Second Half Run Powers Lacrosse Past Cal

BERKELEY, Calif. – Sun Devil Lacrosse showed resiliency and toughness in a 21-18 comeback win over California on Sunday afternoon.
 
Arizona State (4-3, 3-1) was down by three goals at halftime, but rallied behind a gritty second half effort to earn the win in a shootout. Contributions from throughout the roster allowed the Sun Devils to come roaring back with a 10-2 advantage in the third quarter. 
 
Emily Glagolev continues to play at an elite level, leading the offense with a massive 10-point effort. That included a single-game program record seven assists, breaking the record of six that she previously held. Glagolev was consistently finding teammates like Carley Adams (five goals), Taylor Pinzone (four goals), Emily Munro (three goals), and Mina Scott (three goals), as five different Sun Devils recorded a hat trick, including Glagolev.
 
Defensive adjustments made in the second half by Head Coach Tim McCormack allowed the Sun Devils to slow down the California offense, leading to lucrative counter attacks. One of those changes was in net, as goalkeeper Flynn Murphy was inserted in the second half. She did not miss a beat, finishing the rest of the game, looking comfortable in the cage. Murphy was credited with her first collegiate win, making five saves while also causing a turnover.
 
The Sun Devils get their first road victory of the season and move to 3-1 in Pac-12 play, scoring a season-high 21 goals in the process. The tough schedule continues for Coach McCormack's side, as they will face two consecutive Top-15 teams. ASU will return to action on Friday, March 25th when they stay on the road to face No. 15 USC at 4 PM. Later in the weekend, the biggest non-conference game in program history looms. No. 13 Florida comes to Tempe for a 11 AM matchup on Sunday, March 27th.
 
TURNING POINT
Trailing by three after the half, Arizona State needed a change in momentum. That came in the form of a 7-0 run in the third quarter, flipping the game in the Sun Devils' favor. Arizona State went from trailing 12-9 to leading 16-12, silencing the California home crowd. Behind the efforts of Emily Glagolev and Flynn Murphy, the Maroon & Gold overwhelmed the Golden Bears during a ten-minute span, allowing them to take a lead they would not relinquish. 

NOTABLES

• Attacker Emily Glagolev had one of the best performances ever by a Sun Devil, dishing out a single-game program record seven assists
  • The previous record was held by Glagolev, who has now recorded six or more assists on five occasions
  • She added three goals and now has an incredible 25 points over her last three games (14 goals & 11 assists)
  • Glagolev is the first Sun Devil to have 100 career goals and 100 career assists
• Fifth-straight win over California, the longest win streak for the program against one team
  
  • All five of those wins have come in the past three seasons under Coach McCormack, as ASU was only 1-4 against the Golden Bears in the previous two seasons
• The 21 goals were a season high, as the Sun Devils have now scored 20 or more in two of their last three games
  • Under Tim McCormack, ASU has scored 20+ in 10 different games (9-1 record).
• Carley Adams was terrific offensively, leading the team with five goals
  • It is the second time in the last three games she has scored five, now doing so nine times in her career
  • Adams now has 105 career goals, surpassing the century mark this weekend
• Through six games as a Sun Devil, Taylor Pinzone has scored 17 goals after scoring four more today. 
  • That is already a career-best single season mark for Pinzone, who did not score more than 11 goals in a season at Northwestern.
  • She now has three or more goals four games this season.
• This was the second victory under Coach McCormack in which the Sun Devils trailed at half, with both of them coming this season. This matches the largest deficit that ASU has overcome in program history.
  
  • 3/20/2022 – at California (trailing 8-11, won X-X)
  • 3/11/2022 – vs. Oregon (trailing 3-4, won 11-9)
• Flynn Murphy started the second half in net for Arizona State, picking up her first collegiate win
  • She made five saves, caused a turnover, and scooped up a ground ball in her most extended period of playing time of her career
• The adjustments made in the second half were key, as the Sun Devil coaching staff implemented the right tweaks to flip the script
  • ASU outscored Cal 13-7 in the second half, held a 12-10 advantage in draw controls, and won the ground ball battle by an 11-7 margin
• Kaylon Buckner's play in the draw control area was a key factor in the comeback, as she earned a career-high nine
  • She now has 109 draw controls in her career, reaching triple digits this weekend

FIRST QUARTER
The Golden Bears would get on the board first, but Arizona State responded quickly and decisively. The Sun Devils would go on to score the next three goals, taking their first lead of the game. It started with a buzzer-beating goal by Emily Munro, who scored with only one second on the shot clock. Emily Glagolev followed shortly after with a rocket of a shot, ripping it past the Golden Bears' goalkeeper. Less than 30 seconds later, Katie Brodsky set up Taylor Pinzone on the doorstep for the third ASU goal in a two-minute span. California responded with a three-goal run of their own, re-taking the lead in a tightly contested first quarter. With ten seconds left, Carley Adams whipped a shot on net, giving the goalkeeper no time to react to tie the game at four. A last second California goal gave them a 5-4 lead after 15 minutes.
 
SECOND QUARTER
It would not take long for Arizona State to opened the scoring in the second period, as Taylor Pinzone took it herself after an opening-draw foul and scored only 17 seconds in. The two teams would exchange goals over the next five minutes, with the Sun Devils scoring twice a woman down. Carley Adams scored both to register another hat trick, giving ASU the lead despite the disadvantage. Back-to-back goals from California were answered by a Taylor Pinzone goal, knotting the game up at eight. The Golden Bears would register the final two goals of the period, taking a 10-8 lead into the break.
 
THIRD QUARTER
Goalkeeper Flynn Murphy came into the game to start the third quarter, as Coach McCormack looked to provide a spark. The Sun Devils came out clicking, scoring the first goal of the game in style. Mina Scott pounced on a loose ball and backhanded a shot past the California goalkeeper, recording her first goal of the season. Following a Golden Bears goal, the rest of the period was controlled by Arizona State, as they would go on to score the next seven goals of the game. Maria Villanti got it started, as Emily Munro fed her perfectly on a cut towards net. Carley Adams, Emily Glagolev, and Maria Villanti would score three goals in the span of only one minute, with Arizona State re-taking the lead amid an incredible run. They weren't done yet, as Emily Munro and Carley Adams added goals to put Arizona State up three and shifting all the momentum to the visitor's side. Cal was finally able to snap the Sun Devil run, but it was answered with two consecutive Sun Devil goals to end the period. Emily Glagolev and Kaylon Buckner pushed the lead to 18-13 and cementing a 10-2 third quarter margin.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
The run spilled over into the fourth quarter, with the Sun Devils scoring the first three goals. Two of them came courtesy of Mina Scott, who took advantage of her playing time by recording a hat trick. With the game comfortably in hand at 21-13, ASU was able to utilize their bench and seal their first road victory of the year. Flynn Murphy was credited with her first collegiate win in the 21-18 victory. 
 
QUOTABLES

Head Coach Tim McCormack
On the resiliency of the team
"We got challenged for 60 minutes today and were able to step up when we needed to. We got better in all areas throughout the 3rd quarter which was awesome to see. It was big to show some resiliency after halftime."
 
On inserting Flynn Murphy in the second half
"Flynny is always ready. She shows that every single day in practice she came in and did a great job for us."
 
On Mina Scott's first goal and hat trick
"Mina is someone else who is always ready to go. We've seen her make plays like this every day at practice and today was no different. She's playing with a ton of confidence and getting better every day."
 
On Emily Glagolev setting the program record for assists
"Glag has been an incredible leader for us this season and over the last 3 years. She makes her teammates better across the board and is playing great lacrosse right now. She's playing free, and having fun and it is paying off."
 
On Kaylon Buckner's contributions in the draw control
"She stepped up and took ownership there. She scrapped it up all day and does this every day at practice."

Attacker Mina Scott

On scoring the first goal of her career
"It was definitely super exciting to get on the board for the first time this season. The ball was loose in the middle of the eight and I saw an opportunity to get it in the back of the net."

On the team road win
"It was awesome to be able to contribute to our victory today. We supported each other all over the field and were able to come together to get the job done."

On the hard work in practice paying off

"Our team has been working so hard all season long so being able to get another win under our belt is extremely rewarding. We are all ready to get back to it at practice this week. Forks up!"

Goalkeeper Flynn Murphy

On what was going through her head when getting the call in the second half
"My mindset was just to get better and have some fun out there with my best friends. I felt super fortunate to have the opportunity to help my team." 

On getting comfortable in the game
"I felt pretty settled in when I took the field because I have a lot of trust in the people in front of me. The first save just confirmed my confidence and let me play loose."

On contributing to the victory
"Super special win for our team, any chance we get to compete together is great and getting the win together was great."

On trusting her teammates
"The support was constant in front of me - from Bella to Kroah to Syd to P. Feeling really thankful who they are as people and their ability to help me keep my mind clear. Also huge shoutout to Big Zo for keeping my head in the game every time I take the field. Super thankful for her little pep talks." 

UP NEXT
The Pac-12 road trip continues, as Arizona State will head to the southern part of the state for a matchup with USC on March 25 at 4 pm MST. The game will be broadcasted via the USC Live Stream, with live stats provided here. The 15th-ranked Trojans are 6-1 on the season, including a 3-0 conference record.
 
Later in the weekend, the Sun Devils return home for the biggest non-conference game in program history. ASU hosts perineal national power Florida on Sunday, March 27 at 11 AM MST. The Gators are currently ranked No. 13 in the country, which would make them the highest ranked team to ever play at Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium. Watch the game on the ASU Live Stream and/or track with live stats.
 
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