Rough go
It’s been a tough stretch for Arizona State soccer (8-4-1, 0-3-1 Pac-12) since conference play started. On Thursday, it didn’t get any easier. A resurgent Oregon State (10-2-0, 2-2-0) program scored twice in a two-minute period, and that was enough to hold onto a 2-1 win.
The Beavers struck early in the first half. Quickly after a corner kick — another set piece Arizona State struggled with — Amber Jackson scored in the 19th minute.
Oregon State didn’t let the Sun Devils catch their breath either. Brianna McReynolds dripped through the Arizona State midfielders before passing it off to McKenna Martinez in the box. Despite getting a foot on the ball, the Sun Devils didn’t clear it. The ball found its way back to Martinez, who extended the lead to two just a minute after Jackson’s goal.
Arizona State struggled to muster an attack in the first half. The Sun Devils only shot four times with none being on goal. Arizona State tried to be more aggressive as time dwindled down in the second half. However, the only score came from Nicole Douglas in the 90th minute when the match was already decided.
The same issues continued to plague Arizona State. The attack outside of Douglas didn’t produce many opportunities and the backline simply hasn’t played well enough to support a freshman goalkeeper whether it be Julia Ortega — who started against the Beavers — or Birta Gudlaugs.
It doesn’t get much easier for the Sun Devils as they search for their first Pac-12 win at Oregon on Sunday.