Depth on Display in Lacrosse's Win over Cal

TEMPE, Ariz. - No. 25 Sun Devil Lacrosse defeated California, 18-10, Sunday afternoon at Sun Devil Lacrosse Stadium.

Arizona State (7-6, 5-2) wins their third straight game, overwhelming the Golden Bears right from the start with relentless pressure in every phase of the game. The Sun Devils continue to get outstanding offensive contributions from the big three of Emily Glagolev, Carley Adams, and Taylor Pinzone, as they combined for seven goals and five assists in the victory. Katie Vahle and the Sun Devil defense made it tough for California to score, allowing ASU to extend the lead to double digits on several occasions. 

The depth of the Maroon & Gold got a chance to shine, with Head Coach Tim McCormack wisely rotating his lineup throughout the second half on a hot afternoon in Tempe. Despite the fact that Arizona State had played two extremely difficult games against Top-25 competition leading up to this one, they looked to be the fresher team, taking advantage of a mismatch. 

The Sun Devils have three games left in Pac-12 Conference play and have put themselves in an extremely favorable position not only in the conference standings, but also the NCAA Tournament picture. Several resume-building opportunities are ahead, starting next weekend with a return trip to Oregon on Friday, Apr. 15 at 6 PM MST before heading to No. 25 Colorado for a showdown on Pac-12 Network at 12 PM MST. 

TURNING POINT
There might have been some concerns about a possible let down with Arizona State coming off two emotional Top-25 victories. They put those concerns to rest early, coming out with a dominant effort in the first period to put the visiting Golden Bears on their heals. California had no chance to settle in, as the Sun Devils struck early in often, starting with an Emily Glagolev goal only 44 seconds into the game. It was the three-headed attacking threat of Glagolev, Carley Adams, and Taylor Pinzone that caused problems for the defense in the opening 15 minutes. Carley Adams made it a quick 2-0 lead, with Cal finally able to answer with their first goal over six minutes into the contest. They would be shutout the rest of the half by a stingy Maroon & Gold defense, with the offense taking over from there. Emily Glagolev and Taylor Pinzone went on to exchange goals, each responsible for two, extending the lead to 6-1 before the Golden Bears could respond. The first quarter set the tone, with Arizona State controlling the action the remainder of the game sitting on a comfortable lead. This allowed Coach McCormack to play 39 total players, earning valuable experience for many while also resting the starters. 

NOTABLES

• Arizona State defeated Cal for the sixth consecutive time, the longest streak against one team in program history.
  • During that six-game winning streak, ASU is outscoring the Golden Bears 105-70.
• The Sun Devils move to 5-2 in conference, the best seven-game start in program history.
  • They already have matched the program high mark for conference wins in a season, set in 2021 (5-4 record).
  • ASU is tied in the loss column for first place in the conference with Stanford and USC.
• Carley Adams showed off her all-around game today, finding success all afternoon as a distributor.
  • She dished out a career-high five assists, finishing with six total points.
  • It is the 13th time in her career she has registered six or more points.
  • In the same weekend she scored five goals in a win, she also racked up five assists in a win.
• For the third consecutive game, Emily Glagolev scored at least four goals, as she continues her incredible run.
  • This is her eighth 4+ goal performance of her career, five of which have come this season.
  • She now has 13 goals over her last three games.
  • With several games to go, Glagolev already has reached a career-high in goals with 35.
  • Glagolev is up to a program record 257 points in 72 career games.
• Through 13 games of her Sun Devil career, Taylor Pinzone already has 30 goals and eight assists (38 points).
  • In 50 games at Northwestern, she had 34 goals and six assists (40 points).
• Junior midfielder Zoe Mazur impacted the game in many ways, highlighted by her first two career goals.
  • She also dished out an assist and collected nine draw controls, giving her 63 draw controls this season.
• Goalkeeper Katie Vahle earned her sixth win of the season, making six saves in a little over three quarters of action. 
• 14 different Sun Devils recorded at least one point in the win.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Tim McCormack
On the program's sixth win against Cal
"We just try to take it one day at a time, we don't put too much focus on who we're playing but at the end of the day it's always good to battle and play tough and we were able to do that for 60 minutes." 

On Carley Adams' five-assist performance
"She's got it in her, we have seen that, it doesn't always come out in the stat sheets but we see it on a Monday morning or a Wednesday morning so we know that it's there. It's a great thing and all of those guys can make their teammates better any chance they get. They get a lot of reads in practice, probably more reads than any other team out there and it pays off when we get put in situations where you have to make that pass and you can do it."

On the two-man play finally working the past few games
"A couple of things, I think first thing is being okay to work it a little bit, wear our defense down and not make the first open look the only look. I think that's helped a lot. It's given us three or four or even five opportunities to find the open cuts and make the right ones. We've kind of adjusted the angles as well as to where that stuff is happening which has probably helped a little bit on top and overall confidence. The deeper you get into the season the more chances you have to play together, put the same jersey on, and more chances to compete and those all add up."

On how important today's win is
"That's huge, it's huge to be able to turn around these short weekends we have in the Pac-12 lacrosse, they're tough. You got two tough opponents with a day apart, preparation is funky but you got to be ready every single chance that you have to be on this field. So, it's awesome to get a turnaround like that and be successful and execute at the level that we did, it's a great thing."

On the keys to continued success
"We just have to keep taking it one day at a time, keep competing every single opportunity we have on the field, stay healthy that's going to be a big part of it, both physically and mentally, making sure that we're taking the necessary rest that we're going to need as we kind of close down the stretch here and taking care of ourselves."
 

Junior Midfielder Zoe Mazur
On first career goals
"It was fun honestly, my family is here so they got to see it which was nice. It was awkward when I scored it, I didn't really know what to do but it was fun scoring another one and it felt good."

On what it means to her going on a run after Rutgers and Stanford
"It feels amazing honestly, I feel like we're close to them even at the beginning of the season and we have our pride and we want it more. I think the game against Rutgers changed things for us and what we do and we know we can do it so it feels good."

On if it was fun to contribute in every way on the field
"Any chance I get, I love it. From draws to staying out there for a few runs on midi it's always fun."

(Reporter): Do you have a favorite?
"It's nice to run up and down the field here and there but I feel like draws and draw unit since we work together a lot so it's always good to get a good win after that." 

On her reaction to seeing Glag, Taylor, and Carley play
"They're so valuable, they're great on the field and they're great off the field. It's fun to see them score, we get super excited every single time and it gets us going a little bit."

Senior attacker Katie Brodsky

On the two-man game
"I think that after coming off of that short injury, it's kind of giving me a little fire and edge to try and get back to it. I believe that I have a pretty important role behind but working that in up top more is what I've been working on. I think Glag is great, Crit (Carley Adams) is great, we all work really well together up top so just getting those goals and they never fail to put the ball in the net."

On feeling increasingly more comfortable up top
"Yeah, I think it's just using both to my advantage and helping the team get those feeds from low is great but also having myself up top sometimes and working the defense."

On beating Stanford
"It's amazing, I've been here for quite a while and we've never done it so finally being able to get the job done was definitely a testament to all of our hard work over the years and this season has been a great way…after that win against Rutgers I think we realized how much we have to believe in ourselves and that really is the next step so we got the job done by doing that."

Redshirt senior attacker Emily Glagolev

On beating Stanford
"It felt great, they definitely gave us a few losses in the past so it felt great to finally get the win."

On the pairing with her and Carley Adams
"It's been great, we get a ton of reps in practice and when we go into games it's the same thing we do every day so I think that translates really well when we get to games."

On scoring nine goals within the last two games and Carley's 5 assists today
"It's been great, I mean whatever works in a day can change depending on different matchups and who we play so like I mentioned the reps we both get reps in practice, we both get reps in assisting, scoring, other people get scoring and assisting reps and I think on any given day it can be anyone."

On if Rutgers was a turning point
"I think so, I think it felt good to get a nice…we try not to put pressure on any single game so kind of getting wins and stacking them up has been helpful. Just focusing on each possession at a time is something we put a big emphasis on which has shown within the past few games."

On scoring 9 goals the past few games
"Like I said, it could honestly be anyone on any given day but I had a couple the past few games. I think you never know with our offense, we have seven threats on the field at all time. I think that's the biggest edge we have."

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
A total of 39 players made an appearance in the victory over Cal, the most ever in a single-game in program history. There were key contributors throughout the roster that allowed the starters to rest a majority of the second half. Anna Winkeler, Helen Park, Annie Haley, McKenna Riley, Tate Stokesberry, Mackenzie Hovsepian, Lexi Guerin, Maddie Riley, Grace Lilla, Maddelena Signorile, Olivia Hood, Tess Keiser, Emma Carlson, Cate Duhig, and Riley Forman earned valuable playing time in the win.

"The effort being put in by each individual on a day-to-day basis is being reflected on Gameday," Coach McCormack observed. "The entire team has done a great job of staying engaged and being ready when their name is called upon. That speaks to the character and commitment of our players."

"Everyone works their butt of every day and are always yelling on the sideline, screaming their heads off," Emily Glagolev added. "To see them be able compete and put it all together, it was great."

UP NEXT
Arizona State hits the road for the final time in the regular season, returning the trip to Oregon and Colorado. First up, the Sun Devils match up with the Oregon Ducks on Friday, Apr. 15 at 6 PM MST. The game will be broadcasted via the Oregon Live Stream with live stats available here. The second leg of the road trip sees the Maroon & Gold head to Boulder, looking for their first road win over Colorado on Sunday, Apr. 17 at 12 PM MST in showdown that will be featured on Pac-12 Network. More information on how to watch the game against the Buffaloes can be found here, with live stats also available. 

PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP COMING TO TEMPE
Arizona State earned the chance to host the 2022 Pac-12 Lacrosse Championships, running May 4-7 in Tempe. Two first round matchups will take place on Wednesday, May 4 with the two semifinal showdowns following on Thursday, May 5. The Pac-12 Championship comes after an off day, hosted at Sun Devil Lacrosse/Soccer Stadium on Saturday, May 7. 

HOW TO FOLLOW
For in-game updates, follow our Twitter and Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWLax). Like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/sundevilwlax/) for content throughout the season. Visit our website, TheSunDevils.com, for the latest updates and information on the program.