Sept. 29, 2002
ATHENS, Ga. - The Arizona State soccer team (6-1-2) tied a school record, set in 2000, by holding their fifth straight opponent without a goal, knocking off Auburn University (8-2-0), 1-0, Sunday at the Georgia Soccer Stadium. It was the first time this season that Auburn did not tally a single goal.
Arizona State jumped on the board first at the 21:43 mark when freshman Brittany Cooper sent a shot over the Auburn defense where freshman Elizabeth Bogus intercepted the pass and sent the shot past AU goalkeeper Megan Rivera as she came out to get the ball, notching the only score of the match. Bogus posted her third goal and second game-winner in the past two matches. Bogus' tally was her team-leading sixth and fourth game-winner, moving her into second place all-time in a single-season at ASU. Cooper, the reigning Co-Pac-10 Player of the Week, posted her fourth assist, moving her into a tie for the team high.
In the first half, shots were tied with four each from Auburn and Arizona State; however, three of ASU's shots were on goal and the Sun Devil's goalkeeper Kelly Fitzgerald did not have to make a save in the half.
The defensive stand continued in the second half as the Tigers had just three chances and the Sun Devils shot on goal only one time.
With just over six and a half minutes left in the match, Arizona State had a prime opportunity to move to a two-goal advantage on a Haley Stein breakaway, but Rivera made the initial block on the ground and got up to chase down the ball as it reached the goal line making the save.
Just two minutes later, the Tigers nearly tied it up as Sarah Steinmann crossed the ball to the middle of the goal. The ball deflected off of Auburn's Chrissy Culver and she sent it back over to Steinmann on the left side. Steinmann crossed to Kristen Stewart, who then just missed on a header to the right of the ASU goal.
Auburn out-shot the Sun Devils 8-7 in the game, but ASU put five of those shots right at Rivera including three from Bogus. With the help from another stellar defensive effort, Fitzgerald posted her fifth straight shutout, lowing her goals-against average to 0.53.
"We knew that No. 7 (Elizabeth Bogus) was fast, she just was just faster than we thought," Auburn head coach Karen Richter said. "This was our first shutout and they got it deservedly so. They had a great defensive effort."
"It was another great effort from the entire team," noted ASU head coach Ray Leone. "Auburn was a great team and they made us earn everything we got...it was a tough and hard fought battle."
Up next, Arizona State will return to Tempe to host Northern Arizona on Sunday, October 6 at 1:00 p.m.