Soccer defeats Baylor
A three-goal outburst in the first half proved to be all the offense the Arizona State women's soccer team would need on Sunday as it improved to 2-0-0 following a 3-1 win over Baylor.
Senior forward Karin Volpe, freshman defender Jasmine Roth and redshirt sophomore forward Sierra Cook all scored goals within a 20-minute stretch to give the Sun Devils a 3-1 lead after the first 45 minutes of play. The Sun Devils were every bit as impressive on the defensive end in the second half as they limited to Bears to a single shot.
"We put together some really good moments and that's what I like. I wish we had done more in the second half," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said following the game. "I thought we were a little more solid and more organized in our backline and our midfield. We defended better. There were moments when we showed our skill and our ability to keep [possession]. We need to make those moments longer."
The Sun Devils were frequent guests on the Baylor end of the field for much of the first half. The offensive pressure they exerted would pay off a little more than 10 minutes into the game when Cook played a ball perfectly to Volpe in front of the Baylor net. Volpe wasted no time in taking advantage of the shot in front of her and put the Sun Devils up 1-0.
"It was a tremendous finish," said Boyd of Roth's goal. "We need to be really dangerous on set pieces for the year and so to get another goal on a set piece is important."
The Bears would cut ASU's lead in half in the 20th minute following a play similar to ASU's second goal as junior defender Staz Salinas headed in a corner kick by teammate Hannah Dismuke.
After seeing their two-goal, first-half lead erased last week, the Sun Devils made sure no such occurrence would happen this time around. Still, a little extra breathing room couldn't hurt and Cook would supply just that in the 32nd minute. Volpe's pass to Cook culminated a series of several Sun Devil touches and then Cook's left foot would do the rest as ASU once again took a two-goal lead, 3-1.
For Cook and Volpe it represented the second straight week that each player scored a goal. With the 21st goal of her career, Volpe is now in sole possession of seventh place on ASU's all-time list. With her next goal, Volpe will tie former Sun Devil Antoinette Marjanovic for sixth place.
The Sun Devils return to action on Friday (7 p.m. ET) when they travel to Charlotte, N.C., to take on the Charlotte 49ers in a battle of 2-0 teams.
Less than four minutes later the Sun Devils found their way into the Baylor net again when senior forward Jill Shoquist's well-placed corner kick was met by Roth, whose header was so well placed into the goal that a play by the defense was not possible on the ball.