Sept. 3, 2010
CHARLOTTE - Karin Volpe's goal in the 69th minute proved to be all the offense the ASU women's soccer team needed in a 1-0 road win over Charlotte on Friday.
For Volpe, the goal was her third of the season and her second game-winner of the season. It was also the 22nd goal of her career (now tied for sixth on ASU's all-time list) and the 11th game-winning goal of her career (now one away from being tied for second on ASU's all-time list).
With the win the Sun Devils are 3-0 for the first time since 2006.
"It was a very good, competitive game against a really good team" ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said following the game. "I thought Charlotte was a terrific team. They threw some things at us we have not seen yet and we had to sort some things out at halftime trying to get it figured out. Karin had a tremendous goal. It was a tremendous left-footed strike and an unbelievable goal.
"This was one of those games that could have gone either way at any moment. Both teams had a number of chances they could have put away."
The Sun Devils came out aggressive early, outshooting Charlotte 7-4 in the first half, however were unable to get the ball into the net. ASU came out with a similar sense of urgency in the second half and nearly broke the stalemate early on when a header by freshman Devin Marshall off a corner kick just missed going in.
Marshall's shot was indicative of a half in which both teams had near misses that could have altered the course of the game. That would all change in the 69th minute when Volpe found herself in the open and from the top of the box drilled a shot into the top left corner to give ASU the lead.
After Volpe's goal the 49ers (2-1-0) provided constant pressure on the Sun Devils in their effort to tie the game, however each time ASU would find a way to foil their attack and maintain their its lead.
Sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Gillmore made four saves for the Sun Devils, who have yet to trail in three games this season.
ASU concludes its road trip to the Carolinas on Sunday (1 p.m. ET) when it faces 19th-ranked South Carolina in Columbia.