Worth the Wait: Lacrosse Cruises Past San Diego State
TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil Lacrosse started the 2021 season out strong, defeating San Diego State on Sunday afternoon on the brand-new grass field at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium.
Showing no signs of rust after a long break, Arizona State jumped out to a 12-8 halftime lead and never looked back, suffocating the Aztecs' offense in an impressive second half defensive effort on their way to a 23-10 victory. Carley Adams led the offense, tying a program-record with eight goals. Berkeley Bonneau looked in midseason form in the cage, finishing with 15 saves, several of the highlight-reel variety.
TURNING POINT
At the 20-minute mark of the first half, San Diego State had a 6-2 advantage in draw controls. From that point on, the Sun Devils would take possession of 24 of the next 27 draws, a big reason why they were able to pull away from San Diego State. The 26 draw controls as a team were a program record, shattering the previous mark of 22 set last year against Detroit.
Coach McCormack's halftime speech worked, as his squad was ready to finish strong and extend their 12-8 lead. Kaylon Buckner set the tone with a goal less than two minutes in the half and a relentless Sun Devil ride would take over from there. Arizona State prevented San Diego State from generating any offense throughout the second half, holding them scoreless for the first 12 minutes. The Aztecs could only produce two goals and six shot attempts over the final 30 minutes due to an outstanding defensive effort by the Maroon & Gold.
QUOTABLES
"One thing that we preach in the program is treat every day like Gameday, so to us it didn't feel like anything new," Coach McCormack mentioned in regards to if he was worried about first-game nerves. "It was great to see another jersey and get after it as a complete group."
"Carley Adams loves this game," Coach McCormack remarked. "Carley Adams loves to play lacrosse. That is the bottom line. She loves to be on the field. So with that, she puts in the extra work. She is out there pre-practice and staying post-practice. She is doing all the extra film you could possibly do and loves every minute of it. We named Carley Adams captain a week ago because of that."
NOTABLES
- Carley Adams matched the program record, recording eight goals this afternoon. She tied her current teammate Kerri Clayton, who set the record in a 15-14 overtime win over Oregon in 2019. This is the fourth 5+-goal performance of Adams' career, three of which have come the last two seasons.
- Berkeley Bonneau finished with 15 saves, the 27th double-digit save effort of her career. She had 11 crucial saves in the first half to keep the Sun Devils in front with the game still in the balance.
- The 26 draw controls as a team were a program record, shattering the previous mark of 22 set last year against Detroit. Three different Sun Devils had four or more draw controls, led by Maddy Hunter who had six.
- Katie Brodsky set a new single-game career high, scoring four goals.
- Emily Glagolev showed off her ability to both pass and score, recording three goals and three assists. It was her fifth-career outing in which she reached those marks in each category.
- It was a balanced effort for the Arizona State attack, as 10 different Sun Devils scored a goal and 14 scored a point.
- After going 7-for-7 in the first half, San Diego State was 5-for-11 on clear attempts in the second half.
- Freshman attacker Mina Scott scored her first collegiate goal, freshman goalkeeper Flynn Murphy made her first collegiate save, and Emily Munro tallied her first goal as a Sun Devil.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & Gold prepare for another home game, as the Fresno State Bulldogs come to Tempe on Saturday for a 1 pm MST matchup.The game will broadcasted live streamed via the Pac-12 digital network at the following link. Live stats will be provided and can be found here.
*A reminder that all Sun Devil Athletics home events are closed to the public this year due to Pac-12 Conference COVID-19 policy.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Follow our Twitter and Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWLax) and like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/sundevilwlax/). Visit our website, TheSunDevils.com, for the latest updates and information on the program.