Defense Thrives in Lacrosse's Victory over Cal

TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil Lacrosse earned a weekend split with the Bay Area schools, defeating California 11-7 on Sunday afternoon.
 
Arizona State (8-4, 5-3) swept the season series with Cal for the first time behind the strength of an overpowering defensive effort. The Sun Devils allowed seven goals, with only two coming over the final 28 minutes of the game. Head Coach Tim McCormack's team scored six of the final seven goals to take control of the game and earn their third straight win over the Golden Bears.
 
The team was led by Gigi Gaspar, Bella Gaspar, Sydney Payne, Olivia Hood, and Mallory Martel, who each executed their role perfectly allowing the Sun Devil defense to lockdown the opposing attack. Cal committed 21 total turnovers, 10 of which were forced by the aggressiveness and hustle of the defensive unit. The group also helped ASU maintain a 25-21 advantage in ground balls.
 
Offensively, the Sun Devils received contributions from a number of players, but a special assist stands out amongst the rest. Emily Glagolev fed Maddy Hunter for a goal with 3:48 left in the game, representing the 100th assist of Glagolev's career. She becomes the first Sun Devil to reach the mark, doing it in only 55 career games. She finished with three points on the day, which matched teammate Carley Adams for the team lead. Adams scored another hat trick, tying Kerri Clayton's single-season program record with 44 goals. Lia Willis was one of eight Sun Devils to score, with her two clutch second half goals providing a spark for the strong finish.
 
TURNING POINT
The Golden Bears' style of playing a slower tempo and limiting the number of posseions kept the score low for a majority of the game. It was tied at four entering halftime, with the Sun Devils struggling to find an offensive rhythm. It took almost 14 minutes for ASU to score in the second half, but once Carley Adams broke the seal to tie the game at 5 with 16:03 left, the floodgates opened.
 
California's Quinnlyn Mason's goal with 13:51 left gave Cal their third lead of the game, but was quickly answered by Kylie Kroeger to even things back at six. From that point on, the Sun Devils would score five of the next six goals to make a run that the Golden Bears could not keep pace with. The play of the defensive unit not only kept the Sun Devils in the game for a majority of the game, but they also sealed the victory, allowing only one Cal goal over the final 14 minutes. Emily Glagolev and Lia Willis were big reasons why the offensive turned it around, each contributed multiple points down the stretch.
 
QUOTABLES
"It is a fantastic accomplishment for Emily to reach 100 assists, but I know she would tell you it feels even better that it came in a win," Coach McCormack remarked after the game. "She impacts the game for us in so many ways and her passing ability is unique."
 
"I am pleased with the way we finished this game," Coach McCormack observed. "Cal has been playing their opponents down to the wire, so it was good that we were able to prevail against a team so experienced in close games."
 
"The defense was spectacular and Berkeley held it all together," Coach McCormack added. "They were relentless in their ride and pursuit of the ball, using the communication and trust they have established to their advantage."
 
NOTABLES

• Carley Adams scored three goals, the eight time in 12 games she has recorded a hat trick.
  • After scoring 13 goals in her first 33 games as a Sun Devil, Adams has accounted for 62 goals in her last 20 games.
  • She now has 44 goals, tying Kerri Clayton's mark of 44 goals in 2018 for the single-season program record.
• With her two assists on the afternoon, Emily Glagolev became the first Sun Devil to reach the 100-career assist mark.
  • She did it in 55 career games, recording multiple assists in 28 of those contests.
  • Her 24 goals in 2021 are a new single-season high.
• For the fifth time this season and 17th time in her career, Berkeley Bonneau allowed single-digit goals. She picked up her eight win this season, moving to 13-7 over the past two season.
• Eight different Sun Devils scored at least one goal, including defender Olivia Hood, who cashed-in on a free-position attempt in the first half.
  • It was Hood's first goal of the season and sixth of her career.
• The Sun Devil defense was excellent once again, holding an opponent to 10 goals or less for the fifth time this season.
  • Cal came in averaging 10 goals a game over their last six.
• The Maroon & Gold finished with more ground balls (25-21) then their opponent for the third consecutive game and caused ten turnovers.
• ASU won by four goals, a rare accomplishment for recent Cal opponents. The Golden Bears had not lost by more than two goals since March 26 (six games).
• Arizona State swept the season series over Cal for the first time in program history.
  • It is their second series sweep over a Pac-12 opponent, with the first coming over Oregon in 2019.
  • Dating back to 2020, ASU has won the last three games against the Golden Bears.

 UP NEXT 
Another Pac-12 showdown looms as the Sun Devils finish the regular season next weekend. First up, they will honor a legendary senior class after taking on USC on Friday, April 23 at 3 pm. In the first meeting between the two sides, the Sun Devils cruised to a 20-9 victory, their first in program history over USC. The implications for the Pac-12 Conference standings and Pac-12 Conference Tournament seeding are substantial, as both teams will enter with a 5-3 conference record. Catch the action via the live stream at the following link, or follow along via live stats here.
 
*There has been an update in the Sun Devil Athletics fan attendance policy. For some of our smaller Olympic sport venues, student-athlete family and guest tickets remain the priority and we will accommodate additional fans the day of if we are not already at capacity.
 
ASU has a quick turnaround as they will immediately head to Southern California for a rematch with San Diego State. The 1 pm contest is scheduled for Sunday, April 25 with a live stream available here and live stats at the following link. The Sun Devils opened the season with a 23-10 win over San Diego State at home, and will now return the trip to San Diego where they lost a thrilling 19-18 game in 2020.

HOW TO FOLLOW
We will be honoring our senior class all week long on our social media channels. 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.