Arizona State (6-6, 4-2) proved to be the better team from the opening draw, outscoring the No. 22 Cardinal each of the four quarters en route to an impressive 18-11 victory. Now that Head Coach Tim McCormack has defeated Stanford, his program has now beaten all five Pac-12 opponents. In a matchup of Top-25 teams, the No. 25 Sun Devils controlled the action in front of a lively home crowd.
"It's a great day," Coach McCormack reflected. "All-around phenomenal team effort. The preparation leading up to it was incredible. To come out and execute as we did, all positive things. We are looking forward to continuing that growth, getting better, and enjoying every moment."
Three different Sun Devils scored five goals, as the three-headed attacking monster of Emily Glagolev, Carley Adams, and Taylor Pinzone were at their best when the team needed them the most. Freshman goalkeeper Katie Vahle delivered another excellent performance, making 12 saves while teaming up with a tough and disciplined defensive unit to hold down a potent Stanford offense. Arizona State held an 18-15 advantage in draw controls and committed a season-low 12 turnovers, as every aspect of the coaching staff's gameplan worked today.
The Maroon & Gold continue to put themselves in a great position to be considered a candidate for postseason play, backing up a road win over No. 14 Rutgers with a second straight Top-25 victory. They improve to 4-2 in Pac-12 Conference, moving into a tie for second in the loss column with Stanford. It is a quick turnaround for the Sun Devils, as they prepare to host California on Sunday, Apr. 10 at 12 PM MST. Arizona State goes for their sixth consecutive win over the Golden Bears, looking for their best seven-game conference start in program history.
TURNING POINT
The two sides have a history of competing in incredibly competitive matches and the first quarter indicated this would be no different, as the Sun Devils held a narrow 5-4 advantage at the end of the first period. That would quickly change thanks to a brilliant second quarter effort, with both the offense, defense, and goalkeeping each having impactful moments. By the time the second quarter was over Arizona State had gone on a 4-1 run, taking a 9-5 lead and all the momentum into the break. Not only did Carley Adams, Emily Glagolev, and Taylor Pinzone help the home side extend their lead, it was a lock-down defensive stretch that gave the Sun Devils an insurmountable lead. For a 20-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarter, the Cardinal scored only one goal, including no goals in the final 12:13 of the first half. Goalkeeper Katie Vahle had a lot to do with this as well, making several timely saves to keep the momentum in the Sun Devils' favor. Coach McCormack's team took a 9-5 lead into haltime and never looked back, cruising to an 18-11 victory.
NOTABLES
- For the first time in program history, three players finished with five goals (Emily Glagolev, Carley Adams, Taylor Pinzone)
- Arizona State defeats Stanford for the first time in program history.
- Coach McCormack has now beaten all five Pac-12 teams.
- The 18-11 win over Stanford is even more impressive considering the Cardinal lost only 12-9 on the road at No. 3 Syracuse earlier this season.
- The seven goal loss by Stanford was their largest margin of defeat in a Pac-12 game since a March 8, 2019 loss ot No. 23 Colorado.
- The 18 goals are the second-most allowed by the Cardinal this season.
- ASU manage to solve the Pac-12 leader in save percentage and goals against average, as they found openings against Stanford goalkeeper Kara Rahaim.
- Stanford had won 14 of their last 15 conference games heading into the matchup with the Sun Devils.
- This is the third victory over a Top-25 team in program history, all of which have come under Coach McCormack.
- For the first time, ASU has beaten a Top-25 team in back-to-back games (No. 14 Rutgers, No. 22 Stanford)
- Katie Vahle set a new career high for the second straight game, recording 12 saves, several of which came at a crucial point of the game.
- She now has at least eight saves in eight games this year, picking up her fifth win of the season.
- Taylor Pinzone scored a career-high five goals, as she continues to shine in the desert.
- Through 12 games of her Sun Devil career, she already has 28 goals and eight assists (36 points).
- In 50 games at Northwestern, she had 34 goals and six assists (40 points).
- Carley Adams also added five goals in a patented performance.
- She scored five or more goals for the third time this season and 10th time in her career
- Adams has scored at least one goal in every game this season.
- She finished with four or more points for the sixth time in 2022.
- Emily Glagolev was the third Sun Devil to reach the five-goal mark, pacing the team with seven points.
- She already has five goals in three games this season after only doing it once prior to 2022.
- With several games left, Glagolev has already set a new career-high with 31 goals this season.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Tim McCormack
On having three players with five goals
I"It's huge, they are all fifth and sixth year seniors. I have talked about this a lot, this is the most experienced team we have ever had, and it shows. They have settled down, and were very controlled with their approach. The execution is great, but the ability to control the tempo of the game. To be able to play our game, as we always say, to be able to play Sun Devil Lacrosse, and not get into these frantic moments but to be able to stay controlled and execute but also go for ground balls and execute and it was awesome."
On the team effort it took to get this win
"Play our game, play Sun Devil Lacrosse for 60+ minutes, or however long it will take, and that includes everybody, all 33-34 of us together. The bench is incredible, and it trickles down to the on field. When you get some big time ground balls, it was huge."
On if this is the most complete game his team has played this season
"It's right up there. I think we have had really solid days and efforts. This was our best ability to control the game and effort."
On bouncing back from an early 3-1 deficit
"I didn't say much to help turn it around. We were put in an adverse situation last week on Sunday, down four two different times in a game and we were able to battle back in a game and be successful. That was a product of what we have seen today for sure. That ability to battle back in, and say 'we're good! We can take a few punches and come out and continue to do our thing, and change things up. It layers on top of each other. I think it all carries over."
On the performances of Paige McGlothlin and Berit Brookfield
"They are tough, and without defensive style, we want to be controlled, we don't want to foul, we have discussed that a Bunch. We want to be controlled, but we also want to be tough, and we want to make it hard. In women's Lacrosse, this is one area of the field one can score from, it's small. The harder we can make it for our opponent to get there, the better. Those two have a very good understanding of that. It dictates their angle. They come up with big time round balls when they need it. They are pushing out, and getting our pressure points really nicely. Those two are doing such a nice job, and just so excited for their continued growth."
Senior defender Sydney Payne
On the preparation that went into getting ready for Stanford's offense
"We spent a lot of time learning from our last match up. As a unit, we knew we had to shut her down and it was a full team effort each possession. Our communication and game plan helped us slow down their entire attack."
On being a part of the program's first win over the Cardinal
"It was a great win. It was satisfying to know that we played hard for 60 full minutes on both sides of the field. It is nice to beat Stanford, but it is just the next step in reaching our goal of winning the Pac-12.
Senior defender Paige McGlothlin
On the preparation that went into getting ready for Stanford's offense
"I just have to say that our scout attack prepared us so well for this week. They made us work. I think it really showed in the game. It was really great to be able to make those really big stops and push the momentum on to the attack. Honestly, every shot clock violation we got, every time we got a knock down stop, it just built the momentum and confidence from the back all the way up."
On what it is like to have a goalkeeper like Katie Vahle backing her up
"She's an absolute animal. Just knowing it is inevitable to make mistakes during games. But, just to know that you have someone who is that confident and that skilled behind you just makes it so much easier to put your trust in the whole unit."
On her reaction to the offensive success
"Every time that they would score on attack, we were all up there so we had a front row view. Watching them, you could see they were just flowing and getting those goals, and looks and breaking down Stanford's defense. We were all just saying 'Oh my god!' We had all the confidence in the world. Knowing that once we got it to them, they were always going to attack, and make the lead even larger for us, which was awesome.
On seeing Berit Brookfield get her first start
"I am just so proud of Berit. She is such an incredible defender. She works so hard everyday, and I am so excited to have her back there."
Freshman defender Berit Brookfield
On the preparation that went into getting ready for Stanford's offense
"We've been preparing for this all season, and to have the sidelines, and the scout team prepare us for this was absolutely incredible. We made history."
On what it is like to have a goalkeeper like Katie Vahle backing her up
"Trust is a huge part of the game. Being able to trust each other, count on each other, and having Katie as strong of a goalie as she is really helped the momentum and the trust that we have built today."
On her reaction to the offensive success
"That's a great feeling to be able to make a save on defense, or make a stop and trust your attack and to know that they were going to score some goals, and they absolutely killed it.
On getting her first start
"It was absolutely incredible. I can't even explain it. It was so awesome to have all my teammates cheer me on. To be able to play with Paige, and Katie and all the other defenders, it was incredible. I will never forget it."
Freshman goalkeeper Katie Vahle
On the keys to the team's success
"The energy was through the roof. Everything was in sync. Even though we have little mistakes here and there, we were able to capitalize on other people's mistakes and just go from there."
On the performance of her defenders
"Their sticks are huge, their ground balls are fantastic. It makes everything so much easier when they have to have a body on somebody and force them to take a tough shot. It makes my life so much easier."
On the mindset in the second half of Pac-12 play
"We've just gotta play together, and realize that every game is the same, no matter who we play, our environment doesn't matter. We just have to all stick together."
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
One of the keys to the game that wouldn't be recognized when looking at the box score was the importance of the offensive scout team for Arizona State. In their post game comments, the trio of defenders as well as Coach McCormack credited the professionalism and impact they scout attackers had this week.
"The bottom line is that our scout group was phenomenal across the board," Coach McCormack explained. "Without their effort in the preparation, it doesn't go the same way defensively. They knew what was going to happen, they gave us incredible looks. They worked for the last two days to give us those looks, and without that, we don't have this tonight."
Sophomore attacker Riley Forman
On helping get the defense prepared for the Stanford attack
"We wanted to focus on what we fell short on in the last meeting. For us this week, it was emphasizing marking up cutters and getting our sticks up in the air. Just making sure we were having fun and playing our game. One of the things we focused on this week was the attack reciprocating to defense to give them positive reinforcement about their effort. Communicating with them was our number one priority this week."
On the keys to limiting Ali Baiocco
"Getting good pressure on the ball and making sure we were marking-up cutters in the eight. She had a lot of good cuts the last time we played them. They weren't able to get that many looks because our defense did such an awesome job."
On assisting in a prepared and organized defensive effort
"It is definitely really rewarding for all the hard work we put in as the Maroon attack. Seeing the things we pointed out in practice implemented during a game is a great feeling."
Freshman attacker McKenna Riley
On helping get the defense prepared for the Stanford attack
"My goal for playing like Stanford attack was to really give the defensive looks and challenge them like Stanford did in past games. And treat every practice like game day."
On assisting in a prepared and organized defensive effort
"Seeing the team win and being able to hold such a soild D was awesome and really shows how everyone on this team is a huge part of this win."
On being a part of the program's first win over the Cardinal
"Being able to witness us beating Stanford was the best thing ever. It just shows how if we all believe in each other we are able to do anything and everything that comes our way."
UP NEXT
On Sunday, Apr. 10 at 12 PM MST, Arizona State plays the second game of the weekend against the other Bay Area program. California is 1-12 on the season, recently picking up their first victory, defeating Oregon 14-12 at home. The contest with the Golden Bears is on ASU Live Stream (2), with live stats provided here. Don't miss out on two more chances to check out the 2022 Sun Devil Lacrosse team at home. Under Head Coach Tim McCormack, Arizona State is 13-4 overall and has outscored opponents 274-179 at home.
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP COMING TO TEMPE
Arizona State earned the chance to host the 2022 Pac-12 Lacrosse Championships, running May 4-7 in Tempe. Two first round matchups will take place on Wednesday, May 4 with the two semifinal showdowns following on Thursday, May 5. The Pac-12 Championship comes after an off day, hosted at Sun Devil Lacrosse/Soccer Stadium on Saturday, May 7.
HOW TO FOLLOW
For in-game updates, follow our Twitter and Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWLax). Like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/sundevilwlax/) for content throughout the season. Visit our website, TheSunDevils.com, for the latest updates and information on the program.