Defense Shines in Lacrosse's Win over Fresno State
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Sun Devil Lacrosse team put together their second consecutive impressive performance, defeating Fresno State 22-6 on Saturday afternoon at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium.
A well-balanced attack and a tenacious defensive effort helped Arizona State move to 2-0 on the season. Head Coach Tim McCormack's squad is not just winning their games, they are dominating, having outscored their opponents by a combined score of 45-16. The Sun Devils jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking care of business to finish up the two-game home stand.
"It was great to see us maintain our intensity for 60 minutes," Coach McCormack remarked. "That comes from great preparation, leadership and overall team ownership in this process."
Arizona State relied on an incredible defensive effort, allowing only six goals to a Fresno State team that came into the game averaging 15 goals/game. Seven different Sun Devils caused a turnover and 13 collected a ground ball, as it was a complete team effort. While the offense may get most of the headlines, senior attacker Emily Glagolev knows what wins at the end of the day.
"They have been amazing," Glagolev stated in regards to the defense. "Most possession teams struggle to even get the ball inside the 8. We see it every day at practice, so it's really no surprise."
TURNING POINT
After 14 Sun Devils registered a point in the season opener, 15 did so in the win over Fresno State. Four players recorded hat tricks, including senior midfielder Maria Villanti. Her second goal of the game came with 15:08 left in the first half and put her team up 10, triggering a running clock. It was the first time in program history that the Sun Devils had taken a 10-0 advantage. The lead would grow as large as 12 goals in the first half, giving Arizona State control and some cushion over the final 30 minutes. Thanks to the large lead, Coach McCormack was able to get several players valuable experience, as a total of 37 players saw action.
"It's always good to get players on the field," Coach McCormack reflected. "Experience is something you can't teach so any chance to play will always be beneficial down the line. We were very happy with everyone's ability to come in and make an impact
QUOTABLES
"Very pleased with the balanced effort," Coach McCormack mentioned. "It was great to see those type of contributions from so many different players. We played tough as a group all game."
"I think the balance we have is something that not many other teams have," Senior attacker Emily Glagolev observed. "No matter which seven are on the offensive end we have seven people who could score and that tough to stop."
UP NEXT
The Maroon & Gold hit the road for the first time, as they travel to Colorado to take on Denver. The matchup with the Top-15 Pioneers is scheduled for March 7th at 10 am MST. It is the fourth time the Sun Devils will face a Top-15 team on the road. The game will be broadcasted via live stream at the following link. Despite the anticipation of a highly-competitive matchup, Coach McCormack and team captain Emily Glagolev are staying true to what has worked for them.
"Our emphasis won't change moving forward," Coach McCormack assured. "We will continue to control the things we can, compete every day, love the game, put the team first and having fun while doing it."
"It's exciting to get on the road again," Glagolev commented. "We keep the same mindset for all games just have we will continue to have fun out there and play sun devil lacrosse."
*A reminder that all Sun Devil Athletics home events are closed to the public this year due to Pac-12 Conference COVID-19 policy.
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