quarter down 8-10.
Momentum quickly shifted in ASU’s favor in the fourth quarter with Lydia Oldknow scoring her second goal, Behar landed her third for a hat trick and tied up the score 10-10. Ng joined in on the scoring frenzy with two back-to-back goals of her own, bringing her total to four on the day and giving ASU its first lead since the first quarter at 12-10. UC returned the favor cutting the lead to one but was stunted by yet another goal from Ng and Thornton stretched ASU’s lead to three. UC placed the final goal of the game but it was not enough to overcome the Sun Devil attack with the final score delivering a 14-12 win for ASU.
Sun Devil Notables
- ASU is now 6-0 when playing at home this season which is a program-best start at home.
- Saturday marks the first time this season that ASU has won the game when trailing after the third quarter. ASU trailed 10-8.
- Eight wins matches the team’s 2024 regular season win total.
- Sophomore midfielder Anna Viglione recorded 15 draw controls against Cincinnati, which marks her 8th game of 10+ draw controls.
- Jordyn Behar’s five assists on the day set a single-season program record, passing Emily Glagolev’s 42. She has recorded five or more assists in six games this season.
- Ng and Oldnow hit 100 career goals and are tied for fourth in the program’s career record books.
Up Next
The Sun Devils will move on to their last non-conference game of the season taking on No. 6 Maryland at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium in Tempe on Thursday, April 3. First draw is set to begin at 12 p.m. AZT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Claudia Schwartz
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