Lainey Burdett makes history as Arizona soccer tops New Hampshire

UA scored early and never looked back, while goalkeeper Lainey Burdett became the school’s all-time shutouts leader

Tempe, Ariz. — Score early. Never relent.

It’s a game plan Arizona soccer executed to perfection this weekend and it resulted in two trouble-free wins.

Sunday, the Wildcats (4-1) closed out the Sun Devil Desert Classic with a 2-0 victory against New Hampshire just two days after they hung five goals on Southeast Missouri State.

It is Arizona’s fourth straight win after dropping their season-opener to Albany. They have outscored opponents 14-0 in that span.

“We’ve been building confidence, figuring out who we are,” said head coach Tony Amato. “We dropped the first one and won four straight and I think we have a better idea of what we can be good at this year.”

Scoring early, for one.

Jada Talley and Emily Knous both scored within the first 30 minutes of the match. In the fifth minute, Talley ran onto a long ball, put herself in a one-on-one with the keeper and zig-zagged around her to set up an effortless finish for her fourth goal of the season.

.@jadatalley_ stays on fire, scoring her fourth goal of the season to give @ArizonaSoccer an early 1-0 lead on New Hampshire pic.twitter.com/BgpIv1GTqu

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) September 2, 2018

Not much later, Knous freed herself up atop the box and fired a screamer into the left side of the net, ending any hope New Hampshire had of upsetting another Arizona team (they beat ASU Friday).

“I think we did a good job of getting that grind in early, like we’ve been focusing on,” Knous said. “We knew this team was going to give us a challenge, but we shut it down early.”

A screamer by @emknous16 puts Arizona up 2-0 on New Hampshire in the 29th minute. Her second goal in as many games. pic.twitter.com/wmQLSLIbhK

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) September 2, 2018

Which is what Arizona has been doing since losing Albany. They scored two goals in the first 20 minutes of Friday’s match and three first-half goals against Houston Baptist last week.

“It gives us a good feel for a game and lets us play how we play,” Talley said. “… Once we get one, I wouldn’t say we settle, but it lets us calm down a little.”

Arizona finished Sunday’s match with a 20-3 shot differential, another lopsided victory. They took 13 shots in the first half when the ball rarely escaped New Hampshire’s half. Talley, Knous and Kennedy Kieneker took four each.

“The first half, it was a really good performance,” Amato said. “And then we were comfortable in the second half. They put a lot people behind the ball, so it was hard to break them down with as many chances in the second half, but we had a two-goal lead. So the first half was a really good performance and then the second half was more of a professional performance in terms of seeing the game on.”

Arizona had several scoring chances in the second half but could not add a third goal.

They didn’t need it.

Lainey Burdett recorded her fourth shutout of the season and 21st of her career, breaking the school’s all-time record. She only had to make two saves all weekend.

“I feel pretty great about getting it, but I couldn’t have done it without all the lines in front of me,” Burdett said. “When they work hard and they defend for me it makes my job easier.”

They feel the same way about her.

“I feel really safe with Lainey back there,” Talley said. “When the ball gets back there, I don’t spaz. If I make a bad play and we get countered and it’s my fault, I’m like ‘we have Lainey’ and I can calm down a little bit.”

Burdett has stabilized Arizona’s backline for four years now. She started as a true freshman back in 2015 and has continued to improve. She was an All-Pac-12 Second Team performer as a junior last season, and the UA coaching staff believes she is the best goalkeeper in the conference this year.

“It’s been a crazy ride, honestly,” Burdett said. “You always have a goal that you want to be the best. They are always pushing me to do my best. (Assistant) Paul (Nagy) especially.”

Burdett becoming Arizona’s all-time shutouts leader is “impressive,” Nagy said, but he made sure to let her know her work isn’t done.

“You’re the best that’s ever played here,” he told her after the game, “and now you got to put it at a point where it can never be touched, so other goalkeepers that come along can look at it and go ‘I can’t get to that.’”

Up next

Arizona is trending up at the right time. They are set to host Boise State (3-1) and Baylor (3-2) next weekend in the most arduous part of their non-conference schedule.

Baylor, known for their physical brand of soccer, reached the Elite Eight last season. Boise State went 13-6-3, finishing second in the Mountain West.

“Those are definitely going to be two challenges,” Knous said. “But I think going off two wins will give us a setup for a good week of training and put us in a good place for next weekend.”

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