By Samuel Ganczaruk
State Press
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Tonya Thuringer of the State Press ASU defender Kim Wagner picked up a key assist late in Friday night's 3-1 win over Iowa State, feeding Jaclyn Clark with a corner kick. |
The Sun Devil soccer squad's four-game winning streak came on an upset victory over the 21st-ranked Iowa State Cyclones Friday night.
Sophomore midfielder Stacey Tullock netted two goals in the record-setting night, giving her eight for the year.
She started the scoring in the 14th minute with good team ball movement. Tullock finished the play by blasting one past Cyclone goalie sophomore Lynley Hilligoss, who had five shutouts thus far this year.
"Stacey Tullock is so good," ASU head coach Terri Patraw said, "but I thought all the kids were brilliant tonight."
Tullock's second goal at 36:46 came off a penalty kick after she was pulled down in the box. She buried it in the lower right corner to put the Sun Devils up 2-1.
"It put us ahead," Tullock said. "When we get a penalty kick, we know we worked hard in the box to get it. We were pumped up after it."
ASU put the game away when Jaclyn Clark scored off a corner kick from senior defender Kim Wagner. Wagner had a corner a minute earlier in which she fell and ended up getting no air under the shot. Wagner had many thoughts running through her head before the kick.
"(I was thinking) God, I hope don't fall," she said, "and I did."
This time she got air under it and Clark finished it off with a rocket that iced the game for the Sun Devils.
"Yeah, it was nice," Wagner said. "It's all about the team. It's all about working together."
The Sun Devils earned this goal by changing their offensive outlook at halftime. They went from a 3-4-3 to a 4-4-2. The Sun Devils wanted to match up with the number of players the Cyclones had in the midfield. Iowa State's Erica Florez was flying through and getting good scoring opportunities.
"I didn't have full confidence in going to a 4-4-2 but they all wanted it so all three argued about it," Patraw said. "So I will have to give them full credit about it."
Senior forward Jennifer Peterson reinjured her right ankle in the first half after receiving a cortizone shot earlier in the week. She started the second half but hobbled until she was pulled late in the game..
"I stayed off it all week and didn't even practice and it is not any better," Peterson said. "I can't play through it so I am going to have to get another cortizone shot."
This four game winning streak is the first in the program's history.
"I was about to throw up before the game, I was so nervous," Patraw said. "I was going to have them call me on my cell phone and have them tell me how we were doing."
This win is evidence on how the program is definitely on the rise.
"We all feel like something's turning in the program, finally," Patraw said. "I look out there I see how much more mature we are. This game is absolutely crucial for NCAA Tournament hopes. That's was why my stomach was churning before the game."
The win should vault ASU (5-2) into the top 25 for the first time in the team's history. Patraw felt the team deserved to be there after last week's win over UNLV.
"I am a little perturbed by not getting national respect," she said. "Nobody noticed that we beat Michigan so now they might know we are for real. This is gonna open some eyes (and) I would hope and expect to see us in the top 25 (this week)."
